Law Students

Movin' On Down

By Andrea

I talked to my mom yesterday, and she confirmed that she's retiring at the end of next school year. More than 30 years in the L.A. public schools - and not the nicer ones, either. What a career.

I don't know why, but that announcement really kicked off my thinking about the next stage of our lives - it made it seem a lot more real. At the end of next summer, my fellowship will be up, and we'll be moving out of Boston. We don't have family ties here and it just doesn't feel like home. It's informally Dan's "turn" to let his dreams dictate our location, after Chicago (his law school) and Boston (my law school plus this job). So that wasn't a very difficult decision for him: We're moving down to Washington, D.C.

Us and every other idealistic young professional in the country, of course. And there's that whole recession thing. But we're ready to throw some elbows and get some jobs. Dan's been wanting to get back to Capitol Hill for years (he interned in college), and he's incredibly qualified for a good staff job. And I'm going to be in fine shape, since I'd take a lot of stuff in government or nonprofits, immigration practice or policy, or even criminal.

Also during our D.C. Period we will explore two other very large changes: buying our first house, thanks to our check-writing friends at Sony Pictures, and having a little brother or sister for Becca. I know!

Which is why my mother's retirement had anything to do with this. It's been hard having her so far away - she hasn't gotten to spend the time with Becca that a grandma really wants to. I imagined that when we had a newborn and a pre-schooler, wouldn't it be great if my mom could come help out for a while - and then be able to visit for more than a few days? And now it can work like that, which is really wonderful.

For now, though, it's still icy and cold in Boston, we've still got our current jobs, and Becca is bonking her sippy cup against a pillow. But I love to plan, and it's hard to beat the planning opportunities ahead. We'll be needing tons of advice (where to live??), so check in often and comment away.

Full post as published by Peanut Butter Burrito on February 09, 2009 (boomark / email).