I think they call it Yogging or maybe its jogging.

One good thing has come out of having to beat the Sun up every morning and that is the morning run. This started because.. well lets be real, nothing is open at 6:00 AM in the city.... Not even Wegmans! Mark, if you are reading this, we are expecting some big changes regarding this, so thanks from both of us in advance... I digress, this picture was taken from the running trail that is stained with my sweat and honestly, more than sweat, my tears as the Sun started to poke its head over the horizon. Usually this place is littered with other runners who are fast enough to lap you on a trail that is not a closed circuit and the apparent breeding grounds of Lance Armstrong, but was lucky enough to be able to capture this peaceful shot. It is remarkable that trails like this surround the city. People walk their dogs on them, run, ride bikes, take family walks and you never once are reminded that you are literally a wall away from the city.  It truly has become quite therapeutic and something to look forward to after the long long long long long long long long and sometimes perilous fight (what some call a "drive") with crazy drivers, crazy police, crazy traffic jams, and crazy road usage curfews into the city. Serenity now

A Day in DC

We braved the outdoors and decided to take advantage of the beautiful day!  

Any successful day must begin with a Starbucks or two. :) 

Here's a glimpse underground at the metro system.  So clean and easy to navigate!  

Rest assured, our taxes will not wash away.

Pretzel break

US Botanic Gardens

Welcome!

Back in Arlington for some pizza!

Salad and Pizza combo!  The Arugula Pizza.  Sooooo good!

What's in a name?

One of the many positives of teaching in Northern Virginia is that I have had the chance to meet other teachers from all over the country.  Whether you're an educator yourself, or have one in the family, you know that with every teacher comes an abundance of stories.  So, in an effort to maintain a pulse during our orientation last week, we started to share some interesting student names we've experienced.  Here are just a few...

• La-a (pronounced Ladasha)
• Siblings:  Lord, Sir, Adonis and their older sister Michelle (poor Michelle)
• Jesus - however, instead of pronouncing it the Spanish way (Hay-zoos), the child preferred to actually be called Jesus, as in the heavenly lord above.  So, when the Principal would get on the announcements, she would have to say things like "...and the most cooperative award goes to Jesus!  Yay Jesus!" 
• Alpacino - just the child's first name.

Seriously parents??

It's Pure Pandamonium

Wegmans at 9pm on a Friday night before the dreaded Irene...

Luckily, we have our priorities straight...

Mattress shopping is as FUN as it looks!

We went mattress shopping the evening of the earthquake - we figured it was one of the safest places to be.  Here's what it looked like from our perspective:

No good.

I think we're getting warmer.  Or perhaps this is just the sign of a long day.

DING, DING DING!

The winner?  A Simmons Beautyrest Pillowtop.  A.K.A. The sleeping on a cloud mattress!

Shake, Rattle and Roll

And if this isn't enough to recover from... Now they are talking about a chance of

A deadly hurricane!!

Little White Lies are OK

Today marks DAY 1 of the lovely week long "Great Beginnings" training for newly hired FCPS employees.  What a day it was.  Today's meetings started off with a message from the Superintendent - expected - another message from the founder of the Credit Union the district partners with - not surprising - and a final message from the Superintendent of HR - again, fairly standard procedure.  

Then things started to get interesting.  The Pledge of Allegiance included a full-on Presentation of the Colors by 4 High School ROTC members.  Everything is so official in the DC suburbs.  I almost forgot that I was there as a Teacher and not a member of Congress, or something fancy like that.  After an impressive rendition of the National Anthem, performed by a local H.S. student,  I glanced down at my agenda and happily noticed that a performance by a Fairfax High School Dance Troupe was coming up next!  Perfect!

...six dances later, seriously, SIX dances later, I was officially at a dance recital.  After the 5th dance, the 1200+ Teachers started to exit the auditorium for what we thought was our first break - NOPE - one more dance.  The "troupe," which consisted of 5 girls, walked on stage in a Rainbow Brite inspired ensemble.  Picture this...

...but on an adult.  Now, don't get me wrong, I could sit in an auditorium all day long and watch one performance after another, especially if they involve dance, but there were AP Physics and Calculus teachers sitting in the audience.  Let's be real - 1 dance was enough.

Next came the keynote speaker, who was actually pretty good, but that's boring, so on to lunch - after all, it is my favorite subject.  This is where the White Lie title comes into play.  So, I'm waiting patiently in the lunch line for my "complimentary lunch," and I quickly learn that there is only one choice - a turkey caesar wrap.  :/  Now, beggars shouldn't be choosers, but I really don't enjoy lunch meat, and honestly, it looked seriously questionable.  And so, in a moment of desperation, I instantly became a vegetarian.  I know, I know, so high maintenance, but come on, it's 2011 - at least offer tuna fish!  After learning of my predicament, the very polite lunch lady, patiently walked to the back of the kitchen to grab me a vegetarian wrap.

I am a firm believer that sometimes in life, it's OK to tell a white lie.  Lesson learned.  Tomorrow I bring my lunch.

Oh, and yes, I stood in a real lunch line, lunch lady and all.  The life of a teacher is oh so glamorous.  :)

Oh deer!

Look who was hanging out in the backyard on this beautiful Sunday morning! 

       

This post is dedicated to Jaime's madre - lover of animals and avid deer gazer.  :)

It's official...

WE HAVE A HOME!!

After our minor setback on Wednesday, Thursday brought good news...the current tenant "decided" to leave after all!  So, we stopped by the office to sign the lease this morning and skipped away with excitement!!  :)      

Right Under our Noses

Today marks about 1 1/2 months working at Towers Watson. It also marks the day of a shocking and absolutely hilarious realization about a cafe located in the buildings ground floor. Hopefully it wont take you a month and a half to see what is wrong with this Cafe's logo...the questionable and baffling resemblance seemingly provokes no disavowal or hesitation with the famished workforce that floods through their door daily.  For good measure though it might not be a bad idea to stay away from any options with the words "meat special" in it.  

Apartment Update

So picture this:  Wes and Jaime arrive at Potomac Towers Complex, practically skipping, excited to sign the lease for our first place together (camera in pocket).  They knock excitedly on the landlord's office door, enter and say, "Hi Susan, we're here to take care of the paperwork!"  Susan's reply:  "The jacka$$ tenant who's unit you are supposed to take has decided he would rather stay" (at least that's what we heard her say). 

"Wait, what?"

So, just like that we're back in limbo.  Basically, the current tenant provided notice in writing, so technically the lease terms hold him to the notice; however, the management company would have to pursue legal action to make any real movement if he's not willing to cooperate, which could take months...grrrrr.  Luckily, the company is trying to work with us, so we should hear back today about some alternative options if this guy is going to be a tool.  So far the alt. options include:  renting a handicap unit temporarily until another unit becomes available, renting a handicap unit permanently, taking another smaller unit for the beginning of October, or waiting to see what else pops up for October, once September arrives (they require 30 days notice if planning to vacate).  All good things are worth waiting for, right?

...as we learn more!

Our 9 to 5's

Take a peek at where we spend our weekdays:

Here's a look at the building that Towers Watson occupies!  Isn't it a beauty at night? Wes looks out over the left of the building.   

Close up!

Providence Elementary School.  Isn't it pretty?!  The 3 bottom windows on the right belong to me and my kiddos!  Stay tuned for pics as the inside comes together!

We Have a Home!

We found out this morning that our application was accepted for the Potomac Towers apartment!!  The building is located in Arlington, in a neighborhood called Court House (click on Court House to read a little blurb about the area).  The pictures below are of the model, but ours only differs by minimal square footage here and there.  Enjoy the tour!

Here's a look at the living room from the kitchen.

The opposite view.  We love the open floor plan!

Quaint little dining area.

A look at he bedroom from the doorway.   To the right is the closet - the 'definitely not big enough for the two of us' closet.  Luckily we have a good size bedroom - we'll definitely make the space work with other pieces!  

The bathroom.  We were told the tile could be blue, yellow, or pink.  We've asked the landlord about 3 times for confirmation on the color so that we could prepare ourselves if it's pink.  She's responding to other requests, but still nothing about the bathroom color, which means we're definitely getting pink, right? :/

Fitness Facility

And some more motivation.  Plus there's a pool (which is standard for most buildings in the area), an onsite convenience store with surprisingly convenient hours, and a dry cleaning service.  The building is located directly next to one of Arlington's many bike paths, and a small park!