Oo De Lally, Golly What a Day
The movers arrive on Monday to begin packing our house. Yes, it is happening quick. The past week has been a whirlwind of preparation for the PCS but we’re checking items off the to-do list amid the chaos. Our house is now on the rental market (clearly we did not foresee this move when we bought our house a mere eight months ago but c’est la vie), items are being donated, loose-ends of our Lawton life are being tied, and we’re working with a realtor in Virginia and combing through rental listings. The tree removal service is sprucing up our backyard as I type this post, and I am using my free time to peel 30-year-old wallpaper off in Weston’s bathroom (yes, we’re renovating a bathroom…it seemed like a good idea at the time). I am sad to be teaching my last class this week at Ft. Sill but I am also excited to see what employment opportunities lay ahead. I will tell you one thing though – this heat is making it very easy to leave.
But for as excited as we are to begin a new adventure in our nation’s capital, we’re extremely sad to leave behind the friends we have made here Lawton and I know I am going to cry during our last Sunday service this weekend. Of all the churches we’ve attended together, this one is by far the best and I wish I could pack up the sanctuary and take it with us. Saying goodbye (or see you later in many cases) is just a fact of life in the military. I try not to dwell on what we’re leaving behind and instead focus on what is our future. But I am still sad to say goodbye. Even to Lawton, Oklahoma. Oo de lally, golly what a day.
There are some really nice subdivisions in Lorton, if you’re looking to be really close to base. Occoquan is pretty historical – so given your love of non-cookie cutter homes (really hard to find in this area), that might be a good place to look for rentals. Plus, most of Occoquan is on the river and about as gorgeous of river/waterfront as you’ll get in the area. Woodbridge is nice and… suburban. My hatred of traffic has me loving my location and easy access to everything I want. Plus it has a BILLION different parks/playgrounds right close by, which is important when you don’t have backyards…
I hope you find exactly what you’re looking for!
Thank you for the recommendation. I am excited to finally start looking at houses in person rather than pictures online. I am not familiar with Occoquan…I am going to have to check it out. Water is always a plus.
There is an awesome list serve with job postings for all sorts of education-related professions in the DC area called YEP-DC. I’ve found my last two positions through this list serve and I highly recommend it!
Oooooooh…thank you, thank you, thank you!