Panic! at the District

well here i am. washington dc!

initial thoughts:

what in the world am i doing?

post-initial thoughts:

wow. wow.

post-post initial thoughts (are we to the "regular thoughts" stage yet?):

um, being out of my comfort zone is hard.

here's the thing: i didn't really anticipate very much in being here. my plan was essentially to come out, go to some museums, get a job, become famous, you know, the usual. i have moved 13 times in the last six years (i calculated as i was falling asleep last night), so having a change of scenery is no big thing for me. meeting new people, having a new schedule, getting used to a new place with new traditions and cultures--all just part of the territory. but man, can it be hard! i have a couple of friends who have moved out to the east coast all by themselves over the last few years, and i never realized just how much courage it takes to start life over again. i wasn't expecting that.

but all the while, there have been little blessings that remind me that it is good to be here. little nods from heaven that say, "yeah, you might be scared a little, but don't be." for example, my mom and i found a thai restaurant two minutes from my house, with an outdoor patio with twinkly lights and candles, and we were eating and i felt like i was in a movie, the night was so beautiful. (sidenote: many of you will not find it the least bit surprising that the first thing i do upon moving to a new city is find the closest thai restaurant to my house.)

another example of good things: today at church i saw....well.....let's count: susie, steve, jordan, david, spencer, melanie, and three or four others who i know that i know, but i can't yet place them. as such, i feel a little creepy saying i know them. anyways, i felt very comfortable. so many friendly and familiar faces.

so onward onward! this week i have two goals:

the DC temple

the National Gallery of Art