A Change of Place, A Change of Pace !!

Jake and Tess and the DC Temple

Well...we did it !!! We agonized, we debated...and then we decided to take the plunge and move our family from a relatively small southern town to a suburb of Washington, DC. Good bye conservative republican majority, hello Maryland !!! I (Dan) took a job with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Rockville, Maryland on May 27th, 2008. Things have been really good so far and we feel really blessed to have come to a good place for a good reason at a really good time in our lives. The kids and Becky have really enjoyed the area. There are so many free things to do and Bec has met some great friends so far in our ward and in our neighborhood. When we first got here I did what I could to meet people where I could (during my commute) but quickly found out that talking to people on the bus or train is against some sort of commuter's code. I haven't actually seen the code yet but I have learned a few things during my last two months commuting. 1) NEVER, NEVER, NEVER slow down. Even if you don't know where you're going. Go off into the unknown and do it quickly because people don't want to be slowed down. I use to be a firm believer in just letting things work themselves out but I have found that unless I study things out in advance I end up at the wrong subway stop, late for work, in another state, etc...2) Don't talk to other's on the train/bus. Just because your face is 2 inches from someone else's face dosen't mean they want to talk to you. Turns out that the commute is a singular experience in a public setting. I have gotten used to that. So much so that, when someone spoke to me on the bus it startled me and took me several attempts to reply in an intelligent way. 3) When driving- speed or prepare to be passed. We haven't been run off the road yet...but that's only because each road here has 5 lanes. 4) Most importantly, though some people seem a little less friendly on the surface, people are really quite kind.

Tess showing off some of her birthday presents!

Jake and Tess are doing well. Tess just turned 2. We have tried hard to get out and do fun things on the weekends, but we've just touched the tip of the iceberg. One great thing about the move. Jake and Tess have become best buddies. It's cute to watch them play together and it's easy to tell that Tess has learned alot from here older brother. She really is quite smart for her age and is a very good communicator. Jake is also- his matter of factness really cracks us up sometimes. Becky said that today, after his nap, Jake came downstairs and said with a straight face and in a serious tone, "Mom, I really need a cookie". He got it. It is hard to say no.

The hardest thing about the move has been leaving behind our "family" in SC. THis includes my actual family as well as all of our friends from church, work, and the playgroups. We didn't really realize how entrenched we were in Aiken until we left. We miss them all.


Video of Tess's 2nd Birthday