Not So Lazy Sunday

More and more I am appreciating our current ability to A) go to bed when we want, B) wake-up when we want (on the weekends at least), C) do whatever we want in the evenings, from eating out, to cooking, to seeing a movie, to hanging with friends - whatever strikes our fancy. I am totally aware of how much freedom we have now and how very precious it is. I am especially aware of how much energy I have now, and how I seem to have none when I don't get at least 8hrs of sleep.

What I can't wrap my head around is functioning on little to no sleep, and having to perform ultra-amazing tasks while being a good influence at the same time. It's no secret that having a baby changes one's life so dramatically that many people decide to forgo the experience altogether. The balance of utter joy that is your child paired with your life being turned completely upside-down is an impressive phenomenon - one that scares me to death. With that said, however, I am totally ready.

We've done a lot in our lives together. We've traveled a lot, both internationally and nationally, we've lived very spontaneously, and I can honestly say that we've pretty much sewn our oats. Knowing that life will be very different for us in the future makes me appreciate the precious present, being able to focus a lot on each other, continuing to grow as a couple and as individuals that we like and that will also be good stable role-models for kids. Enjoying our last months of "freedom" means continuing to see a lot of friends, getting up and making the most out of every day, and seizing opportunities that we may not have again.

This past weekend was a good example of making the most of our remaining time here in DC, and our remaining time as a couple vs. a family with kids. We spent most of the weekend with friends, but all of it was spontaneous - hardly any of it was planned. We drank way too much and recorded a punk song on Friday night (yes, a punk song); we slept in on Sunday while listening to a thunderstorm (that continued all day and rained-out the Green Apple Music Festival - damn it!); we spent the day on the National Mall and at an art museum having coffee and dessert; we ate a late dinner on Saturday night at our very busy neighborhood diner; we sat in Dupont Circle with a cup of coffee, watching people and a free acoustic show as the sun set over Massachusetts Avenue. This was the same setting in which Erik proposed to me exactly 2 years ago, and he was right when he said it - "this is where we live our life together".

I love the time that we've had here in DC, and I love the way we have lived our lives together. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to live my young life in an exciting place with lots of friends, and to face everyday challenges with the love of my life. I will miss what we have going here in DC, but I look forward to being exposed to a new way of living, in a place where people are equally cool but in a different way; in a place where we will closely imitate our lives here but will have a very different life, too.

For instance, when is the last time you could just randomly pop-in and say "hi" to your sister and her 3 kids and then maybe even stay for dinner? And then the next day go to your dad's for a cup of coffee and some gossip? I'm looking forward to that being more of a reality. I didn't grow-up close to my family at all, so bringing a child up in a town surrounded by family will be one of those things that my kids will have that I didn't. I'm also trying, however, not to romanticize it all too much. Living around family can be very complicated, and I know that as much as anybody. But it's something I'm ready to try. I'm hoping for a splash of complicated in a big cup of happy!