Adventures in Alexandria

It has been nearly two weeks since we embarked upon this new adventure in Alexandria, Va. I haven’t had time to take pictures of our home, but I thought I would try and convey through words our new life here on the East coast.

We are fortunate to have found the perfect neighborhood for our family: the school is around the corner and the area is safe enough for Hannah to walk home by herself (or accompanied by the hundreds of other kids lining the sidewalks); we have several old friends from college and our days in Japan down the street, more great friends a town over and family a mere 40 minutes away. We do our morning runs on a trail that follows the Potomac River from Mt Vernon, the home of George Washington, through Old Town, past the Pentagon and well north of Washington DC.

Our home is a classic Colonial…not as big as we thought but perfectly suited for our family. We back up to the local middle school and enjoy watching football practice nightly as we eat dinner on our deck. Even better, our kids can take their bikes and ride along the track as we look on from the comfort of our patio furniture.

Last night, we took the Metro into DC to meet up with the Zerr family for dinner at Chef Geoff's (a favorite haunt of our dear friends Stevie and Nikki Salata). TJ even asked the waitress if she remembered Stevie (doubtful but not unheard of).

From there, our families enjoyed an evening of a lifetime, as we privately toured the West Wing of The White House with TJ as our tour guide. His knowledge is vast and his personality already a staple within the presidential walls.

Our tour included the Rose Garden, Navy Mess, Press Room (my favorite), Situation Room (we had to wait outside while the security-clearance guys could go in) and the Oval Office. It was truly awe-inspiring to imagine the many Presidents sitting at that very desk. We loved every second of it.

It is safe to say that we are enjoying our experiences in DC thus far. With Navy Football kicking off this Monday, there’s no telling where this adventure will take us. We’re already planning a “roadie” with the Wills for next weekend’s game. Beat Army.