The moving truck is on its way

A million thanks to my parents for coming to help me finish boxing up everything.  I continued to purge stuff that was just "cute" or just for decoration and had no function at all, and things I had too many of, etc.  The movers were amazing!!  The driver, Richard, drives a 53 foot long truck.  It took him a little while to figure out how he would get it in here to this complex, but he did it and between him and his helper, they wrapped everything that was not in a box in great big blankets, and stacked it clear up to the ceiling of the truck.  I thought I had a large load but they said it's the smallest one they've ever done together!
It was worth every penny.  Those guys were professionals and strong, to boot!  Now I'm left with 3 suitcases, a bedspread (I'm using it as a chair right now), and some basics that I will take back to Mom & Dad's when I go on Sunday.  1.5 days of work and my life in Yakima will be wrapped up.
Uff da!  We just went to Red Robin for a celebration lunch :-)

Please click link below to see photos:
Moving Day Album

Decorating thoughts

As I've looked at pictures I took of my new apartment, I am really glad I sold all my furniture because it just isn't quite going to match the style! I'm going from cottage chic to urban, modern style. I don't know how I will decorate just yet, but I took the StyleFinder Quiz on EthanAllen's website and my "signature style" is Explorer. Relaxed eclecticism. Hmm, we'll see what that means. My current thought is to keep my red, which is not negotiable, and add some teal with it. I'm trying to find inspiration from catalogs of Grandin Road, Pier One, World Market, and Pottery Barn. Are there any I'm missing? I'm not a super-modern gal, so CB2 and West Elm don't really appeal to me. Hmmm.

Househunting Day 2

This morning, I got up, went to Georgetown Hospital to do my drug test, and then went to the bookstore to check out the t-shirts and Georgetown gear. I decided to wait until I get over there rather than dragging it home to Yakima, then back over. I walked across campus to the campus shuttle that takes riders across the river to the Rosslyn Metro station. From there, I walked up the hill, past Mark Felt parking garage. I reached my first stop, the brand new (and partly still under construction) Sedona-Slate apartment buildings. Sedona has one style of decor, Slate is slightly different. I went in and met the leasing people and asked to see what they had. Well the first 1 bedroom I walked into had me hooked because it had floor-to-ceiling windows! What a difference that makes in how big the space feels! I wasn't bedazzled with the walk-in-closet, and I was really hoping for 1BR with a den (for visitors), so I asked to see the next one. I had a good feeling about the complex though. I liked the kitchen I saw. The 1 BR with den did not have the floor to ceiling windows, and felt much smaller. I didn't like the kitchen layout either. I asked if they had any others to show me that were 1 BR + den with floor to ceiling windows. We came back down to the office and she pulled up the list and they had one left!! It was smaller than the one she showed me, but I still wanted to see it. As soon as I walked in, I knew that was the one I wanted. Floor to ceiling windows, better kitchen layout, and better view than the previous one. It's on the 2nd floor from the top, so 12th floor up from the ground. They have a nice rooftop pool, more for splashing than swimming; an outdoor grill, a club room with pool table, fire place, jumbo TV, etc; 24hr gym with weights, cardio machines; and apparently a little "pocket park" in the back with more grills and a business center. Certainly all I need and then some. I was so relieved I had to do a little happy dance! I'll be the first occupant in the apartment, which actually isn't even 100% ready yet. It's a smoke-free complex, very "green", with recycling, special paint, lights, energy-friendly appliances, and all that good stuff. Plus lots of nice security features that will give me peace of mind. I loved the location, with the Metro 2 blocks away (Rosslyn station), Starbucks right outside (for visitors, not for me), grocery stores 2 Metro stops away, 1 mile walk to Georgetown Shops, and 2.1 miles to work! There are a few restaurants around there and I'm sure with time I'll find more. This will give me the urban experience I was hoping for. YIPPIE!

House hunting Day 1

I just returned this past week from a 3-day trip to DC to find an apartment. I had it narrowed down to 2 complexes after extensive, exhaustive research! I had my list of "Must-haves" such as garage parking, washer-dryer in unit, near Metro, and a list of "Nice-To-Haves" such as non-smoking building, walk-in closet, reserved parking, den, additional storage. I arrived in DC around 11:30PM, after flying into Baltimore and picking up a rental car there. Since I will be working evenings, I wanted to drive around these neighborhoods at the time of night when I will be coming home to see how they look that time of day. Everything is lovely in the daytime, right? I really liked the area on the west side of Arlington Cemetery, which was near Courthouse Metro Station. It was a nice walkable community with lots of little restaurants and shops. I was not as crazy about the area around Pentagon City mall. When I went just 1-2 streets over, the feeling was not so safe and there were some sketchier-appearing people around. Armed with this info, I went to my hotel and promptly fell asleep :) Day 1: I started with the complex in the area near Courthouse. I'd narrowed it down to the perfect apartment... but while I was out getting a tour, that one perfect floor plan was snatched up. :-( It was certainly a shock to see how small these apartments were in real life. I guess the imagine in my mind that I'd created was much larger. 700 square feet is not very big! It was hard picturing my furniture fitting in any of these places, so it was pretty discouraging. Once I realized nothing at that complex was going to work for me, I headed over to Pentagon City to check out two complexes there. Those were fairly new, and I found one apartment that was a "maybe", but ... I guess I just couldn't get excited about having a view of a mall and a Costco. I'll be in DC ... I can get those views anywhere! I wanted a little neighborhood with shops and restaurants and a little personality. I went over to Georgetown and looked at a condo for rent there. Awful -- teeny kitchen, no W/D in unit, laundry is in the hot, dark basement. It was just a creepy, old building. Not worth the price they were asking for! From there, I went back to see a condo across the street from the first complex. That too required a long walk down a dark, dingy hallway. Closet space was great but it was just not very nice and not what I had in mind. I would not have been happy there. Just in case, I put a hold on the "maybe" apartment back over in Pentagon City in case I didn't find anything else. Discouraged, I came back to the hotel and I'm going to bed.

The job

I will be working for Georgetown University Hospital in their Emergency Department. They recently decided to hire a pharmacist for that area and this is something I've pioneered and helped set up a couple times now, so this really was a perfect match of what I can offer and what they were looking for. :)

What? Washington DC?

Yes, I've finally gone and done it! I've been wanting to shake things up in my life and I've been wanting a change, but I never knew where I should go. I've considered Florida, California, and even Seattle, but none were quite the right option. A friend suggested I check out Washington DC, because he knew the city well and thought I'd really enjoy being surrounded by young, professional, active people. When I was there in October, I felt instantly at home and loved the city. I've been watching the job market since that time and started taking a few steps to free myself to leave. Most critical was selling the house, which happened in May. I had some applications out at that time but did not have my first interview until mid-June. That lead to a follow-up interview, and that lead to a job!