the best thing since sliced bread...

The treadmill ROCKS. I have the best behaved dogs now. It's like magic.

Not only is it completely hilarious, it really helps to structure our day and doggie behavior inside the home. We had been on this continuous kong, rawhide, distractions, car rides and treats deal just to bribe the dogs (Daisy mostly) into not chewing things or peeing in the house...just generally trying to contain them. It was tiring to say the least!

I haven't been able to keep up my walking regimen reliably because it's SOOO darn hot and sunny here-so unless I go before 11:00 am it's pretty unbearable. Plus, I'm 8and a half months pregnant now and just very cautious about my back. And my ankles swelling. So--the dogs have been extra energetic (and annoying!)

But, the treadmill. It's like doggie valium or sleeping pills--which, are actually sold over the counter, but I would NEVER ever go there. THIS IS WAY BETTER! The doggies are supposed to get tons of exercise, so this really works for all of us right now. Now I have dogs that are excellently behaved INSIDE the house as well as OUT. Thank you Cesar Milan!

In other doggie news, we were out the other day and a BIRD ATTACKED DAISY!!!?!! How weird is that? It was just a normal day, we were walking so Daisy could pee, and she was taking care of business, when I realized this bird was flying really close to us. Like within 4' and it kept chirping really loud. It landed in the nearby tree. Before Daisy could finish, the bird DIVE BOMBED her on her rear end! She was very confused, as was I, and we got the heck out of Dodge. I still haven't been able to go back to pick up after her, because the weird chirpy bird is still there and I'm too afraid.

In baby news, I checked out the Fairfax hospital. It's like interstate highway driving the whole time. It's a very highly rated hospital on the US News and World Report rankings. I found a new doctor too. And I have an appointment. I'm still very sad about the idea of switching. I find my attachment really odd--given that I just had one appointment so far with the other doctor. I am weird.

We start Hypnobirthing classes next week---self-hypnosis for pain-management. I'll attempt a 'natural' birth. Everything I read suggests it's best for baby, breastfeeding and everything. I am also suprisingly more interested in entering into this labor thing blindly and unprepared rather than being prepared and having a plan. That's very unlike me. I think I'm still in denial about becoming a parent.

In Dave news, he is still a peach, as always. I credit his mom and dad (and his whole family really). He looks so professional now in his gabardine slacks, button down shirts and wingtips. It's a big change from the Microsoft dress code. His schedule is very aggressive now--he has like 10 minutes in the morning and about 2 hours after dinner to himself. I'm sad for him---with what he's choosing to do. I know school will be a big deal. I hope he can weather it OK.

My Uncle Bob travels to Washington this evening to chaparone my mom on her plane trip tomorrow. He is very generous to take his time away from his business just so I don't have to fly while I'm almost full-term. He's a peach too. Very kind and generous. He will get to visit with my dad and his brother and sister in New York so he's making the most of the time.

They arrive tomorrow evening--and then we'll be DONE with a huge phase--we'll be officially all moved here. We just wait for the baby to arrive, school to start, and our new house to be ready. But we get a couple of weeks of a break.

I am still very ambivalent about this whole thing we just did to our lives. I'm sure it will be great--and I know DC has a lot to offer--and this was the best choice of all our options----B*U*T--I still don't have the love and the romance and sense of possibilities for this area. I'm seeing all the weird stuff an outsider notices and just feeling weird.

I miss my old life :( It was a wonderful time and place to become a young adult. Now with the stay-at-home wife/mom and caretaking responsibilities, I feel more like a real adult--and those carefree times are OVER.

Such is life. I'm sure there will be upsides of all of this. I'm just seeing the losses at this point. :( ...it intensifies the heffalump feelings. But today, I opened the blinds and let the sunshine in and cleaned the whole house--and figured, it's worth paying for the extra air-conditioning to be a little happier :)

More soon! We miss you. Email us at schleiferkin@gmail.com.

it's better everyday :)

Well, I am quite the heffalump now! 33 weeks and counting...I bought some maternity shorts because it's SWELTERING here, and my Seattle summer wardrobe just wasn't cutting the mustard.

Today we bought a watermelon at the store--and it was so heavy I couldn't really lift it. I told Dave to imagine sticking it inside him, right above his bladder and then imagine trying to flip over in bed or stand up after sitting--and that's about right! Watermelons are like circular these days--gone are the oval ones. And they're way smaller--like personal size...?

I've also told Dave he should remember the time he ate an entire pizza and all he could do was lay down on the couch and groan with his heart racing. And--that's about how I feel all time :)

Mostly I'm just being silly--I have had a ZERO complication--TEXTbook pregnancy--and I'm grateful. I haven't had ANY of the disgusting, shall-not-be-named, common things that happen--and since we're a MIXED audience, that's all I'll say about that. So I'm super fortunate.




We got a treadmill for the doggies and it's the funniest thing I have ever seen in my whole life. If you want to be constantly entertained, get a dog! Daisy and Merlin both love the treadmill because mommy and daddy pay them constant attention and give them popcorn and treats the whole time. Who wouldn't love that?! Cesar Milan says supplementing their walks with the treadmill goes a long way toward happy, balanced, well-behaved, calm doggies. We shall see.

We mostly got it so we could SLEEP! Daisy has been waking up at 3:00 am everyday barking at the top of her lungs and nothing will satisfy her--not playing, not eating, not walking. Crate or no crate. And then it takes her a really long time to settle down.

In general, she's is really improving a lot. She rarely chews anything to destruction, and she's just a fun, sweet dog around the house. It could be now that I'm home most of the time and not in frenzied move pace she's just more relaxed. So, for the most part--it's great.

On the way to get the treadmill, we explored more of our neighborhood-to-be in Haymarket. All of the surrounding areas are JUST gorgeous. Today, we went North toward Leesburg--where the treadmills are. It was winery, after farm, after country club, after golf-course. The Ritz Carleton has an estate resort community there. It was so beautiful.

Our neighborhood is gorgeous too--we're just 2 minutes from I-66, so we also have a couple STRIP MALLS and a lot more houses than it looked like on Google Earth when we were researching. We literally live on the "other side of the tracks" and just a couple minutes North, West, or South of us are the really gorgeous parts. I kind of laugh when I think about that phrase in relation to Haymarket and our development, because it's really really beautiful. But--it's not the multi-million dollar section by far.

But--our neighbor-hood, and our develop-ment and the quality of the construction and aesthetics make it worth it. We haven't seen such stunning architectural detailing in our price range and we get to pick out all the finishes and stuff. So--it's totally worth it.

Our house is slated to be done around August 2nd or so. That could always change...but that's what it is for the moment. The movers need a 21-day advance notice to drive cross-country--so the latest we might move in is August 23rd. It's a lot of stuff happening right at the same time, but--whatever. It's worth it.

So--as you can tell, my mood has improved a lot. Dave said when he first got here he was really sad initially too. So-he said it's normal. I guess anytime you move it's quite an upheaval. Even when I moved to Seattle, when I really, really wanted to be there, I remember not feeling normal for like 2 years.

We are still looking at real estate--just to be sure we're making the right decision for us. And--I'm also considering delivering Lumbley in the Fairfax Hospital instead of downtown. It's about 30 minutes closer in. In my initial research I started from the 'Best Doctors Listing' --not hospitals--so I didn't even realize Fairfax was an option until Dave's family told me about it. Dave's family is all in the medical industry.

Things are just humming along. My mom and my uncle Bob arrive THIS Saturday--so lots to do to prepare...

We miss you! Email us at schleiferkin@gmail.com.

land of a thousand strip malls...

...and a new one being built everyday!

At least near our temporary apartment. But I swear, there must be a one-to-one ratio of strip malls to residents. Most of them are under-rented, so I wonder how the builders get permits to build more!

On the plus side, DC is more technologically advanced in some ways than Seattle. That also comes as a complete surprise. At the doctor's office there is no paper files for example. They type everything into the computer as you say it. The grocery stores have pull-up areas to pick up your groceries if you've ordered ahead over the internet. Many places have free wi-fi access--it seems ubiquitous.

On the sad side, the radio stations are abysmal---unless you like evangelist radio, country, album-oriented rock, and rhythm & blues. Where's the hip-hop?! What about alternative rock, top 40 and college-radio? I am surprised about that one. My car can save 12 stations and I have trouble finding six to save! And of those--2 are NPR and one is classical. What up?! I'm sad because I loved almost every station in Seattle.

I had heard that I could expect Southern efficiency with Northern charm in DC. Ha ha. My experience has actually been the opposite. Northern efficiency with Southern charm. Chop chop! People are quick. They talk FAST, they're direct and to the point. But they're also very, very nice.

Another surprise is that more people here are height-weight proportionate and well-dressed than in Seattle. People are very good looking in general and very well put together. There's a sense that people are serious, type-A personalities, and with all the military and defense stuff, it feels like a pretty safe place (unless you're in the police-state neighborhood in the Northeast of the city).

Another wonderful thing I've never experienced is a huge population of very well educated and professional, middle-class and affluent minorities. It truly feels like an American Melting Pot. Seattle has tons of folks from lots of places too--it just feels like lots are 1st or 2nd generation and they're still hangin out in their own little neighborhoods together--not blending in.

I'm trying to be open to the possibility that Dave and I could really like it here--given the opportunities to be closer to family over the long-term--because of Lumbley. At the moment, it's a real struggle! Less natural beauty, hotter and more humid weather, bland, sprawling suburban areas, and the overall crowdedness feels like it's changed our quality of life for the worst.

Yesterday I went into the city to go to see my Obstetrician. (We selected her based on the fact that Dave spends more than 12 hours downtown, so we have a 50% shot at the going into labor when he's already downtown...she's also on a best doctor's list in the Washingtonian) So--I left 2 hours early to travel 36 miles. I barely made it! And poor Dave--I experienced his daily commute reality--no fun!! The distances are the same as we had in Seattle, but the crowds and the required public transportation situations make it oppressively long.

We're still thinking our house and actual neighborhood are really nice and fit our financial situation...we just will never see eachother and we'll both be completely exhausted all time. Talk about living for weekends.

In baby news, my measurements are all what they're supposed to be and I'm still within the recommended weight limits. It's a very normal, low risk pregnancy. And my new doctor is wonderful. I hope she's the one on duty when the time comes!

In doggie news, we've had a big milestone. We can trust Daisy our puppy to sleep through the night outside of her crate with no accidents--and no eaten furniture or walls. So--she barely spends anytime in her crate at all now. That's a huge relief.

This adjustment time is ICKY and very sad. We miss you! Email us at schleiferkin@gmail.com.

a day in the life...

We did our commute today--a la regular style. Not too bad, except Dave, being the go-getter type he is, wants to be at work by 8:00 am. So that means a 6:10 departure from our house. No big deal, I wanted to get back into my early morning routine anyway. And I'm sure the baby will be up early too!

As I explore more of the area, it seems like one large 1970s/1980s era, WalMart-esque, sprawling, suburban sameness, at least Manassas proper. So--yeah, again with the sadness :(

I know there are prettier areas of DC, we just can't swing them and pay for law school simultaneously. Ah, the delights of living within our means. So--yeah, missing Seattle's beauty--big time.

Life is weird when you have no emotional connection to the place you find yourself. I'm sure that will change over time.

Though, I am beginning the baby supply acquisition phase. That is one bright spot!
More soon as we get reliable internet connections...

Miss you! Email us at schleiferkin@gmail.com.

we're here!!

Hi everyone!

We don't have wireless access at home yet, despite the fact that Dave IS a rocket-scientist, with no off position (mentally).

And, the non-genius partner (moi) is the one who has to resolve the technological issues and get things up and running this week! That will surely be a farce.

So--consequently, it's been hard to get to a computer to update the blog! I promise more photos soon!

So--to summarize---
~ WE'RE HERE and we don't have to drive anymore. Thank God.
~ We cleaned all the bugs off the car. Ick. Double ick.
~ The DC Metro area is enormous. E*N*O*R*M*O*U*S. Like nothing I've ever seen.
~ Our new house & the Haymarket neighborhood is beautiful and we love it.
~ Our temporary apartment has very soft carpet, and the temporary furniture is comfy.
~ Our dogs love all the space and the long walks again.
~ We found a super fun burrito place today that lets you sample 80 types of hot sauce.

So--life is good!

Though, the first night was very, very, very sad! I already miss Seattle and my friends. I thought I'd be OK--because I don't even get to see them that much anyway. But, I love them :( Sad.

And--this area FEELS like the parts of Pittsburgh and North Carolina that I DIDN'T really like--i.e.--it's SUPER HOT, it's sprawling, and enormous, and brick, people are STEELER fans, the locals have mullets (eek) [sorry] and they have things like cars (Subaru Brats) they've spray painted with matte black spray paint. (triple eeek). Yes, I'm serious. I have that snobbishness that comes from having moved a lot and had a really good college education. And, yes, I probably am going to hell.

OH! Wait, I forgot, there are monolithic structures devoted to Baptists and Catholics--and so I'm just waiting for the casual, start-a-conversation, be-polite question "...so, where do you go to church..." Which, is harmless, and should be flattering, because it means someone is interested enough in me to engage me in conversation.

I just remember North Carolina, where the WRONG answer, or no answer became a very ackward moment really quickly and pretty much cut off the conversation right then and there. Perhaps this time I can do better with evasive manuevering.

So--lots of bittersweetness. LOTS. However, the rinky dink Seattle that 12 years ago had been so charming, and gentle weather-wise, and crowd-wise, and traffic-wise, where I didn't need to be worth 3 million dollars to have a nice life has changed considerably. Somehow the weather became severe (global warming?). Somehow the traffic became oppressive. Somehow, my personal success did not earn me a house to have a family live comfortably, and somehow--a lot of THE ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL people I know who live there are diminishing and moving out. So--my idyllic hamlet is not to be.

AND--given everything--the spectre of having to learn to country-line dance (SORRY STEPH!), the ability to afford paying for school out of pocket, having a 4 bedroom house, getting Dave the world-class school opportunity, and getting to stay home to raise a child and help my mom, and being able to raise our child near family---we made the very best choice for our situation. So--that's all we can do. And things always change.

But--I'll tell ya--the East Coast is TOUGH emotionally. :( :( :(

But, I can't wait to see some people I haven't seen in months and years and possibly ever! Like long lost cousins. So--we're going to make the best of it!

In baby news, I'm bursting out of all my clothes and it's hard for me to do much of anything except grunt and complain. 8 WEEKS LEFT!

WE MISS YOU REALLY, REALLY, so please email us at schleiferkin@gmail.com.

madison, wisconsin and toledo, ohio

Hi everyone :)

We did not get stuck in a tornado--safely making it through was my big goal for Minnesota.

On the way to Madison, we had so many hours to do, and we did so much sightseeing in South Dakota that we got in to the hotel really late, so yesterday and today all we did is drive, drive, drive. No sights. That seems like it was OK and there didn't appear to be anything significant to tempt us. Except there are 'singing sand dunes' in Indiana? That sounded kind of cool.

And, for any of you who've ever lived in or driven in Indiana, oh my goodness, it's so ugly and depressing near Gary that all we wanted was to get the heck out of Dodge. Think Newark, New Jersey, and that's about right. Incidentally, that picture above IS of Gary, Indiana, even though we didn't snap it.

Not only was it super depressing geographically, it was kind of hilarious how restrictive ordinary things were and how serious the rules were! For example, if you were caught driving more than the speed limit in the work zone (which seemed to be continuous thoughout the state), it could result in 8 years in prison and a $1000 fine. I'm not kidding.

If you propped open the door at the hotel (to, say, load your luggage) you could be banned from Microtel (for life), I'm not exaggerating, or if you smoked on the non-smoking floor, you, and your entire party, including possibly people staying in other rooms, could be evicted. Both of those transgressions were backed up by local law enforcment, and the hotel said they would not hesitate to call. GEEZ!

So--this part of the trip has been B-O-R-I-N-G. (and weird) With a capital B!

Tomorrow is our LAST DAY of driving before our new life starts. I can't express how SAD I am and how much I LOVED the Pacific Northwest and the West in general. And how JEALOUS I am of my Seattle & Salt Lake City McCarthy family members. IT'S TOTALLY NOT FAIR.

NOT TO MENTION HOW TRULY WONDERFUL all of our friends and family are in the Northwest. I will miss each and everyone of you every day.

The geography is already changing. The drama of the west is fading. I am already sad :( In fact, tomorrow we drive through Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I lived from age 5 - 21. TALK ABOUT DEPRESSING. Pittsburgh is a lot like Detroit. Down and out economically. However, it does have one bright spot---and that is my cousin DEBBY KYES and her family. SHE IS ABSOLUTELY wonderful and I love her dearly and it will be a lot easier to visit with her going forward.

My hope is that all the wonderful family we have in DC and Virginia outweighs the sadness I feel having to move against my wishes :( Let's just hope we like it and the area we live in is pretty.

In baby news, I'm starting to be so swollen and out of breath and uncomfortable that all I want is to be horizontal as much as possible. Not to mention that the baby is digging his feet or elbows into my ribs all the time. OUCH! I didn't realize my belly would be hard and boney. I thought it would be squishy. So--it's way more weird than I expected.

The doggies are really enjoying our trip and the time with us. They have been so good in the car and the hotel rooms---except for tonight. When we came back from dinner, we discovered our puppy had hurled all of her body weight through the nylon mesh of her soft crate and devoured the hotel travel directory. Good thing we got home when we did. Thankfully, it wasn't the furniture or our luggage :)

That's all for now :) LOVE YOU and miss you and talk to you soon. Email us at schleiferkin@gmail.com.

sioux falls, south dakota

South Dakota rocks! Wow--we had no idea. I thought it would be scrubby farms, super flat, kind of depressing and definitely ugly. BUT NO! It was lush and green with tall grasses and gentle rolling hills. It was different than Montana's geography--but very very beautiful. And how were we to know that SO MUCH has happened here?

First, and most well known was the sculpture of Mount Rushmore. What a huge undertaking. It was 14 years, about $1,000,000 at the turn of the century, and a lot of dynamite! The mountain range was granite after all!

And then there's a similar sculpture of Crazy Horse--which they were actually blasting with dynamite YESTERDAY to take steps toward finishing. (We skipped that showing in favor of some other sights)

And for those of you who've seen Deadwood on HBO or Netflix--all that is based on the actual town called Deadwood--in the Black Hills which was a major Gold Rush town, complete with Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane.

And of course, Laura Ingalls Wilder's childhood home is here. They filmed Dances with Wolves here. And, how could anyone forget Wall Drug?!!
(incidentally, I'm one week shy of 8 months pregnant here)

However, by far, the biggest site to see in South Dakota is The Badlands National Park. Having been to the Grand Canyon, this is just as impressive. Smaller--maybe but oh, my goodness. It's awe-inspiring. You rarely hear about this place--and I'm not sure why. It's huge and other-worldly.

We saw prarie dogs, jackrabbits, and this unknown type of animal that is neither an antelope nor a big-horn sheep. But it was like 4' away from our car and we were afraid the dogs would start a fight with it and we would have a situation on our hands. So we snapped this picture really really fast and kept driving.

Speaking of animals, early on our trip in Montana, Dave said he saw a porcupine. I didn't believe him, so I said I saw an anteater. We had a little back and forth about who was telling the truth...or not. Normally he doesn't make up stories like I do, but I didn't believe him because I didn't think there were porcupines in Montana. I'm not sure where I thought they did live, just not Montana. Well, I was proven wrong, because we saw a porcupine yesterday near the border of South Dakota and Montana.


We also stopped at the legendary Corn Palace--but it was like 8:00 at night, and I guess things shut down early in Mitchell, South Dakota. So all we could really do is snap this picture.

We weren't really sure why the Corn Palace is in South Dakota--like why is it not in Iowa which is much better known for it's corn production. However, a quick trip to Google and you'll see that South Dakota is the national corn leader, particularly in biotech corn---(eek! what the h#@$ is biotech corn!?!!). So--there you have it.

We saw so many things, and South Dakota is a truly beautiful, lush and green, and historically and culturally significant place. We would return in a heartbeat.

Tomorrow it's off to Madison, Wisconsin...

We miss you! Email us at schleiferkin@gmail.com.