Part 1: driving through the mountains in the snow

Dear Pennsylvania, your bridge is crooked.

And then it started to snow! But it’s okay, we’re from Michigan and we can handle a little snow. We managed not to fall off of any mountains and Dylan was actually really good the whole way down. Can’t say so much for the way back up though, but you know, he’s two.

Look at those snow clouds!

And we made it into Virginia finally, greeted by a very pretty sunset

Part 2: sometimes when you order a hotel “suite,” you don’t really get a suite

Slumming it in our hotel room, with a toddler. This is not recommended. Our hotel “suite” did not come with a separate bedroom (this is what you get for being cheap, I suppose). Blah! But it did offer free internet.

The blue lollipop of doom!

Part 3: Fairfax is pretty, but hubby needs the blue Metro line

So we spent our first day looking in Fairfax, because it’s pretty and family-friendly. But ultimately, hubby needs the blue metro line. Sorry Fairfax. Dylan liked your park.

Dylan

My boys

Part 4: little boxes on the hillside…

So the funny thing is, all the pictures I took, and I didn’t actually take any of the place we chose to live, lol. We were exhausted from looking at apartments, and it was raining. We chose Kingstowne, VA, which is on the south side of Alexandria, near Springfeild.

It looks pretty generic, really. But nice, suburban, generic. I saw on a message board that somebody called it a “strip mall on steroids”. And it kind of is. Think Weeds, only not in California. You get your movie theater, your Panera Bread, and your pretty little overpriced box to live in. Lots of trees and hiking paths. Our apartment has a “sunroom” = oversized livingroom with a lot of windows, that overlooks the woods, which I love! And it’s within walking distance to the Metro, which was top in hubby’s book.

I’m growing on the idea though. We get to belong to this community, and have automatic membership to gyms and playgroups and chess clubs (lol), and our little town center has shopping and banks and restaurants. But I think it will be a nice, quiet, safe, generic place to get our feet in the door out there. I was honestly giving myself a headache with all the different suburbs there are to choose from. The metro DC area is HUGE!!!

So we’ll live in our pretty little box for a year, and then we’ll reevaluate. Maybe we’ll even love it there, but I’ve always favored more unique towns, which personality and character, like Old Town Alexandria

Part 5: Alexandria rocks

Downtown Alexandria is about a five-minute Metro ride from Kingstowne.

Downtown, where hubby will work.

Not sure if I’m allowed to say where hubby works and all… but dude, I was just taking a picture

Maybe nobody else finds this amusing?

Old town is my favorite

Pretty row-house spam

Outside some restaurant.

This theater totally serves beer and wine with the show! How soon can we get a new babysitter?

It was really windy. They don’t look amused!

The Potomac River from the bottom of King Street, and the bridge to Maryland in the background.

So I’m not sure if I would actually want to live in the city, but it sure is cool. And it’s nice to be able to hop on the Metro and get there in five minutes

Part 6: Pennsylvania mountain spam (because Michigan is flat as a board)

I have now decided that the expression, “Oh my God!” is absolutely not taking the Lord’s name in vain. No, it is definitely a prayer. 100% prayer – as in, Oh my God, help me, this child is driving me up the wall!

I almost forgot there was a reason we don’t go to the park. He was the worst little boy EVER! He was playing so nicely, and he played for about an hour, which is plenty long enough, I think.

Then it was lunch time – past lunch time actually – and I was hungry and he must have been starving. I even warned him ahead of time, “We’re going home soon to have lunch…”

And then when it’s time to get in his stroller, he explodes! Horrible, back-arching, stiff as a board, whipping his cup of juice across the playground, murderous screaming tantrum as I try to get him in his stroller (and he’s stronger than me, I swear!). The little girl he was playing with just sat there quietly, contently in her stroller, drank her cup of juice, and watched him freak out. And the mom says, “Oh, I guess he likes the park.”

Yeah, I freaking guess so!

He’s not going to the park EVER again! Not until he’s twelve! And if he ever wants to ask why, I’m going to make him read this post!