Forgive me for not posting any new and exciting details about our day-to-day life recently, but that's because there's been nothing day-to-day about it. The summer of 2008 has been a summer of surprises! Here's the sum up:
(June 28-July 5) My parents flew up from Atlanta to spend some time playing around Washington, DC with us. They were amazed by how much Christopher had grown and how well he could speak. He was already repeating the alphabet when prompted and slowly learning his letters. Unfortunately, he was also prone to squealing loudly when he didn't get his way. Aaron planned a surprise birthday party for me, which turned out to be far more festive than anything I could have imagined. And it was good to have my parents there. We visited the US Printing & Engraving Office, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, the Battle of Bull Run Historical site, and Mt. Vernon. Every day was exhausting in its own way. We also met with Judge Richard Leon, the Federal District Judge with whom Aaron worked, spending over an hour with him in his chambers, learning a great deal and truly appreciating his generous spirit. We visited Old Town Alexandria and Gadsby's Tavern on the Fourth of July, and I was glad to be the tour guide one last time for my parents. One last time? Well, that's because we learned on July 3rd, just as we were all getting ready to go to the DC Temple, that Aaron had been accepted to the University of Virginia Law School in Charlottesville. We would be moving. We went to the temple that night with options to pray about. And in the end, it just felt right.
(July 12) We drove to Charlottesville, Virginia, with no air conditioning on a scathingly hot day. We had one afternoon to try to figure out if there was a house, townhome, or apartment that best suited us. Sweet Christopher was a good sport as he sweated in his carseat between each stop. It was the first time our little guy ever drank honest-to-goodness water, he was so hot! He ran through empty, echoing apartments and houses, climbed stairs and explored yards while I examined storage space and Aaron mapped the distances to the law school. By the middle of the afternoon, the air conditioner decided to kick in and we were very grateful. But the weird part was--it wouldn't shut off! Even when we took the key out of the ignition, the fan kept blowing. And eventually, it killed the battery. We were stranded in a parking garage outside of the Downtown Mall at the old historic district. A classic Southern gentleman and his genteel wife helped jumpstart our car and they led us to the local Sear's auto center, closing in half an hour. That gave them just enough time to replace our battery and check our alternator. We managed to get home that night, but it cost us $800 in car repairs later. The one townhouse that we almost didn't see because I thought the owner had already leased it, was the one that we eventually signed on. Thank heavens the owner's brother called me to ask why we had stood him up! And thank heavens his fiancee was good enough to come back to show us the place while we were in the area! We're living in that very home now, and we love it.
(July 14-August 1) I scrambled to get our home packed room-by-room, necessity-by-necessity while still taking care of Christopher and juggling work responsibilities. Aaron was busy getting our vacation plans figured out, since our flight was supposed to return us on the day Aaron was scheduled for UVA's orientation. We needed to move before then.
(August 2-12) We flew to Utah. I think we could have walked to Utah faster than we flew to Utah. No, actually, I shouldn't complain because in the end it all worked out. We were waiting at the Dulles International Airport from 9am-5pm, trying to find ways to fly around the storms that were causing so many delays and cancelations. Eventually, we boarded a plane to Long Beach and Christopher, bless his soul, fell asleep after the first two hours and stayed asleep for the next three hours on the plane, two hours in the Long Beach airport, and two hours on the flight to Salt Lake that had, fortuitously, been delayed six hours, just so we could make the connection! We got in around 1am (which was 3am EST), and we visited with family for a couple more hours before finally falling asleep. The next day we spent with Joseph, Rosie, and their boys before they had to return to Hong Kong. Most of our vacation was visiting with friends and family, relaxing at the Pacini home, and enjoying their little cabin up in Heber. We enjoyed a date to the Salt Lake Temple, and we were treated a fabulous dinner at The Roof Restuarant. We spent a good afternoon with Grandpa Metcalfe and Sonja. And we discovered that when Parley's Canyon is closed, the roundtrip from Heber to Salt Lake nearly triples in drive-time. Aaron caught two fish while fly-fishing with his father on the Provo River. And I manipulated a lovely little surprise birthday party for Aaron on the night before we flew home: Ashley and Britney assisted in the scheme to get him to the movie theater an hour before our supposed movie started. While waiting we went to the Skybox Arcade Center where, much to Aaron's surprise, was gathered his whole family and several high school and college friends. We let the boys be boys, and it was fun.
(August 13-16) The Big Move. Aaron and I were swamped with boxes, messes, and madness as soon as we returned from Utah. Poor Christopher didn't know why his home was being torn inside out, but I was constantly stealing him away on one errand or another. The only relief we enjoyed was on Thursday, the "game day girls" planned a lovely lunch at one of the gourmet restaurants in downtown DC. It was "Restaurant Week," so the amazing meals we enjoyed were half-price. And we all got to escape our kids for the afternoon! Our adventuresome group included Janelle Patton, Sariah Lundsford, Heather Craw, and Lisa Busby. We were forced to change our reservation at the last minute because we learned upon arriving in DC that the FBI had closed off the block where our original restaurant was located. Four mysterious packages... that ended up being nothing... but they sure led to drama at the time! And on the night before we moved, Heather and Kent hosted a little Chinese take-out dinner, just we wouldn't have to bother with food and so we could spent one last evening playing with our friends. What a blessing! And what a great way to say goodbye...although everyone refused to actually say goodbye. On Aaron's 29th birthday, we moved to Charlottesville. My parents were good enough to drive up from Atlanta to help us with the laborious process of getting settled. Although they were only here for the weekend, they treated us to Aaron's birthday dinner and provided us with the much-needed support in arranging furniture, unpacking boxes, and organizing our scattered life. Unfortunately, I fear I was a little beastly when it came to bossing everyone around, but I really am grateful for all their help. Christopher weathered the chaos by watching movies on his mini-DVD player while strapped in his highchair...for hours. I still feel a little guilty for that. But let's be honest: It kept him out of the way and thoroughly entertained. I think he loved it.
(August 16-Present) We're here: lovely, green, quaint, cute Charlottesville, Virginia. We've met a few families in our ward. We've visited a few parks in the area. Aaron's interviewed with dozens of law firms through UVA. And we're starting to settle into a routine. In a place like this, I'm bound to take pictures. And yes, I'll try to post them soon.
So that, my friends, has been our Summer of Surprises. I'm hoping there aren't any more for at least a little while!
