Goodbye and Hello!

After 40 years in Virginia, 12 in the bosom of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Blacksburg and the rest on-and-off outside of DC, we are off on our next adventure. This time in New England.

Blacksburg - “Burg” - initiated us into adulting.

Transitioning from student-hood to working life, having kids and checking on them to make sure they were breathing, stumbling through the gaffes of child-rearing, learning to travel the world without losing things, making lifelong friends, building our first home are memories made special by Blacksburg’s small town charm set amidst Appalachian peaks hidden in billowing clouds and delicate mist.

Moving to the DC area in the late 90s offered an abundance of sticker and traffic shock. We learned to navigate shopping and driving with concerted effort. Before we knew it, living in a big city grew on us, which makes for a bittersweet parting as we settle in New England.

Josh was a toddler when we shifted to the greater DC area from Burg. He was thrilled to be in an apartment after living his young life in a single family home. The pool, the clubhouse with ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies, the gate at the entrance made his eyes light up. He made new friends in daycare and loved sleepovers with his Burg friends. He pretended to be the family dog, slurping on all fours from a water bowl in the kitchen. I indulged because he’s the second born and the drill sergeant in me had long departed.

Neil was in sixth grade at the time. I used to go to work super early so I could come home right as his school bus pulled up to our street. When traffic held me up, he’d arrive before I did. On these not-so-rare days, he would walk home, find it locked and then trudge to the clubhouse to wait for me. This was before kids had cell phones. He was a very calm child but the look he gave me when I arrived late still makes me shudder.

Two unexpected things happened in northern Virginia. Growing up in the shadow of a major metro made the boys self-reliant very quickly. Beyond that, the restaurants, cuisines, museums, traveling out of DC opened up our horizons in ways we couldn’t have imagined before.

The kids learned to drive around DC in the hell otherwise known as the Beltway and what a blessing that was. That trial by fire assured us of their ability to drive anywhere! Tarun and I used to hold our breath when the boys set off in heavy traffic, drove from one end of the metro to the other for their school projects, didn’t come home when expected, failed to plan their routes well or got diverted. By the time Neil got his license, he had a cell phone but it wasn’t hands-free so we never called when he was behind the wheel. Now, I wonder how we survived in these prehistoric times!

DC driving involves untold hours stuck in traffic. We regularly curse absurd drivers to the point of exhaustion. We scratch our heads about why the local governments don’t do more to alleviate the transportation woes that follow us every day. As if that isn’t bad enough, national news is often our local news, exhausting in divisive times. Much to our challenge, the plethora of dining options is a gastronomic delight and a weight-management curse.

Despite all the frustrations, the memories we take with us are centered on the brilliance of Virginia.

The breathtaking and serene beauty of Blacksburg, the excitement of DC, friends we have made as a couple and the sisterhood of my girlfriends, the neighbors who are part of our family, the experiences we have had, being near the seat of global power, an amazing international airport that connected us to the entire world, top tier sports teams (and not!), the turbulent rapids of Great Falls, the quaintness of the namesake town, the canopy of Fall colors on the drive near our home, our very needy dog Hershey, visits from family in India and precious time with parents in our home are some of the many reasons Virginia will continue to have a special place in our hearts.

As we look ahead, being near the kids and grand(s) will be priceless.

So, here’s to new beginnings, exciting adventures, a city - Boston - that is waiting to be explored and returning to old friends down south for tight hugs while finding good cheer up north.

We will never be too far from you, Virginia!

And, hellllo New Hampshire!