The Harris' become big-city folk

Well, we are now all moved into our Arlington, VA apt. and getting settled. I have a lot of random thoughts running through my head about the last few days, so I'll give ya'll a good smattering.


1. Living on the East Coast in general is expensive; living in the DC suburbs is even more expensive than living in Charlottesville! We went grocery shopping at Safeway on our first day here, and just about lost our lunches looking at the prices. Gas is also more expensive, but luckily we can monitor the price from our balcony by looking at the gas station across the street. How lucky are we??? And, hold onto your seats for this one, Goodwill is even more expensive here!! Shouldn't some things in life remain constant?


2. Parking garages are for small cars, but even if you have a small car, parking garages might not be for you. So our parking spot is in the B2 level which I think must stand for basement-squared, as it feels like we're reaching down towards the core of the earth when we drive into it. And, to add to the feeling of undergroundness and mystique, there's some sort of machinery housed down there that makes a deafening noise 24/7. Does anyone remember that scene in The Pelican Brief in the parking garage outside of the bank? Yeah, I think about that ALL the time :). The parking garage is not my most favorite thing in the world.

3. No matter where you are, you're always home at the local ward house. We went to the new ward, and it was great! The chapel is old, beautiful, and even has a misquoted scripture etched in STONE on the front side of it. I think I'm really going to like the ward.

4. Driving can be an adventure, even if you have the most well-laid plans. So Mike and I were coming back from Ikea on Saturday night and were forced into a detour because of an accident. Not knowing the area splendidly well, we ended up on a rather abandoned highway (which seemed really weird for such a densely populated area), and before we knew it we were right by the White House. Now you ask yourself, isn't the White House in D.C., and don't you live in Arlington? Yes, yes, minor details. Luckily through some great guesswork on the part of Mike, we made it home pretty quickly, considering. Maybe it's time to invest in a GPS.

5. What they say about how when you're pregnant you're digestive system gets all cramped and can't function properly, is absolutely true, even if it wasn't a problem the day before. Our first night here after we'd gotten everything out of the car, we ordered in some pizza, which we both love. Well, it was about 8pm by the time we ate, but no huge deal. I took a Pepcid and was feeling pretty good about things. We head off to bed at about 11pm, pooped from such a long day but with still a bit of adrenaline pumping from all the excitement. Once I finally fell asleep, I was quickly awakened by heartburn. No big deal; sit up -- burp a little -- call it good. Wrong. Apparently my body is on a 7 hour digestion cycle these days, as the heartburn didn't end until 3am, by which time my throat was stinging from all of the acid (you wanted to know this). Have I had this problem with pizza before? Nope. Will I have it again? Possibly. Will I be eating pizza for weeks straight after the baby's born to make up for lost time. Definitely!

Alright, this is getting lengthy. All in all, we're doing well, the baby's doing well, and we've got a good roof over our heads. Not much more you could ask for! Except perhaps for Comcast to get here a little quicker to set up our Cable or for Mike's firm to invite spouses to more things . . . . But who's complaining?

I hope all is well with all of you!