Break lights

We finally arrived in Washington DC! 5,000 miles by air + 4,000 miles on the road 😮‍💨 90 days since we packed our stuff + 40 of those days in transit 😮‍💨

It certainly wasn't the most direct route…

But to me the transition feels more meaningful when it takes time to get there. While a flight is a lot faster, the slowness of a drive highlights the magnitude of such a move.

8 lanes of traffic

We traversed time zones, ecosystems, and so many state lines (15! Plus a few repeats!)

• Best views: Idaho, Canada & Northern Michigan

• Most expensive tolls: New Jersey

• Best roadside stops: North Dakota & Michigan

• Best food: Seattle

• Least Traffic: Vermont

• Most traffic: Maryland + DC

M wanted to take a picture of every state sign

We're not in our “permanent” home yet (our actual house isn't quite ready), but we have started exploring our new city. And we already have lots of friends and family here, so we have people to enjoy it with!

During our first week in town we checked out the county park + splash pad + carousel with some friends who also just moved to the area.

A new park with old friends

And we visited the National Zoo (it's free!) with E’s niece. We got to see the adorable baby elephant — she's 14 weeks old and 782 lbs — and G discovered that her favorite animal is now the binturong (“bear-cat”).

It was great to go to a zoo that has nice, large enclosures for the animals….we were not fans of the zoos and aquariums in Japan, which did not adhere to the same strict welfare standards as our favorite places in the states. (AZA)

Meerkats, a baby elephant, and a swimming tiger

We also walked around the grounds of the National Cathedral, visited the National Museum of Art, and played at Center City…plus the kids spent lots of time in the pool!

While it has been an epic (mostly fun) adventure, I am really ready to get settled into my own home again! Being in a constant state of transition is exhausting 😮‍💨

P.S. E started his first day of work last week! I tried to get a “first day” photo, but I only thought of it when he was jumping out of the car to get on the Metro train, so all I got was a blur!