Goodbye, East Coast...again.

The countdown to my official move has started.  In less than 72 hours, I will be on a plane with all my worldly goods (okay, just the ones I have here in D.C.), headed back to Nevada.  It's making it very difficult to focus and I have a lot to get done: language test, last day of unpaid work, packing, cleaning, saying goodbyes.  I don't have a lot of patience when I know something is coming down the road, and it's taking a lot of willpower to not just change my flight and hop on the next plane home. Especially with the past week I've had transiting around.

For Thanksgiving, I met Mr. TPG in Boise, Idaho and we drove into Eastern Oregon to my brother- and sister-in-law's place.  We had a grand ol' time, devouring delicious food, going on walks in the crisp winter air, and playing a lot of nerdy games.  We also celebrated news of a new nephew or niece on the way (so exciting!), as well as my birthday (don't ask my age...it's starting to even shock me).  But it was also very tiring, since I flew out immediately after a workday, spent one night in Boise (Mountain Time), a few nights in Oregon (Pacific Time), back to Boise for another night (Mountain Time again), and then flew back to D.C. (Eastern Time).  Whew.  It was a lot of states and a lot of time zones for less than a week.  Now I'm back in D.C. for only four days before heading West again.  And while my body and mind is still figuring out exactly where I am, I cannot wait to be in my home later this week.


Over the past few months when people have asked me where I live, I've sputtered out a long, complicated answer: Well, I kind of live in D.C. At least I do right now.  I've lived in D.C. for almost three and a half years.  But I moved to Nevada in May.  And my home, husband, and all my stuff is in Nevada.  So I've been going back and forth a lot.  And living out of a suitcase. 

Yeah, not the most eloquent of answers.

So it will be nice to finally have the short, sweet answer: My husband, my home, my work, my house, my stuff...it's all in Nevada. 

Hopefully I survive the week in one piece.  Here's to officially turning the page and starting the next chapter!

Two lawyers walk into a bar...

...and they are husband and wife. 

Sometimes it's challenging being an (almost) lawyer married to another lawyer.  Friendly discussions easily turn into heated debates - especially those involving politics, since Mr. TPG and I grew up in nearly opposite worlds when it comes to the political spectrum.  And even the ones that don't sometimes ring like lawyers shooting down each others' arguments. 

Man, I sure hope our children turn out okay. 

Coffee lover.

Last spring, my doctor told me I should cut caffeine out of my diet. I tried, and tried hard. But six months later, I am back to reveling in my daily cup of coffee. Since my departure from D.C. is coming up very quickly, I thought I should pay tribute to some of my favorite places in my neighborhood. I will miss them so.

Up first is the venue that feeds my addiction:

Peregrine Espresso 

 

Peregrine is a locally-owned coffee shop on 7th Street S.E., right across from the Eastern Market metro station.  It's got a slightly modern, funky design (thanks to the awesome Scott & Amy Herbert at Aesthetic Answers) and is a cozy place to read - or work - while sipping some great coffee.  The baristas are really nice and the atmosphere is lively without being too loud.  There are plenty of kiddies that come to this cafe (which you may love, or not) - for me, it always brings a smile to my face to have a two-year-old waving at me while I work. 

 This is a typical morning scene.

I almost always order a bran muffin and either a cup of regular brewed coffee or a latte.  Can't speak to their drip coffee, but it must be good based on the busyness.  The lines in this place can get crazy - it's an incredibly popular coffee spot on the Hill.  On Sunday morning, as I sat outside drinking my coffee while people streamed in and out of the cafe, I watched a young female patron get up from her table at Le Pain Quotidien next door to come peek into the window to see what the fuss was all about.  Nothing to see, except people flocking to Peregrine for their morning coffee like bees to honey.  I think she will be back to try it out. 

There are some locally-owned coffee places in Carson, which I am looking forward to trying out.  As much as Starbucks can get me through the day, there's something very special about a friendly, well-run, neighborhood coffee shop. 

Movember.

A friend of mine posted this on facebook because he is participating this year, and I thought it was too creative not to tip my hat:

It's Movember.

When else can you grow your 'stache for a good cause? I'm not a big fan of upper-lip decor on my man in general, but I admit there is something awesome about the mustache coming back into style. If you happen to have a penchant for the soup strainer, you should definitely check out the Fuzzy Ink t-shirts sold at Eastern Market in D.C. - this one is my favorite.