Keepin it cozy this weekend!

It has been a nutty weekend. The snow started here in DC on Friday at 10:45 am. It snowed until Saturday afternoon about 2 pm. It has been such a gorgeous snow! It is prefect timing as Lil Hen and I have been sick with a nasty cold so hunkering down in the house doesn't feel so bad except for now that it is utterly sunny, we do need to get out.

Friday evening.
My car is starting to disappear.

Friday night.
Our back deck is also disappearing!

Saturday morning.
Yikes, my car pretty much disappeared!
Won't be moving that one for awhile.

Sunday morning.
Sunny calm. Can't get out my back door.

This snow is amazing. It is quite unbelievable. I don't recall this much snow, ever in the DC area. Colorado perhaps. But even now, there is not this much snow in the mountains of Colorado. I've kept things quite unplanned and relaxed this weekend as it is just Henry and I. The honey husband went to Utah to ski Park City with his best friend. I'm amazed he made it out as he left early Friday morning when everyone tried to leave DC for the weekend. Needless to say he got bumped from his flight (and without even any courtesy tickets or anything). Instead he ended up taking the train up to NYC and flew out from there. Talk about die-hard to get outta town! Poor guy. He deserves it though as he hasn't had a boys weekend in sometime. My Brother and his fiance made the trek over yesterday for a fire in the fireplace. It was really nice to see some faces as we've been experiencing a little cabin fever Henry and I. Before my brother came over we made some Valentines which was lots of fun!

Henry's Valentines.
Do you see the two Valentine Trucks?

My little bit of California is starting to bloom!
I LOVE jasmine!

Let's see if Dean ends up coming home tonight. I have a feeling our airports are still closed. He may have to fly back into JFK and then train it back home. What an adventure.
My brother is coming to pick us up so that we can get out and about and have a change of scenery too! Looking forward to to an adventure! Apparently, snow is scheduled for Tuesday. Whoa!

It's been awhile!

Oh no no no! I've been sucked into a massive time warp. So much to say! Stay tuned shortly.

Connected, again!

YAY YAY!
I'm finally connected to the internet. My house has internet. I have internet. We have internet. Connected. Reconnected to the world, thank you!
I had to wait two and a half weeks. Crazy eh? Guess we have technician shortage here in the DC area. Any way, as of this past Saturday we had our FiOs cable and internet installed. Somehow the tech guy managed to have the order incorrect and did not have our phone connection listed on his job list.....gonna have to wait a few more days for our house phone. The blackberry can continue to hold the fort down until then.

As we begin to settle here, I have found myself making connections with old friends. Whether through our children's play dates, on the phone or in the grocery store, it is starting to happen. This helps tremendously with the transition and is a sign that we are beginning to take root. It does feel good.

Boy am I exhausted.
It is as if for the past year and a half I have been on the fight or flight mode, I've kept my head above water, barely and now that we have found our spot and are taking root and slowing down, my system is starting to shut down. I am in need of some kind of retreat, full of self nurturing, a tune-up. Where I can reflect, acknowledge, make plans, sleep a lot, do yoga, eat well, and move on and forward. This is something I am starting to look into and will make an asserted effort to do even if for a night away. I need this.

This past week showed signs of routine! Henry is in his new school. www.communikidspreschool.com and he is really happy to be making friends and creating new relationships. Maestra Samantha, is one of his teachers with whom he has created a special bond. She cuddles with him a lot. This is a very good place for him and am so happy we found it. On the 21st his class is going to go to Butlers Farm in Maryland to pick pumpkins and apples. I've taken the day off so that I can be a chaperon. So excited about going!

As for the work front, I am keeping busy and enjoying teaching tremendously. There is much going on at the moment. From establishing the class calendars, to finalizing all the marketing...waiting waiting on others is VERY hard. The graphic designer is very talented and has loads on his books, but it is very hard to wait for him to complete things like business cards, to web pages and postcards. It is hard to market the business without these things. YIKES!

This past Friday I went to an excellent organic restaurant for a girls night out with one of my oldest friends Christina. We had a blast! We chatted about friends and family including who what and where. We probably could have stayed for at least five hours longer then we did! Christina and I have many many childhood memories together (the middle school ones are simply the best..puberty is such a poignant time in ones life) and I look forward to creating new ones with her and her family. I am very blessed to continue to have her in my life!
We ate delicious swordfish at a restaurant in Bethesda called Redwood. The was the food delicious, as was beautiful, and so is the restaurants decor! It's exterior has mixes of earth (wooden slats) and metal. This continued on through the simple design of the interiors. Despite it's modern decor the (red)wood, creates an abundance of warmth. I will be frequenting this place. The owner has a few other restaurants in the metropolitan area so I will be hopping to those as well!

Tis late and I must go and get some shut eye!

Can I get a WOOT WOOT! (Yes, I am tooting my own horn here)

Yes! It is all FINALLY coming into place. Our move to DC has been one epic journey. We have now, crossed off all our major to do's in order to go from being newly transplanted to being PLANTED! My biggest bridges to cross have been:

• Get Pilates Studio up and running

• Find a house

• Find a preschool for Henry (Spanish Immersion)

Check, check and check! Of course these were being accomplished all at the same time. I've definitely been running around with my head cut off, which is why I've left my blog to linger alone. As Labor Day approaches, I must get ready to move this weekend, prepare Henry to start school on Tuesday AND teach my first classes also on Tuesday. YIKES!
Needless to say, I am completely prepared to know that my house will be in complete disarray and that things will not be in "their places" before our big day.
I don't want to even get started on what excitement I will have when it comes to decorating my new home too. Yes, I have tons of ideas but must not get hasty here. Breath, and one step at a time PLEASE.
Can I tell you how excited I am? Excited that I am back here in DC, that my family is with me, that we have wonderful family and friends around us and that this is our HOME!

As we nest into our new space, I'll be back more, here in my little blog world too!

WE MADE IT TO DC!

Backstroke! Henry is loving the pool!

Where the heck has the time gone. All my fellow blogger friends, perhaps you've been wondering where on earth I went...I apologize. This moving states twice within one year is definitely taking years off my life! The great news is we made it to DC and are alive! What an epic journey and I am not so sure I want to relive it on these pages it was so darn epic.

We packed house, trucked it by way of route 80 east through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and then DC! What an adventure. I've always traveled in the past by way of 70 so I was keen on a new route. I wasn't really sure what to expect in Nebraska or Iowa as I had never been to those two states, but I was very drawn to Iowa. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that my great grandfather was raised there (his Dad had owned one of the first flour mills there), in Walnut Iowa. The landscape was really lovely. Of course there were farms abound (which I had expected), but what I had not, was the rolling hills! There were farms whose corn crops were on tiered hillsides. I've only seen corn growing on very FLAT land so this was a view to behold. Next thing that surprised me were the wind turbines. Whoa! These large wind mills where scattered everywhere like LARGE ants. It was fascinating!

Wind Turbines outside Walnut, Iowa

Wish I could tell you that the rest of the trip was just as intriguing but alas it was not! I will relieve you of the saga. Let's just say it took a whole extra night to get to DC (we planned two but ended up three) which we were not planning on. Henry was a fab little traveler and loved riding in the truck. After having rode in the high truck with huge windows where he could see the world, the Audi no longer cut it.
Nevertheless, we made it!

Unloading the Rover.

Can u see Henry is helping out too?

Our first 5 days here were spent recouping, unloading our house in storage and spending time with family. I've moved all my equipment in my Pilates studio and am finishing up the last touches before we are ready to "open shop." The past few weeks I've been juggling so many to do's. To start, I am trying to sort out Henry's school. I've seen a couple of really fabulous schools that have Spanish immersion. Now I am on a hunt for a nanny who can supplement a few hours here and there. The third ball in the air, is finding a place to live. Needless to say I'm gonna need a vacation before I start my new job. Ha ha!
Henry has been going through this transition like a super star. He mentioned going home a few times. I know once we get into our own house with his own bed etc, he will be home!
Having my family around has been a huge help. This is something I am so very happy about. The support is tremendous. On top of my family affair, I have wonderful friends here too.

Living out of a suitcase has been a challenge let alone a toddler who is running wild! We are staying at my aunts house which has been incredibly fantastic! We get daily swims in, great conversation and delicious food. Speaking of food, my aunt and I saw Julie and Julia! What a fantastically sweet movie. I loved it. I thought Meryl Streep hit Julia Child right on the money! Her mannerisms and body language was spot on! There were points in the movie where both Trisha and I were literally cackling out loud it was so hilarious!

Pool fun!

Any who back to the juggling, the past few weeks...it has been wild. We're hoping to have things settled by this coming week. Will keep you all posted. I've missed my blog friends and my google reader. In the coming weeks I will be back on track. In the meantime do check in here and there to see what's new!

The Count Down!

We are officially departing in 9 DAYS. Yes, NINE days, oh, 9! Oh hell. If you could really see my house now.....


Hmmm, got some work to do don't ya think?


What's up with the tent your wondering? As we dig
things out of the basement, Henry has found some 'new' toys to play with!


What have we have been doing all this time since my last post about getting organized for a move (which I did do..but did not complete). You see we've been doing a lot of this:


Swimming and eating by the pool!



More eating and outdoor fun!



Eating more and playing with friends (who we will miss incredibly)


Our summer thus far has been loads of fun! And we are doing what we can to squeeze in the bit that we can before we leave in NINE days!
Starting to really feel mixed emotions. Life in DC will be fantastic as we have family and many close friends there. I can't wait to settle into my new job and get into the rhythm of life there!
And I can't help and feel some sadness too as we are leaving some of our most favorite people and places. We WILL be back to visit!

Come the 31st we will head out on our THREE day road trip!

And....the news is.................

...that we are packing house and moving to Washington DC!

Wow, ok whirlwind is approaching fast, I know. The life we have lead since May 2008, has been a crazy one. Now we are returning to my hometown and I couldn't be more excited!
Our departure from Boulder is gonna be a sad one, though. I've already shed a tear or two with my friend Carol. I've got a nice handful of fabulous girlfriends here who have children that have become friends with Hen. Definitely hard. We are also leaving behind extended family and the topper to this rather delicious cake, is the ranch. Yikes! I will definitely miss the beauty of Colorado (gotta love the Rocky mountains) as well as the weather (although it is a tad too dry for my vata body. My skin gets super dry).
But I must admit, that what will unfold for us in DC is incredibly exciting. I've been offered a position as Pilates director at a studio (the proposal went very well thank you). YAY! This is huge for me. Another fantastic factor is that both my mom and dad live there as well as my brother Rob (who is newly engaged). There are a schlew of friends who I still keep in touch with who are also still residing there. So we'll transition well.
There is MUCH to do at this point. Am needing to go through the house starting this weekend and decide what is to trash, pack or sell. The garage sale will be great. As I mentioned in my previous post, purging feels oh so good. We must get house packed by the 29th of July as we load on the 30th and head outta town on the 31st. WHAT? yes, we are heading out on the 31st of July. That is exactly 29 days from now. Oh this is gonna go quick. Fortunately, we haven't to worry about finding our house just yet, so we will be staying with family for a bit until we find the right neighborhood (schools, work etc all factor into that). School for Henry is something I am starting to get a bit nervous about as I keep hearing about waitlists. The same goes for here in Boulder, but I will take my time and find the right fit for him. There are numerous bilingual schools there so I know this won't lay over my head for too long.
Yesterday was definitely a day of reflection for me as it was the day that I found out about the job. I took myself for a walk so that I could really look at what we are leaving as well as what we are coming into. There are always the pro's and con's, but for me the biggest motivating factors to move east back to DC are my parents (who I very much want to be apart of Henry's daily life), and the successfulness of our careers. These are pretty big things. Deep down inside I've wanted this for a LONG time!

Back from whirlwind trip #2

Henry kicking back in the boat!

Just got back from the east coast. We went to our friends first birthday in Princeton NJ and then went onto DC to see my family. This trip was 4 nights....quite a bit of travel to do in a short period AND with a 2 year old. Needless to say, now that we are home, I am REALLY sick with an awful cold/flu. Oh poor me...sorry need to have a pity party at the moment cause I do. I haven't felt this bad in a long. It's that kind of sickness where you really can't play it off. I look and feel like hell. Today I am still in my pj's and my poor child has to deal with a mommy who just doesn't have it in her to be the best playmate. So we are doing the best at the moment.
I've got so much going on at the moment and wish I could share all of it right now, but just can't. However, I will tell you that I have a big deadline tomorrow.....I am writing a proposal for a Pilates program. Can't say any more than that at the moment but will share more as I move forward with all this. It is VERY exciting. We've got some big changes on the horizon and 1) I don't want to jinx it 2) don't want to mention detail it until I know it is a go. Sorry for the tease, but please do stay tuned in!
Despite feeling the beginnings of what turned out to be a cold while on travels we had a excellent time. We had a great time with friends in Princeton and ate at gorgeous restaurant called, Eno Terra. (the website doesn't do it justice)
MMmmmm!
Then we took the train to DC, which was Henry's very first Amtrak ride. I grew up going on the train so I was excited to have Henry partake in this adventure. He loved it and much to my father's excitement too as he is a huge train buff. While in DC we saw family which is always hectic, as I usually run from household to household, but was happy when my dad invited my mom to dinner....they're divorced after 32 years of marriage and are finally able to hang out with each other despite my dad being remarried (which has been an ongoing source of contention). Must admit it was a tad weird having my family all sit around the table including my dad's wife, she handled it well even when my parents chatted about good memories of the ol days. More on the family dairies one day.
My brother took us on his boat on the Potomac River, that runs through the city. As a high school student I used to scull on it. Henry hasn't been on a motor boat EVER, so he was completely amazed. His favorite part was watching the water get pushed out out the back. He loved how the boat made waves!

Un-sunny California

Well, it has been possibly a week since I last blogged. Been gearing up for family engagements in San Diego and Washington DC. So much going on and I can barely keep up with all the activity at the moment (Henry too, is keeping me on my toes as well, where does all this energy come from)?

We are in un-sunny San Diego til Monday night for my niece Norah's First Communion. Since we arrived on Tuesday, it has been NON STOP doing! And I'm exhausted! Not complaining, but at the moment I am doing whatever I can to hold my eyelids up!
Will be back on schedule this coming week, if not before, as I might be able to squeeze a few more sessions on the computer here before we head home. Hoping the sun will come out as well as this overcast weather makes me very sleepy.
Stay Tuned blogger buddies!