Seated inside a well air-conditioned, white and gray office building in the middle of everything in Washington, DC was probably the last place I thought I'd be a year ago today. Not that it's a bad thing - earning a steady income instead of freelancing actually happens to be a relief in many ways - but I am definitely being tested on my ability to effectively adapt with our recent move to the East Coast.
Let me back up for a second and say that not only has it been a shock commuting to work for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening, it has also been a jet-fueled ride from engagement to married life in the last 8 months. While I think we knew this was an inevitable way for us to go about it all - dealing with his job, moving, etc. - there were more than a few people wondering what on earth would prompt two people to go through the stress of planning a wedding in like three months.
Another major change is that I've launched myself into full speed with regard to my career. Not only was I hired on as an "indefinite temp" to be the lone Graphic Designer at a major commercial real estate firm, I'm also being challenged to excel at the amazing Adobe Creative Suites at the same time as I've been freelancing as a web designer/editor for a few clients. This skill set is one that I feel has endless potential and is less saturated than purely writing and editing for the world of design.
You know how the saying goes - we are always working on something, whether it is your relationship, your job, or your home. If all are perfectly in order for too long I think we all go a little crazy, even though it is what we strive for. For now, my relationship is fantastic, my job exists (though is going to be transitioning soon) and my home... ah ha! There's the piece of the equation that sucks.
It's kind of like buying a reallly nice bike, but a hybrid bike. One that you think you can ride anywhere and do anything with. It makes the most sense from a logical perspective, but when you're out there on the bike path and road bikes are whizzing by - convincing yourself you're happy on your frame that weighs three times the weight is not easy. Or you get invited to go on a mountain bike ride and your entire body goes numb from the lack of shock absorption, not to mention you're falling off left and right.
For our apartment, I decided on a place last minute that is brand new, somewhat spacious, and was close enough to Evan's job as well as the popular Old Town restaurants and metro to DC. Perfect, right? (It even has a pool!) The drawback that we didn't realize until later is that traffic does not let up at all down Richmond Highway. It actually seems more outrageous than ever, with sirens, speeding cars at all times of the day, and barren sidewalks. It is a no man's land, really. We should have gone into the country further and grabbed a spot with a yard, or stayed in a walkable area in Old Town and not worried about getting around at all.
That said, we are actually adjusting to it all out here pretty well. While we have gone to a few less-than-ideal gatherings with people who really want to talk about their jobs or where they went to school, every new city brings on the long and tedious process of making new friends. At least this time around Evan and I are perfectly happy hanging out with each other :)
