My life has definitely taken a turn for the domestic since Marc started working.  I wake up at the same time he does, and while he’s in the shower I make his lunch for the day.  When he’s out and dressed, I drive to the nearby metro and drop him off for work.  Then I come back, shower, make the bed, have breakfast, etc, before starting on my oh-so-exciting day of job hunting, poking around the internet, playing with dogs at the nearby dog park, going on walks, cleaning the apartment, and running errands.  It’s not bad, but it’s definitely weird.

This week Marc and I made two decisions which are likely to make me feel even more domestic:  we’re moving into a place twice the size we’re in now, and we’re going to begin fostering cats and kittens for the local animal rescue, Lost Dog Rescue.

As for the feline fostering, Marc has volunteered with Lost Dog in the past, and several folks at the dog park I frequent foster dogs through them.  They also have many cats and kittens that also need temporary homes, and we’re not quite ready to fully adopt an animal, so this is a good option for us.  It will give animals a temporary home while giving us animals to play with and keep us company, without the commitment of full adoption.  They will be contacting us sometime this week about what cats or kittens they have available for us.  It should be fun.

As for the move, we’re not moving that far – only about a block away, actually.  The place we’re currently living is good, but Marc and I had been discussing moving into a 2 bedroom place if it wasn’t much more expensive than what we’re paying now.  Shortly after I arrived in DC, the apartment complex left a note on our door stating that they’re raising our rent to a number somewhat higher than I want to pay for a 1 bedroom place with a rusty bathroom sink and a heating/ac unit that sometimes spews forth bugs.  That note made me start casually looking around the area for other places, but nothing too serious.  Then, while Rose and Brian were in town last weekend looking at apartments (and I was helping them), we all found a great building that is just around the corner (literally) from where we currently are.

For only $200 more than we’re currently paying, we can double our current apartment size to a renovated 2bed/2bath place, and the utilities are all included (rare in DC), there’s no parking fees, no pet fees, two pools – one outdoor, one indoor heated, and management so good that the office walls are full of articles from newspapers like the Washington Post extolling its virtues.  Not only that, but they give police a 10% discount, which would be awesome if Marc can get the job he is applying for with the Fairfax Police.  I keep thinking…what’s the catch?  Does it enter an alternate dimension every third Sunday?  Does Cthulhu live in the kitchen sink?  There doesn’t seem to be one, as there is not a single bad review out there of this place online.  I’m sure there’s something, but I remain optimistic.

I’m hoping that a move into a fresh space (see above floorplan), combined with a pet, will help me feel a little more settled here.  I am definitely feeling more secure than I was when I first returned from Korea, but I am still a bit uneasy in my new life here in DC.  I’m sure I’ll eventually feel settled, but it’s going to take some work, and hopefully these two changes will help.

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