Moving to DC

          Since I last blogged we have had a very busy personal life.  We visited my parents during Thanksgiving about three weeks after my dad’s hip replacement surgery.  We had Chelsie and Grady’s wedding in Utah, and then hosted a reception for them in Huntsville.  Three days later we woke up to three inches of snow on Christmas morning!  It was absolutely beautiful!

            On the day after Christmas we loaded the pick-up with Chelsie and Grady’s wedding gifts and a few personal belongings and set out to DC.  There was snow on the ground, but the roads were dry.  It snowed on and off the whole way to Chelsie’s and Grady’s apartment.  We unloaded their “stuff” and spent the night there.  

Our children have nicknamed this "The Clampetts drive to Washington".  "Let me tell you a story 'bout a man named 'Mo'..."

            The next day (Monday) we jumped back in the pick-up and headed to the holy land – a.k.a. Durham, North Carolina, home of the Duke Blue Devils basketball team and the place where Mo and I met.  Being Christmas break, it was deserted, but we wandered around the campus a little.  We went to Cameron Indoor Stadium where there was another alumna showing his kids around.  A campus police officer came by and let us into the lobby, but couldn’t get us onto Coach K Court because they were having a closed practice.  

 We tried to go to the Pizza Hut where Mo and I used to go, but it is now a Chinese restaurant, so we opted instead for a Cracker Barrel.

            We spent the night in north Richmond and on Tuesday made our triumphant entrance into the Capitol City!!!!  Thank goodness for our GPS, which we nicknamed Polly and which got us to the closing office of our condo.  All went smoothly, so we made our way to our new DC home. 

            Life in a big city is not always as convenient as living in Huntsville.  Upon arrival at the condo, we found out that we had to make an appointment for the loading dock, where we had to unload the truck.  Also, the parking pass we were supposed to have for a week in the garage was not there.  We killed some time at McDonald’s until we could (fortunately) get the loading dock.  Then, we borrowed a cart like you find in hotels to make about four trips with all our stuff up to our condo. I carried Mo across the threshold (piggy-back style).  I had forgotten how tiny the rooms were!  We love the view, though!

The new pad.  Cozy by Huntsville standards!

But with great views!  The Washington Monument, the new Nationals Stadium, and the Anacostia River.

            At that point, the effort to single-handedly revive the Northern Virginia economy began!  We drove to Woodbridge, VA where there is a huge shopping area, including an IKEA.  Our goal: buy a TV so we would be ready for Comcast when they came the next morning, and visit a Walmart for needed supplies.  After visiting three electronics stores, supping on IKEA meatballs and perusing their wares, we found the Walmart (surprisingly NOT a Super Walmart).  Mo checked out with a cart load of stuff and left me to finish the shopping while he went to purchase the TV.  When I went to check out at Walmart, my credit card was rejected!  We called them and told them to prepare for many more purchases, and to make a note that we would be living in two places.

            Our first night in our new place was on a blow up mattress.  We were surprised at how light it is at night in the city, even with the blinds down.  Something else new to get used to!

            After the Comcast guys came the next day (on time, I might add!), we resumed the spending orgy through Friday.  Furniture, dishes, sheets, lamps, etc.  You don’t really think about all the things you need to set up a household.  We had a new iteration of “the list” every day.  Fortunately, we made enough trips that we were able to get almost everything we need.  Our condo is convenient to the Capitol, but NOT to shopping!  Furniture was delivered on Friday (New Year’s Eve), and we were dead asleep in our new bed by 10 p.m.

            On New Year’s Day we assembled, put away, unpacked and generally arranged our things.  We watched the Alabama game (49 – 7 romp against Michigan State). To our delight, the newly weds (Chelsie and Grady) arrived that evening.