As is usual for me, I had trouble sleeping the night before. I got up to make coffee and to check the weather. We'd had a string of foggy mountain mornings in the last week, but yesterday, the reports were clear. I decided to go ahead and get on the road at 4:30.
It was fog free, but I had forgotten how dark it gets with very little ambient light. It's been a LONG time since I felt the need to turn on my bright lights. Happily, I was one of few cars on the windy interstate, so I could use my brights. Later, the fog rolled in over the Virginia mountains. I felt like I was driving alternately through a bucolic watercolor painting or a Halloween movie set. The sun was rising by then, so the fog didn't stress me as much as it would have at 5 a.m.
My sister and I had a delicious lunch and figured out how to use Google maps on the phone. I don't have an app downloaded that would talk me through the navigation, but that was fine with me. Knowing that I could figure out my way if I got lost was the key thing.
I made my way over to the seminary campus. I got a bit turned around; I drove by the Target where we shopped after the first moving in, but I couldn't remember the cross street that would take me to seminary. Happily, I just kept going, hoping that the street would intersect Massachusetts Ave, which I knew it had a good chance of doing--and it did!
I worried that the parking lot might be completely full, but there were only a few more cars there than there were when we first arrived with carloads of stuff. I unlocked the apartment door and took a quick check before unloading the last carload of stuff.
I did a bit of setting up, but it will take more than just a Sunday afternoon to get completely unpacked. I'm fine with that--it's my moving in style, and I have only myself to consider. I thought I would go to bed early, but I was too wound up for that. Eventually, I drifted up, but I did wake up very early--just too excited to sleep.
I want to make sure that I am intentional while I am here, that I don't waste a minute of my time in DC. I really want to see the new African American history museum, the newest Smithsonian museum. They are still using timed entry tickets, so I thought I'd sign up for Wednesday. Ha! The next available Wednesday is Sept. 14, so I signed up. I did some strategizing. On Wednesday, I'll go to the Renwick Museum, which is close to the African American history one, so it will be a test run--finding the Metro, getting myself there.
This morning, I'll walk over to the Wegman's off Wisconsin Ave. I'll buy a few things, like some butter and some parmesan cheese. I bought some non-perishables at the end of last week, plus some tomatoes at the farmer's market and a loaf of bread. I brought the leftover bakery bread from last week's adventure which will be better with butter.
I may forgo an afternoon walk--we've got heat advisories. Or maybe I'll take a leisurely walk and expect to sweat. And then, tonight is my first class--it's an online virtual class. I don't have my first in person class until tomorrow night.
I can see the beginnings of daybreak out of my east facing window--how beautiful. Let me wrap up this writing and get ready for this first full day on campus and in DC.
No comments:
Post a Comment