So long . . .

It's almost midnight, the movers are coming first thing in the morning, our house is a disaster, my eye is twitching because I am so tired (I even forgot to call my son to tell him goodnight!), Lily is hovering anxiously by my leg and Mark is rummaging around and I am . . . blogging of course.

It really does feel like we are going home. And I'm hoping we will stay there for a while. I have enjoyed our 7 years "abroad" and feel like I have learned so much about my self and grown as a person. Mark and I have gotten to go and see and experience so much and for that, I am thankful. But mostly, I am thankful for Finn and if I had to be in Jersey to get him, then it was worth every minute. Moving to Charleston feels like a new beginning and beginnings mean that there were endings and I will miss all of the wonderful friends I have made along the way (and can't wait for them to visit!).

I felt inspired one afternoon, which means it must have been the one afternoon Finn slept longer than usual. I put together a slide show of some of my favorite memories in DC. What a cool city and I'm so happy I got to live here, even for a short while. I'll warn you--it's long, so don't feel like you have to watch the whole thing, or even part of it. I just wanted something to remember our experiences here and this about does it.

See you in Charleston!

Last Minute Visit

Mimi and Bop graciously drove all the way from Sumter to visit us AND take Finn back home with them so that we could pack. We did a little sightseeing and a lot of eating (and Finn did a lot of talking). I had no idea how much we could accomplish without a 3-year old distraction. I could tell that the impending move and everything going on was starting to get to Finn, so it was so nice to send him along with loving grandparents who will distract and entertain him for the next 3 days! Thanks Mimi and Bop. I will post pictures from their visit as soon as someone emails them to me . . . Mark?

My Friend "Lobster"

In all honesty, I have very mixed emotions about leaving DC. On one hand, I'm thrilled to be moving back to a city I know and love, this time with my family in tow. On the other hand, I'm sad about leaving my wonderful friends. I have blogged many, many times about the adventures of Finn and Samantha, and they are great friends. What I haven't always blogged about was the many fun things that Alisha and I have done. I know, me have a life outside of Finn? What is going on you say. Alisha and I met the summer before Mark and Jack (her husband) started business school. We have been dear friends ever since. In the almost seven years since we met, we have lived in the same city or close enough to visit. Now, it's a whole new ballgame. I will miss our weekly play dates, girl's nights out, and random Sunday wine tastings!

For those of you who aren't Friends buffs, like I used to be, you may not get the title of my post. I like to think that friends can also "mate for life" just like lobsters . . . and Ross and Rachel. So, I know that Alisha and I (and Sam and Finn) will be friend lobsters . . . friends for life, no matter where we all end up.

I had to look really hard to find pictures of just the two of us . . . most all of the include kids :) But scrounged up a few, if damaging shots just the same.

Our Philly Days

Something to do with Christmas

Right after Samantha was born, Alisha came to visit me in NJ

At Alisha's baby shower for Barrett with Amy B (pregnant w/ Tommy)

Baby Barrett is here!

Livin' on a Prayer at the Bon Jovi concert

My farewell to DC. On top of Hotel Washington

I will miss you girls! Come visit soon.

Guess What? Mom has a life too

Shocking, right? That I could possibly have a life outside of taking care of my adorable little Finn? While it doesn't always feel that way, the truth is, I have made some amazing friends here in DC (and beyond). And yes, we have managed to have lots of fun (outside of our kids)! My friend Summer always says that as moms to young kids, we are living our lives in parallel. Always doing the same things with our kids. . . park, playground, activities, lunch, naps, etc. etc., but following our own little schedule. It is so nice to have met some great friends to "cross" paths with. I first met Summer because she is my neighbor. Then I met Kelly at the gym. Kelly knew Elizabeth and before we knew it we had a fabulous group of 4! This group has grown to include even more! I can't say enough about these wonderful ladies. Initially, we all lived within walking distance to each other's houses and we often had impromptu playdates and girl's nights out. We even attempted craft nights and started a book club. Occasionally, we let the boys join in the fun, but mainly, we just enjoyed hanging out and talking (with lots of wine and cupcakes thrown in the mix). It was such a joy to get to know each of these women and I will truly miss each and every one of them.

Our first craft night . . . we made snow globes

Kelly, Summer, Me & Elizabeth

Gotta love self-timed photos and glamour shots

One of our many fun night's out

Our book club's third selection: The Happiness Project

complete with themed cupcakes (there may be one or more over-achievers in our group)

Book Club!

Kelly, Amber, Summer, Courtney, Elizabeth, Yours truly

Reston Zoo

With our DC departure rapidly approaching, we are cramming in as much fun with our friends as we can. Since it was a beautiful day, we ventured a little further out to the Reston Zoo. Unfortunately for us, so did most of the kids from the DC metro area. The place was packed. We lasted as long as we could. The kids saw all kinds of fun animals, fed lambs and goats, sampled food meant for said lambs and goats, waited in line for a wagon ride that never happened (they just couldn't wait long enough), ran around like chickens with their heads cut off, fitting, since we were in a zoo. We capped off the day with lunch at Chick-fil-A.

Samantha, Alisha, Finn and random girl feed the sheep

Sam was a very brave girl

These particular sheep did not like what Finn was serving

A "safari ride" on a rhino

Checking out the turtles