Category Archives: The District Of Columbia

These Three

By nopasanada | Published: September 27, 2011

“While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.”
~Angela Schwindt

I was never really into having children before I met Amy. I liked them enough but I didn’t have that now constant “YOU SHOULD HAVE A BABY” voice in my head as I do now*. Then, inevitably, I suppose, a love and adoration developed for Noah. And subsequently over the years for Ezra and now Ike. I make time to see them whenever I’m in Washington. I curse my way to their home because of traffic and then I am there. They are there. Just like that everything is perfection and legos and wooden apple pies that I should blow on because IT’S HOT! I find myself surrounded by love and hugs and a cuddly baby boy. They are sweet and charming and unfortunately you don’t get to see all of it from online. Amy can weave a story so you get them in pieces but oh, how much you miss from real life. Because how they are is perfection ten-fold. I will consider myself beyond lucky and perfectly blessed to end up with just one child who is exactly like them. Oh how I hope and pray.

*A story for another time. Promise.

Also posted in Fotografias, On Happiness | 3 Comments

A lot of pride

By nopasanada | Published: June 13, 2011

“What is straight?  A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh, no, it’s curved like a road through mountains.”  ~Tennessee Williams

Instead of a weekend at the beach it was a weekend in the District. One that resulted in the summer’s first tan lines. After lazily lying about there was the Pride parade. I don’t know what Pride is like in your town and given that I’ve only attended Pride parades in two cities it’s not as if I have a wealth of things to compare it to, that said, DC Pride was enjoyable. Think people being happy to be themselves, without fear of ridicule or being an outcast. They are free to just be. That’s what I loved about the parade. Families, religious leaders and a few real housewives rounded riding along 17th street celebrating the act of love. My heart. It was good.

Heidi

It begins

Photos live here.

Also posted in Fotografias | Comments closed

The Epitome of Perfection

By nopasanada | Published: June 6, 2011

“Babies are such a nice way to start people.” ~Don Herrold

On the day Ike was born I went for a brief visit with his mama. Upon my arrival she and Jason were sitting there all nonchalant like “No big deal. I just had a human being come forth from my stomach and now we’re just chillin’” My natural reaction to such an event, the birth of another person and having that person COME OUT OF ME would be somewhere on the Look at what has been brought to me/Circle of Life/Mammals are amazing/look at his tiny toes! spectrum. But there they were ensconced in a genuine love for someone who was all of 10 hours old. Predicting his personality and his poops and hospital food as if it were an everyday occurrence. Why yes, having a baby has been happening since the dawn of mankind and so really, it’s not that big of a deal and yet I was overcome by the hugeness of it all. Often I read mocking of women on the Internet by other women of course – but that’s a totally different story on Women: Why do we hate each other so much? – because they (she who just gave birth) is behaving as if it (giving birth) is the most amazing experience ever and treats the event like she’s the only person to ever do it.

That’s because in that moment, looking at this new person is the most amazing experience ever. Parent or not.

I was afraid to touch him. I peeked inside his bassinet at this little baby burrito. Amy said “Get in there! Get you some!” I picked him up as gently as humanly possible and then refused to move for the next 15 minutes. I just stood there admiring his features. When the crook of my arm started to hurt I still just stood there statuesque. What if something happened as I switched him to my other arm. “You can sit down!” she and Jason said. I could sit down but what if I tripped and fell and I broke your baby? I thought. So I gingerly sat myself on the seat of a chair once again frozen in the awesomeness of having this tiny person in my arms and gripped by the fear that I could do something wrong. I am the woman who has not removed her iPhone from it’s protective case since it’s purchase. My $300 dollar phone. I worry that it might break. That worry and anxiety passed right along to holding Isaac. A fear that I could be doing it wrong.

But they trusted me with their child and they always have since week five of their parenting almost six years ago. So I sat there with Ike in my arms staring at him. Just staring. They spoke around me and I looked at his nose and his eyes. He was perfect. I mean absolute perfection. I’m not saying this because I love him (they are my little DC family and I love those boys) but because he is perfect. He has his own personality that is unscathed by the bullshit of the world. He knows nothing of cruelty and life to him is that last week he was swimming in water and now he’s out and about. Everything is so new to him. I could only sit there and absorb and have these very life affirming, this is what it’s all about thoughts.

Amy was happy that he was so chill with me. I’m the baby whisperer, I said. What? I’m good with wee ones. “You should tell your job that. You need to be with me because you’re the baby whisperer and I need you.” Well…if I must.

Beautiful Baby Ike

Also posted in That's Life | 7 Comments

Some news

By nopasanada | Published: March 3, 2011

“Summing up, it is clear the future holds great opportunities.  It also holds pitfalls.  The trick will be to avoid the pitfalls, seize the opportunities, and get back home by six o’clock.”  ~Woody Allen

I am a 27 year old woman who cannot make a decision unless by committee.

1. Get propositioned.

2. Ruminate.

3. Panic because Danger, DANGER, CHANGE.

4. Ruminate.

5. Call Susan.

6. She doesn’t answer so re-commence the panicking.

7. Call Chris.

8. Instead of discussing said problem discuss the weather and my sex-life.

9. Susan calls!

10. In my typical hypo-manic fashion, breathlessly tell Susan about said issue.

11. Get answer.

12. Call 19 other people who may or may not care while spinning in circles because WHAT DO I DO.

13. Write cryptic tweets and posts about said problem because it’s the 21st century and instead of keeping that shit to myself, why not tell two thousand people?

14. Consume a bag of gummy worms

15. Make decision.

You think I’m being hyperbolic about all this and you would be totally wrong. Ask Susan about the time I was breathing all heavy and talking all fast while consumed with The Panic and she had to remind me that perhaps I should take  a breath. Like, at least one.

I was recently offered a tremendous opportunity and it took me less than 24 hours to go through the 14-step process and it wasn’t even that painful. I mean I only asked three people about it which is far more impressive than the time I had to make five Pro/Con lists and then lay in the fetal position. A decision was made. Things were wrangled. Emails were sent. Meanwhile I threw myself into decorating my apartment and watching everything in my Netflix queue and trying no less than 17 types of gummy worms/bears/frogs/anything that could be shoved into my mouth. See also; it appears that I am a stress eater, so says the empty salt and vinegar chips bag on my coffee table. I also started taste-testing Scotch which inevitably means being drunk rather frequently.

This just in; I didn’t come with any coping mechanisms. I came with the mindset to freak out and when not freaking out try a cheeseburger.

After all of that I am beyond thrilled to say that I’m semi-moving to DC for several months. I’ll be there when the Cherry Blossoms come and I’ll get side swiped by people who can’t drive through Dupont Circle and some asshat will annoy me on the metro and I couldn’t be happier about being inconvenienced by tourists. And I’ll learn a lot too! So that is what has been going on. I’m happy. Really, really happy.

Now, who wants to take these Girl Scout cookies off my hands?

Also posted in On Happiness | 15 Comments

27 hours

By nopasanada | Published: February 11, 2011


“Gratitude is an art of painting an adversity into a lovely picture.”  ~Kak Sri

I went to DC for 27 hours. And it took exactly 27 hours for me to get a massive headache due to the whirlwind of being in DC. It was one of those instances where everything happens at once, a cacophony, tornado type thing that has you ducking and dodging and holding on for dear life waiting for something else to come whizzing past your face. The next thing you know you’re on a train back to the airport praying that Elin Nordegren would smack you in the head with a golf club. It was far too much at once and I’m all at once bursting and blessed and freaking the fuck out. And tired. As in currently writing this from my bed at 8:24 AM.

Rawr!

Fish in the bathroom at PS 7's

Dinner date.

On the way to Virginia this afternoon.

The above is pretty representative of how being in DC makes me feel: Genuinely happy and appreciative. And let’s face it, there’s really nothing cooler than being at a stop light for the fastest trip to Nordstrom ever (seriously, EVER. I couldn’t even look at the Stuart Weitzmans because I had my timer set to 11 minutes) and looking out and seeing the Washington monument. Just sitting there, being all monumental and massive and the sunlight was hitting it at the perfect spot and that tree helped to frame it beautifully. The flags at the base were that extra touch. Because sometimes everything comes together, unexpectedly, at the right time, in the right way and all you can do is be thankful.

Also posted in On Happiness | 2 Comments