Hello Huzzah

A Long Time Coming; A Journey to the West

This post about leaving DC and journeying west to our new home in Seattle has been a long time coming. I can't believe we've been here almost a month.



Leaving DC, our home of almost three years, was hard. Not because we wanted to stay- not because we didn't want change. But because it was an ending- and those are almost never easy. Leaving friends and family, jobs, and routines was tough. I'll never forget the excitement we felt when we found out that we were moving to the District--but we are more than ready for the next phase of our lives. We just wish we could take the people, our close friends and family, with us wherever we go. That's terribly selfish of us, I know- but I wish I could delicately wrap them in newspaper, beside my pyrex, or cuddle them in a blanket, and place them in the car with us, so that we never have to miss them. So that they can experience new adventures with us. We miss living our lives with them.


We spent almost 4 days driving from our home town in Tennessee (where we went for a short visit after leaving DC) to Seattle. Jared and I  with our dog, Icky, in our car and my sister, Nikki, and our cat Louie, leading the caravan in our Budget truck that we quickly nicknamed Barb- a Waffle House waitress with a smoker's cough. We used walkie-talkies to communicate and gave ourselves trucker names (which were truly great- but are for us to know only :). Nikki saved our asses when she volunteered to help us-she is the most caring and kind, selfless and committed person I know. The Louise to my Thelma- the person that knows me best in the world. She always knows what I'm thinking- and I know she's thinking that she hates that I wrote something mushy about her. But it needed to be said. I love you Nik.



I don't know if I can fully explain what driving/moving cross-country is like- but I'm going to try. It was cleansing. Freeing. Exhilarating. Stressful. Expensive. Long. Too short. Fun. Exhausting. Fascinating. Boring. There were moments when I thought to myself, in those rare moments when my puppy was asleep in my lap and Jared was happily driving or when I was driving and listening to audio books while Jared was napping with the pup, that I was the luckiest woman in the world to be on such an exciting journey with some of the people I love most in the world and I felt (and still feel) so fortunate to have shared all those experiences with them, in particular.





I hope I never forget what it was like to drive by the Gateway to the West late at night- Jared and I both punch drunk and excited like kids, listening to David Sedaris' When You Are Engulfed in Flames. Or the beauty of the sun bouncing off the snow in South Dakota and walking up to Mt Rushmore with Nikki. Dawn in Montana- the sun on the mountains- listening to The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. And the beauty of Idaho! Who knew? Or the last two hours, driving through Washington- the wind turbines, mountains, water and bridges.   I feel fine forgetting most of Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. No offense--those were the longest, flattest, most boring miles to drive.






We arrived in Seattle on the night of the 17th- beating everyone's estimation that it would take at least five days (have more faith in us, guys). Nikki, once again, kicked ass in helping us move into our new place. In following our grand tradition of eating pizza as our first meal in our new homes (we move...a lot)-we walked to Hot Mama's and grabbed several slices of Pepperoni.


And then Nikki left. And it's already been almost a month. I can't wait to share more of what we have been doing here and the new friends that are making Seattle feel like home. More coming on that very soon.
Thank you for reading-
Janice  & Jared

Little Bits of Lately

• Date night movie marathon at the Courthouse Plaza.
  
  
• So, a major job perk for me is free books. YES.
  
  
  
  
• Another, is getting to meet Neil Gaiman. YES. (That was almost a month ago...what??)
  
  
• So, we have finally finished our two month long journey of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It is really difficult to be the only people mourning a show that ended ten years ago. Sigh. So many sighs. (Note: maybe this means I will start doing anything else again?)
  
• The new Shake Shack two metro stops away from us. YESSSS.
  
• More Lush bath bombs. Because I just can't say no.
  
• July 4th. Mostly sucked (rude people are the WORST). But we did snuggle quite a bit.
  
  
  
• We went to a critic advance screening of the To Do List, out this weekend! Go see! Dare I even call it feminist? Yes. And hilarious, raunchy, awkward... Just go. Trust me. Also, Aubrey Plaza? YESS.
  

 
Many Huzzahs,
Janice & Jared
 
* Obviously, all opinions are my own and do not reflect Politics & Prose. Duh. Don't Even.

Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Program

First, my apologies. It has been a month since we last wrote!! Our lifes have been hectic; hospital stays, a new job, all night Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathons.... It really takes alot out of a girl. And her boy. And their fluffy-babies.
However, I'm hoping to maintain a solid blogging schedule now, so...
On Memorial Day, the husband and I crossed another item off of our D.C. Bucket list- paddle/pedal boats on the Tidal Basin. Not only was it an enjoyable and relaxing way to spend an hour, it was also unusually cheap for DC; at only $12 an hour for two people, I can't recommend this little excursion enough.




After  we pedaled around the basin, we picnicked under a lovely tree...where we were accosted by squirrels during mating season. So, we found a different lovely tree. And we snacked on fruit roll ups, and read Stardust. And it was definitely one of those perfect afternoons.


And it gave me an excellent excuse to wear my narwhal tights.

 
Many Huzzahs,
Janice & Jared

Sunday on the Hill

Sunday morning, we travelled to Capitol Hill to stroll through Eastern Market.  We grabbed a doughnut (the friggin best doughnut in the world) and coffee from Sweet Treats and picked through the fun stuffs in the flea market.



Afterwards, we walked over to Capitol Hill Books- one of the loveliest and snarkiest book stores in town. I adore their organizational system.



Browsing Eastern Market was one of our favorite DC-y things to go last Summer and I'm so looking forward to keeping this tradition up!








 
Many Huzzahs,
Janice & Jared

Our Gatsby Anniversary

Wednesday night was my and the husband's third wedding anniversary. Time has flown by, yet I feel as though I've known him my whole life. I'm so lucky to have such an amazing partner in all of our adventures.


We started the evening at Ted's (it fit the 1920's theme, after all). Afterwards, we strolled around Capitol Hill a bit before jumping on the train to go to Georgetown. We stopped by Baked & Wired for some coffee drinks and they had THE cutest cupcakes and pastries on display- I wished I wasn't so full from dinner! Then we headed to the AMC to see The Great Gatsby, which was, well, great. Beyond lovely, actually. I absolutely loved it.



We dressed in 1920s attire, cuz duh, I can never pass up a good theme. I've been obsessed with the culture of the 20's my whole life; our bookcase is packed with biographies and historical fiction novels of the period and I have an unhealthy obsession with Clara Bow and Louise Brooks. And of course the Fitzgeralds. That obsession, combined with my preoccupation with my husband, made for an exquisitely beautiful night.



 
Look at him. I'm smitten.
Many Huzzahs,
Janice & Jared

My Meeting with the First Lady

Yesterday morning, I had the distinct pleasure of being one of 250 people to meet Michelle Obama and receive her autographed book. Last week, I waited in line for three hours in order to gain entrance and security clearance for the event at Politics & Prose Bookstore. It was so worth it! She was marvellously kind and gracious. She shook hands and had a short conversation with each person. We chatted for a second about Tennessee. I admire her so much and she is well loved in this city. And I can't wait to read her book! Also, all proceeds from her book sales go to the National Park Service, so buy buy buy!

(Capturing a picture of the First Lady is as difficult as capturing one of the elusive Sasquatch, especially when in the presence of Secret Service.)

DCist.com
Washington Post
NBC Washington
 
Many Huzzahs,
Janice & Jared
 
p.s.
I have to say, after meeting FLOTUS, I feel like a real Washingtonian!

Little Bits of Lately

• A week ago, I had my seventh MRI. Not terribly fun or helpful, as the root of my chronic pain has still not been found.
• The other day, I had an interview for a job I would just about maybe/sort of/definitely kill for. I dressed nicely, in my new cardigan (an early birthday present), got up really early, and drove through the psychotic traffic to get there. And then- it just didn't go great. Not horrible- but definitely not great. I really let my nerves get the better of me and now I feel like a complete fool.
  
• Today, the pair of headphones I've had for 7 years just broke apart in my hands. This seems like interesting timing to me; I'm coming up very quickly on my 25th  birthday and thus, I'm having a bit of a quarter life crisis. I got those headphones my freshman year of college and wore them practically every day of my college life (and many days since). They reminded me of that time of my life and I know this may sounds silly or trite but now, I really feel grown up. And I don't like it. Tomorrow, I'm going shopping for a new pair-perhaps to signify a new part of my life? Could anyone wax more poetic over a pair of headphones?
  
• But...
  Today I trudged down Connecticut Ave. at 6:30 in the morning to wait in line for a wristband for the Michelle Obama event next week. And I got it! Which means a week from now, I will have met FLOTUS! (I was 13th of over 1oo people in that early morning line.)
  
  

I'm very much looking forward to this weekend.
I hope your week was easier.
Many Huzzahs,
Janice & Jared

A Year in DC

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of our move to DC. To celebrate, we headed downtown for coffee at Chinatown Coffee Company (delicious!) and to Washington's favorite movie theater, E Street Cinema, to see Breakfast at Tiffany's.




While, it was one of the hardest years for me personally, in many ways this year has been completely wonderful. We took a big risk- we moved far away from home, to a city where we knew no one. It was the right decision. We've had so many adventures; seen so many things we didn't ever think we'd see. And we're ready for more. I don't know if DC is our forever home (New York? San Fransisco? Edinburgh?), but for now, we love our adopted city and we'll always treasure our time here.

We can't believe it's been a year.  We can't believe it's only been a year.

Many Huzzahs,
Janice & Jared

Making it Better

Everyone has bad days. Sometimes it's because of simple things like CVS losing your prescription or your dentist telling you that you're going to have to get adult braces (sigh). Other times it can be more serious; an impending medical exam, family melodrama, or a sick cat. Can you tell that it's been a tough week?
For those little problems, I've constructed a short list of little pick-me-ups that are getting me through this week:

• The Big Blue bath bomb from Lush. As my friend Rhiannon mentioned, it turns an ordinary bath into mermaid water. It smells heavenly on my skin and in my bathroom and at only 7$ is one of the cheapest ways to spoil yourself.
• Baking cookies. My FAVORITE cookies are of the oatmeal-cranberry-walnut variety. At a grocery store in Tennessee, I was able to find the most delicious break and bake version. When I'm missing home or feeling particularly blue, I break out this recipe, which is very similar and relatively easy to make (I add extra craisins).
  
• Treating yourself to lunch and a book. I really like to take a book to Potbelly's and order the chili with extra oyster crackers and a big chocolate chip cookie. Also, I heartily recommend Caitlin Moran's How to Be a Woman-phenomenal.
  
• If you can (and are in need of larger forms of cheer) I suggest purchasing a little something from Hello Holiday. If you go to their joyfully colorful website and glance at their inventory, you'll know why. Plus, it's owned and operated by two of the coolest women on the internet. I want to be them when I grow up.
  
• I can't recommend snuggling enough. Especially when it's with these two. But they're mine. So, find your own.
  

While I recognize that the above steps won't solve all of your problems, they considerably brighten my mind.

I hope I helped.

Many Huzzahs,
Janice & Jared

Joyce Carol Oates

Monday night I fulfilled a college dream of mine to go to a Joyce Carol Oates reading (at Politics & Prose). Most people have found her in anthologies of English literature and I am no different. After reading a short story of hers in a college creative writing class, I hurried to Mr. K's Used Books and picked up everything I could of hers. She is kind of amazing. In person, even more so. She has a very skeletal frame, very pale skin, and she was wearing violet lipstick- she was almost vampiric in appearance and attitude. This is very fitting, seeing as her new novel The Accursed includes such beings. She read deftly from her new novel and then answered questions from the audience, without pause. She knows what she is doing; she has published more than 70 works of fiction in 39 years. She is a literary rock star. (She is also quite entertaining on twitter.) Yet, when the time came for her to sign my book, I didn't utter a word. She is just too awesome. And I can't wait to devour her new novel. ( Also, I would kill to look/be like her at 73. wow.)





For the reading (and dinner afterwards at 2Amy's) I wore my new shoes from Poetic License. They have the most grown up heel I have ever owned. I also wore my new purse from Hello Holiday- I love the giant kiss lock. The tights are old, from our honeymoon in London. The dress is H&M (old) and the coat is from Target (old). I felt like Spring in this outfit and would've loved to take these pictures in the sunshine, but we were running very late to the reading and just managed to snatch the last two seats. In case you haven't heard DC has horrible traffic and Washingtonians were named the worst drivers in America.



Also, as a little note- I love that I live in a city that plays hosts to such talent, it wasn't too long ago that we lived near just a graveyard, grocery store, cow pasture, and retirement home.
 
Many Huzzahs,
Janice & Jared