Finally, spring!

Though not the coldest of winters, spring sure took its sweet time in arriving in DC.  At long last, yesterday my toes peeked out from their blustery winter in boots and made their way into sandals.  I enjoyed the 80 degree day with one of my best friends as we walked around the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

It seems like an exaggeration, but the cherry blossoms are so beautiful, especially on the Roosevelt Memorial side of the basin.  They look like snow covering the trees and the falling pedals are nothing short of romantic.  It was an even more surreal moment to realize that I live here when I see thousands of tourists coming from all over the world to see my historic city.

My day's walk took me 8 miles through my neighborhood, the Mall, Dupont, and finished at the White House for an evening stroll with Lulu Bear.  The arrival of spring marks my fourth season in DC.  I can tell that I have adjusted quite well to city life, but I have stayed true to my North Carolina roots too.  

I love the warm weather seasons, but there is nothing like that first day of wearing shorts, feeling the warmth of sunshine on your pale winter skin, and realizing that you don't have to go back to winter for 7 months.  Ah, spring!

What Every City Girl Needs

Living in DC has been quite an adjustment from my local small town life.  More cars, more buildings, more sirens, more going on at every hour of the day (I think that's why the LT blog has been so scarce).  But living in the city is totally manageable, actually quite fun in fact, if you know the tricks of the trade.  I will dispense this advice now:

1. Most importantly, get a group of girlfriends.  I call my girls "the bridesmaids" because we were all in the wedding party of one of my dear friends who lived in Chapel Hill and DC.  Good city girlfriends should:

-Be able to go out or stay in and have a fantastic time.

-Tell it like they see it, even when it's not pretty.

-Give advice on what [not] to wear.

-Call you when they're randomly 5 minutes away from your house so you can go ahead and put the wine in the freezer.

2. Get a warm coat.  The best investment I made in 2012 was a Lands End down parka.  The website said it was most comfortable between 0 and -30 degrees Celsius.  Sold.

3. Wear comfortable shoes.  Not those jenky Target shoes that make the balls of your feet burn or give you blisters on your heels.  Spend some cash on a cute pair of boots that will last several seasons.  When you're walking five blocks and spending the evening on your feet, the last thing you want to think about is when you're going to see a chair again.  

4. Have a cute dog.  Preferably a dog that flirts.  Lulu is an equal opportunity socializer and makes friends anywhere she goes.  I'm looking forward to front porch season when we will spend our days on the patio.

5. Have neighborhood digs.  A coffee shop, a bar, a sandwich place, a gas station where people know your name (or at least your face).  The neighborhoods are what keep the city feeling small.  

6. Keep the air mattress ready. Once you get settled into your fantastic city life, everyone is going to want to visit.  I'm really looking forward to the Girls' Weekend coming up in April.

Absentee ballot

Election week is here and it could not be more welcomed in my house.  Time to start filibustering some legislation and stop the TV ads. By popular request, I'm showing you some of the best of my fall since you last saw me...

I celebrated Columbus Day by visiting the Reading Room of the Library of Congress.  The RR is only open to the public 2 days per year.  The other days it is a research library, full of people way more smart and motivated than I am.

A simple afternoon walk can easily turn into a tourist attraction in DC.  When you're surrounded by so much history and architecture, you have to take the time to stop and smile for the camera.

A cool fall day at the Jefferson Memorial.  Lulu discovered ducks in the tidal basin for the first time.  When she saw them again at Meridian Hill Park, she dove straight in after them.  

Great Falls is a fantastic destination for a day hike.  About 20-30 minutes from DC and absolutely beautiful scenery.  The parking lot can be a little crowded, especially on a warm, sunny day, but if you push your hike beyond the first couple of overlooks it gets much less busy.  We went on the Virginia side, but the Maryland side has lots of rock scrambling that looks like a lot of fun.  There were climbers setting up top ropes for a few easy climbs, which is definitely something for me to look into.

Work has been great!  It's a busy schedule and I think the grass is always greener on the other side of the pasture.  Some days I love sleeping until noon and having lazy mornings/afternoons while other days I hate that I miss out on the "normal people life" and happy hours/nights out.  I have gotten acclimated to the hospital and am starting to dive into more projects.

Halloween was great fun too, despite the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.  We faired pretty well in the District despite the grave forecast.

We are heading up on my favorite season... Birthday season!  It's going to be a busy week then I have ten days off for play.  I'm calling it my Birthstaycation.  Stay tuned.

All in the neighborhood

As Labor Day marks the end of summer and the start of fall (perhaps my favorite season), most Americans hit the grill for a neighborhood potluck.  I'm just hanging out in the neighborhood today before I head into work (an unfortunate oxymoron).  My friend Barack had to skip the potluck too because he's headed to my home state for a bigger party... the Democratic Party.

My apologies

It has been brought to my attention that since I moved to DC that I have been a terrible blogger.  I admit this and have one thing to say in response: Sorry I'm not sorry.

With the advice of my beloved cousin blogger (whose blog you should read instead because I've been having too much fun in my new life), here is a list of townie things I'm probably out doing instead of sitting at home blogging:
-Happy Hours in Dupont, U Street, Adam's Morgan
-Getting into the groove at Children's National
-Taking Lulu to play in Alexandria with her new BFF Marley
-Brunching
-Rooftop decking
-Pool stalking
-Celebrating holidays both legitimate and exaggerated (Independence Day, DC flag day, Pride, Bastille Day)
-Hosting out-of-townies
-Enjoying cooking for and bonding with my new roomie

As a testament to DC's traffic laws, I am no longer talking on the phone and driving (Yay!) so my neighborhood walks with Lu are my time for catching up.  Rest assured if you're not hearing from me as frequently that it means that I love it here, am being a safe driver, and it means the future blog posts will be filled with lots of fun details of city life.

Bex in the City

I have finally ARRIVED.  After six long months of anticipation and preparation I am now a DC resident and finding my way through the Capital City.

It is so clear now that I was meant to be in DC.  Disclaimer of gratitude: I could not have gotten here without my job and the people in Louisville, so I am thankful for that year of my life.  But now I'm moving on.

This place is hustling and bustling at all hours and I am in awe of how the residents are always moving, so well put together, and vibrant.  It's like a Mecca for young, attractive, ambitious twenty-somethings!  One week here has felt busier than one month in Kentucky.  I've seen museums, happy hour'd, held a refugee camp in my apartment after the power outages, seen old friends, made new friends, connected with alumni, spent an hour at the DMV without anything to show for it, and still there is so much left to do! 


The shock and awe of being a resident has not quite hit me yet.  I get a little ego boost every time I swipe my Smart Card at the metro because it makes me feel like a LOCAL.  I hope that feeling never wears off.  Someone asked me when I will know that I live in DC?...  My answer is this: When I've seen a change in seasons and Congress in session, when I say these things and really mean it, and when I get to show it off to all of my lovely visitors who are thrilled to have a friend to crash with in Washington.  Come visit!

Onward and Upward

What are you doing with your life?  What do you want?  Where do you want to be?
Kel, my soul mate, gave me that gut check on December 17.  It had been a rough fall and it was not getting any easier.  I love my job, but why am I staying in Louisville?  If you're not happy with your life then make a change, she told me.  There are so many awesome things going on with our generation in this country-- you need to be a part of them!  It was that day that I decided that I needed to work on being happy... starting with moving on to a new chapter in my life.

Now, two months later, I have found some lost pieces of Becky-ness.  Likewise, I have landed a job in Washington D.C. that will start next summer!  Let me rephrase: I'M MOVING TO WASHINGTON D.C.!!!!!  Not only is this the opportunity to work in a bigger institution with my beloved Emergency Department patients, but I get to live in a vibrant young city with my best friends and be closer to my family.  Win-win-win!

Don't get me wrong, Louisville is a great place for couples or people that grew up there.  It's not so great for a single twenty-something girl with no community and an irregular work schedule.  Washington D.C. is a mecca for yo po's that are ambitious, smart, and fun.  I'll have my oldest friend and college besties at my fingertips and a community of friends that is ready to welcome me to town.

I am very thankful for my time in Lou because this was my catapult into the real world outside of my hometown bubble.  It takes courage and independence to branch out on your own-- something I had never done completely before.  Sure I'm an adventure fanatic, but it takes a different kind of gusto to spread your wings and leave the nest, not knowing whether you will fly or fall.  Lou has shown me that I can fly and that there's a big, wide, beautiful world out there that I want to see more of before settling down.  Though I'm certainly looking forward to being closer to the nest and my mama and papa bird.  I have not "checked out" of Lou yet and am still very invested in my time here.  I just found a Yo Po group through a friend of a friend and I'm hoping for an exciting spring filled with outdoor play, music, and Derby.

Rest assured, I'm not running from problems, but I am setting myself up for a successful career and fulfilling social/family life.  Hindsight is invaluable as it shows me how my journey through life, in its highs and lows, takes me from one step to another.  One phase could not be accomplished without the piece before it.  From sorrow breeds new life and happiness.  Most of all, it shows me that I am capable of making changes that will bring me a better tomorrow.

D.C. Bucket List

For Richard's final days in D.C. he had a little bit of unfinished business:

1. Jazz in the Garden- we brought along Richard's friends to meet up with Chapel Hill buds Cat & Kevin in the National Gallery's garden. It's FOFP on mega steroids in the city.
1b. Late night dinner at Capitol City Brewing- after Richard's Ice, but before mine... And a nice walk through the city to help work off the pounds of grub we put to the face.

2. Throwback to 5th grade birthday- IBM's summer picnic was complete with horseshoes, paintball, cotton candy, snow cones, brews, moon bounce, and sack races... and obviously another impressive showing of my partially committed vegetarianism with even more BBQ.
3. Monuments at night: Lincoln, Vietnam, WWII, Korea, Washington

4. Movie day- for those who have ever tried to get me to sit still for an extended period of time, you'll know how difficult it is. My tendencies for wiggling, wallowing, and general short attention span mean that I generally don't watch movies. But a pint of B&J's Half Baked can hold me for a little while... however, Valentine's Day is the worst. movie. ever.
5. Authentic Italian at Tutto Bene
6. Kayak the Potomac

Done, done, done, done, done, and done.