Growing up and moving on!

So, it’s for sure that we’ll be moving to DC in July/August. I didn’t get into grad school, and I still don’t have a job, but hopefully between the money that my parents owe me and graduation gifts, we’ll be okay until I can find one. I applied for some jobs at the Simthsonian, the Spy Museum, the Apple Store, Georgetown, and GWU, but I haven’t heard anything back (other than one phone interview which led … nowhere).

Anyway, we’re looking in Arlington, since it’s convenient to the Metro and close to Georgetown. (There’s even a shuttle that Eric can take to school, which is nicer than him having to walk it every day.) It’s so expensive, especially coming from a place like Columbus, where I pay $375 + utilities a month for my room in a huge house with a basement for storage, two cats, front and back porches, and a yard. In Arlington, we’re  looking at spending from $550-800 a month + utilities each for a one bedroom apartment. Unfortunately, since we aren’t moving until mid-July or August, we won’t know what’s even available until June, at the earliest.

It’s a little stressful, to say the least. I’ve put together a list of things that we need in an apartment, and I’m not going to budge on:

• washer/dryer in apartment or laundry in building
• two cats allowed (because we for sure are getting a kitten! More on that in a bit)
• walking distance to GUTS line/Metro (I walk 25 minutes to class now, so ‘walking distance’ for us is probably a bit further than for others!)
• Let it be CLEAN (no mice or roaches) and in a nice neighborhood.
• Under $1500/month

There are some things that I would love to have, but are nowhere near necessary:

• separate dining room area (or at least a place to put a table and chairs)
• balcony/patio/sunroom/yard
• dishwasher
• fireplace
• walking distance to Georgetown (we’d have to live in Rosslyn)

Then there are some things that I would love love love to have, but I’m 90% sure I won’t be able to find in our price range:

• Two bedrooms/den
• New appliances
• A pretty view
• A one bedroom that meets my first list in Georgetown itself.

I don’t think that I’m asking for that much, and I’m sure we’ll be able to find something. I’m just so excited to be graduating and moving to a new city and actually having my own apartment to call home. It’s so grown up. I just hope that I can find a job! I’m thinking it may be easier once I’m actually in DC, too. I’m not sure people are taking my applications seriously when I have an Ohio zipcode!

Also, in fuzzier news, we are for sure adopting this little cutie. He’s eight weeks old right now, and his name is Theodore Roosevelt. We call him Teddy.

You can’t really tell from this picture, but he was born with a genetic condition that made his right eye much smaller than the other. Right now, it’s infected, but he’s on steroids and antibiotics, and the infections is pretty much cleared up and his eye has even grown a bit. I guess, before, some of his eye socket was exposed because his eye was so small, which is how it became infected, but it’s much bigger than that now. Anyway, the vet said that it might always be a little smaller than his left eye, but it’ll grow to be almost normal by the time he’s a year old. They’re almost positive that he can see out of it, even if his depth perception is a little off. Isabelle, my friend who’s giving him to us, is going to hold on to him until we can take him – either when we move or if my roommates decide it’s okay to take him. In that case, we wouldn’t get him until the middle of May at the earliest, just so she can make sure that his eye is okay and everything.

He’s so super sweet and snuggly. He likes to climb on shoulders and sit there, and he fell asleep on both Eric and me almost instantly.  Eric’s totally in love with him. I’m just happy that he’s so sweet!

Tavi kept sniffing him and making his “I don’t know what this is or if I like it” growl that he made when we got Phoebe, my roommate’s cat. I’m not too worried about it – Tavi’s like a grumpy old man. He was pissy for three days when we first adopted her, and now they’re best buddies. He’s a miserable, whiny pain when he’s lonely, so we’re doing this for his own good and our sanity.

So yeah. Things have been busy around here, to say the least.  I can’t believe I graduate in 48 days!