Catching up to speed...

It's been a long gap between posts, I know. That was never my intention, but, regardless, I'd like to jump right back into it. This post is a catch-up post, to speed up any reader interested on what's happened since arriving at our new home in DC till now:

We finally arrived at our new home in Fairfax, VA on August 14th.

After choosing our apartment solely by Internet from across the country, we could only hope for the best. We were thrilled to find such a beautiful apartment waiting for us in such a gorgeous and green town! Our apartment complex borders an expansive forest, which is a totally new thing for us and we're loving it!

Clark is enjoying law school very much. He hasn't been as overwhelmed as we had both expected him to be and he has even found time to start up a blog for helping beginners understand politics. Check it out if you get a chance! (Clark's blog: A Capital View)

I found a job here with ExxonMobil, working as a contractor for their Downstream Headquarters. I've been there for almost 3 months now and am surprised at how much I actually find learning about oil to be interesting. Who knew there were so many pipelines running through this country and that so many different kinds of products can come out of a single barrel of crude? It's all so fascinating and the way it powers every aspect of our lives is mind-boggling.

Taking a ride on the metro.

We sold both cars before moving out here and are now using only public transportation. Our apartment is a ten minute walk from the metro station and a five minute walk to the nearest grocery store. We've also found that for our bigger grocery trips, we can have our items delivered straight to our door. Since we live four stories up with no elevator, this has been a HUGE blessing. 

In our spare time, and when the government isn't shutdown, we like to explore the monuments of DC, relax on the National Mall and White House yard, meet up with Biola related friends in the area, make nice dinners, host friends and family at our place, and learn to speak Chinese through Rosetta Stone.

Jefferson Memorial is our favorite!

We hosted our first Thanksgiving together with new friends we made out here in Virginia.

We're both really loving life on the East Coast and are thrilled to experience real seasons for the first time. Fall was drop-dead GORGEOUS and we love-love-love the winter snow. Spring is just around the corner and I can't wait! We miss our friends and family from home, but Skype calls and visits out here have made the distance seem so much shorter. 

When Clark's parents came to see their boy!

When Lizzie's family came for a visit!

God is truly blessing our time out here and we are so happy to have the opportunity to serve Him here!

Encountering Hardships

The Corps of Discovery encountered numerous hardships on the journey. Perhaps the most difficult calamity was that brought on by weather during summers and winters. Summer heat often brought unmanageable heat waves and, with it, fatigue, exhaustion, and heatstroke. Winters, too, were hard to survive. Blistering cold temperatures meant frostbites, snow-blindness, and even malaria. Each extremity brought a number of ailments and diseases that were unpredictable and hard to treat.

People told us that New Orleans would be hot and sticky. They said we would get to know this thing called "humidity" real close and personal. People told us that going to Atlanta and Savannah in August was quite possibly the worst idea in the world, weather-wise. They said it got to be so hot that phones and cameras were known to stop working due to high heat. People told us that to visit Charleston, South Carolina during the height of summer would be to test mortality. They said it could be so fierce that one would prefer bathing in hot chocolate all day than sitting outside for 5 minutes. Oddly enough, I have a friend who did that. It turned out to be a bad idea. But anyway...

People weren't kidding.

We survived New Orleans. We survived Georgia. They were hot, they were humid, and we got sticky. But even that couldn't prepare us for Charleston because to be completely honest, I unfortunately don't remember much about Charleston at all... except that it was morbidly hot :/ Imagine the following and think about the hottest weather you've experienced, times 3. Plus humidity.

We began our tour of Charleston in the historic district. I think I remember it being really cute and bright, but then, it was so crazy hot that it could have all been a mirage. We walked around there for about 5 minutes before neither of us could handle the heat anymore. I saw a sign for the historic, but still in-use, courthouse that said "open to the public." So in walks a sweat-drenched Lizzie and Clark with glazed over flushed faces and panting breath. The security guard, who appeared to be the only other person in the building, looked at us with curiosity and a raised eyebrow as he had us step through the metal detector. He didn't say it verbally, but it was immediately clear that tourists didn't typically step into that courthouse. Neither did they typically stay there for awhile and use water from the bathroom sink to cool down. But we did.

Eventually, we made our way through the historic district and down to the battery — a defensive sea wall important to America's Civil War. From there, we could just barely see Fort Sumter off in the distance (behind Clark, below... it's there, I promise).

Fort Sumter was a sea fort in the Charleston harbor most famously known as the site of the first shots and first battle of the Civil War.

On the other side of that sea wall was a plethora of gorgeous antebellum homes. Antebellum means "pre-war"and, in regards to architecture, refers to American homes constructed between the birth of America (Revolutionary War) and the Civil War. These homes were easily over 150 years old and still as beautiful as ever! Reminded me of the "Gone with the Wind" era. Here's one example:

From Charleston, we continued north to our last stop before home: Williamsburg, VA. 

Williamsburg was one of the first towns of the new America colonies. In fact, the town, named after the reigning monarch of England (King William III) at the time, became the capital of the Virginia colony in 1699—nearly a century before America would become its own country! The College of William and Mary, founded there in 1693, quickly became a center of learning for America's early political leaders including Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler. 300+ years later, Williamsburg is preserved as a center of American colonial history and the College of William and Mary continues to thrive. 

Clark and I enjoyed walking through the colonial town and catching a glimpse of what life was like in the early stages of America. Colonial-like houses lined the streets of Williamsburg and were filled with costumed interpreters telling the stories of 18th century men and women of the new colonies. Only wish we'd had more time to hear their stories!

Walking the beautiful streets of Colonial Williamsburg...

The sunset in Williamsburg is gorgeous!

We also got to meet up with my good friend from Biola, Ann Marie, while we were there! Ann Marie is going to law school at William and Mary and showed us around the campus a bit. What a beautiful place to learn!

Though both Charleston and Williamsburg treated us with some of their less favorable weather, they were both beautiful places and so full of American history! They both served as great introductions before our ultimate arrival in our country's capital...

Washington D.C., here we come!

*Though I elaborate on the "hardship" of extreme weather we experienced, please note that this does not compare to the severe hardships experienced by those living in the south so many years ago nor belittle the pains that were brought upon so many—in regards to the actual Lewis and Clark Expedition, yes, but also to those that were enslaved, fought for our country, and lost loved ones to war.

Finding Food

The Lewis and Clark Expedition was a strenuous journey. To provide the energy needed to complete that journey, the men would hunt wild game for food including deer, elk, buffalo, and salmon. Each man often consumed up to 9 pounds of meat in one day to fill their protein needs. That's a lot of food!

It's tomorrow, it's tomorrow! Tomorrow is the day we officially move in to our new place (finally)! For that reason, the journal on our time in Georgia is a little jipped. Here's a brief glimpse into our time in there:

From New Orleans, Clark took me on the scenic route via the Causeway across Lake Pontchartrain. This Causeway was a 23 mile bridge crossing the width of the lake, making it the longest conventional bridge in the country. At one point on the bridge, we could neither see the land behind us nor before us.  Crazy-cool experience! 

Since we began heading East, I've been impressed with all the natural greenery outside of California (especially after growing up in the desert). But Georgia's greenery was unbelievable - I felt like I had traveled back in time and to a different continent. As you can see, the road ends where the grass starts - no dirt, no rocks, and no weeds. And the forests surrounding the road were so thick, we could hardly see past 10 feet of it all. No wonder the song "Georgia on My Mind" became so popular!

When we finally arrived in Atlanta, we met up with my Aunt and Uncle for a late night tour through the city. Their southern hospitality was so welcoming! 

My Aunt collects fun teapots - I "geeked-out" when I saw these...

During our tour of the city, my Uncle shared with us that Varsity (see the big "V" below) is a local and extremely popular fast food drive-in — so popular, that it has become the world's largest drive-in! Varsity occupies 2 acres of land, can accommodate 800 people at one time, and has enough parking spots for 600 cars. They sell more Coca-Cola product than anywhere else in the world and over 2 miles of hot dogs, 300 gallons of chili, and a literal ton of onion rings every day. Now that's a lot of food! 

We so wish we were able to spend more time in Atlanta - so many unique places to go and see!

From Atlanta, we traveled to Savannah — the oldest city in Georgia. We both fell in love with this beautiful town! Below, I'm in Johnson Square — one of 24 squares in town set aside from all the shops and restaurants as beautiful tree-surrounded centers commemorating an influential person or event.

Rumors of ghosts and indescribable events are found all over town. For example, the square above is the only square in town where the Spanish moss is not present. Strange, since that moss is natural and appears everywhere else. Why would it not show up there specifically? 

Legend has it, the ghosts are to blame! 

It was eerie, but fun to learn about some of those stories and make our own speculations. 

 Clark put on his "pirate walk" as he told me about the history of the "Pirate House" 

where we dined that night. 

 Forsyth Park, below, was our absolute favorite part of Savannah. The natural beauty was astounding and the added frills (fountains, street lamps, etc.) made the park entire entirely breathtaking.

At my uncle's suggestion, Clark and I ventured to the "Wilkes House" for lunch. We arrived almost an hour before it opened to this long line already formed. We knew we were in for some good eats!  

We sat down at a large table with other guests and were surprised to see over 15 different food dishes already set at the table. It was a downright all-you-can-eat Southern Thanksgiving meal! And just when we thought we couldn't possibly fit one more item on our plate (see below), the waiter came out with more! By the end, I kid you not, there were 25 different food items to try to stuff in — everything from macaroni and cheese to steamed rutabaga, andouille gumbo to fried chicken, and spiced cucumbers to potatoes au gratin. It was definitely the biggest meal of my life! And so fun to share it with other guests traveling around the country :)

 This is us after the meal. Can you tell how expanded we are? (Just kidding! Don't look that closely... ;)

Next stop: Charleston, SC and Williamsburg, VA. Then... our new home!

The Louisiana Purchase

Shortly after the Louisiana Purchase was ratified, President Jefferson commissioned the "Corps of Discovery" to explore and chart the territory of the newly purchased "Louisiana" land. The Lewis and Clark Expedition commenced the following May, beginning along the Mississippi River and heading West from there. At the time, New Orleans was already a well-established city and the previous colonial rule of the French and Spanish had contributed much to the architectural and cultural diversity of the old city.

"Whoa! New Orleans is just like Disneyland's New Orleans Square!"

"No, Lizzie. Disneyland's New Orleans square is like New Orleans. The city came before the park..."

I'm such a Californian at heart. And the farther East I travel, the more apparent that becomes. For one, I compare almost everything I see to something I've seen at Disneyland:

There are mardi gras beads decorating everything here - just like Disneyland's New Orleans Square!

The chicadas are so loud here - just like on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland!

For two, I raise an eyebrow every time I see a Hardee's — don't they know that's called Carl's Jr?! It must be a knock-off... and WHERE are the In-N-Out's???

Thirdly, I see rush hour traffic and think to myself, "Where is everybody?" "Traffic" outside of LA and Southern California really isn't traffic at all. It's a few extra cars on the road.

I've also found myself keeping my mouth shut a lot more since I entered the world of Southern accents. The moment I open my mouth is a dead give-away that I'm not from the South.  The quieter I am, the less I reveal myself as a tourist (as if the backpack and camera don't already give me away...).

In fact, as I continue thinking about living on the East coast, I expect it will feel like living in a foreign country — the metro system will be the main form of transportation, the people will have accents, tourists will be buzzing, and the coffee will taste better.

Here's a little on our time in New Orleans:

The first night we arrived, Clark took me out for a classic New Orleans date — beignets (pronounced "ben-yays") at the world famous Cafe du Monde, just next to the Mississippi River. 

He told me that tradition is to blow the powdered sugar from the beignets onto somebody else. 

I don't know about that...

Thanks to my mom's suggestion, we stayed at a beautiful Bed and Breakfast: Avenue Inn B&B. 

Highly recommended!

We took the streetcar, below, into town from our B&B. It's like a trolley, but not. Fun ride!

Clark shared with me about the importance of New Orleans as a port city, due to it's location at the mouth of the Mississippi River. He also shared about the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. Shortly after the storm, Clark visited the city to help out. He had lots of stories to share about that experience.

Below is the St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. 

This is the oldest cathedral in North America and is still in use to this day.

Not pictured: Per our B&B innkeeper's suggestion, we spent some time at the local WWII museum. WOW! I'm not even partially a history-nut, but I loved it ! The film presentation alone was worth the money we paid for the museum entrance. If you ever get a chance to visit New Orleans, that's the place to go!

We explored some good 'ol Southern food while in New Orleans including gumbo, fried alligator, creole chips, and cat-fish. Here's Clark trying out some fried alligator. 

We took a day-trip to visit a plantation just outside of New Orleans. This one, Oak Alley, is an antebellum (pre Civil War) sugar-cane plantation. It's grounds include a replica of the slave quarters, the original mansion, and a beautiful lane of 300 year-old oak trees leading from the house to the Mississippi river. Beautiful place, sad history.

The Oak Alley lane :)

Not pictured: Clark also took me to "The Spotted Cat," a local jazz bar where we could experience some of that classic New Orleans jazz.

And boy was it hot there! Family and friends tried warning us about humidity, but of course, as Southern Californians, we didn't know what they were talking about. Turns out, humidity is a real thing. And no one was kidding when they described how wet it feels!

Next stop: The unbelievably green and gorgeous land of Georgia.

Provisions

One of the biggest concerns for the journey west was keeping each of the expedition members healthy and well-fed. Nearly 93 pounds of portable soup was brought on the trip along with over 7 tons of various food provisions including flour, sugar, beans, corn, pork, and coffee. The men took turns making meals for the group, using whatever game and available plants they could. 


"Elizabeth, how are you going to make dinners for your husband and your own family if you don't start learning how to cook now?" my mom asked, doing her best to coax me into helping in the kitchen.

"I'm just going to find a man who loves to cook!" answered a prophetic, stubborn, and 15 year-old me.

And what do you know, lo-and-behold, I find myself now married to a man who not only loves to cook, but is flat amazing at it.

So when it came to meeting my Papa for the first time on this trip, Clark knew exactly what to do. Following that age-old proverb ("The way to a man's heart is through his stomach"), Clark cooked up a storm for the whole family - twice during our visit! Of course, Papa loved him.
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After our time in the Colorado mountains, we came back south to New Mexico to visit my grandparents. My family met up with us on their own vacation while we were out there so we could spend more time together before heading East. It was a great relaxing and quality-time kind of visit.

One of my favorite things about visiting Nana and Papa's house is having the opportunity to hear about their past. This time, I learned that 45 years ago,  my Papa retired from the Marine Corps while stationed in none other than Washington D.C. So as we journey towards the capital now, he reminisced on his expedition from it so many years ago. As he was preparing to head for home, a fellow Marine asked, "Anything you need?" Without hesitation, my Papa answered, "Yeah, that chair the corporal is sitting in. Put it in my van." He still has that chair today! See below.

The chair was desirable because it was an "Officer's Chair" — it had arm rests and swiveled, and only officer's could sit in it.  So I guess you can call me "Officer Lizzie" now. ;)

My grandparents have 2 dogs. My Aunt has 3. Every time she comes over, she brings her dogs for a party of 5 in the house at one time. It's a big dog party!

Here's my Aunt - sans dogs:

Clark's the head chef!

And of course, all trips to Nana and Papa's house must include a visit to Cracker Barrel. 

Here's my brother and I with Nana!

Clark, Papa and I before we headed out. We love you, Papa!

Stay tuned for our expedition into New Orleans!

Home Wonderings

Both Lewis and Clark were born and raised in Virginia, though in separate counties. Meriwhether Lewis lived in Albemarle County, VA until the age of 6, when his father died and he and his mother moved to a new home in Wilkes County, Georgia. William Clark, on the other hand, stayed in Virginia until the age of 15, when his family resettled in Beargrass Creek, Kentucky. This Kentucky location served as Clark's primary home until he began training and preparations for the Lewis and Clark expedition.

"So where is home for you?" a woman at my grandma's church asked this morning. My mom took the question, and I'm so thankful that she did — for as simple a question as it was, my response would have been complicated, at best: 

"Uhh, we live in Orange County. Well no, not anymore. I guess you could say Virginia. Well, gosh, umm, not yet. Well we're from Southern California. Well actually I am, but Clark's from Northern California. So in that case, I guess you could say we're just from the general California area. But we're on our way to Washington D.C. and..." 

As we travel farther and farther away from our home in Fullerton, the question begs at me more and more every day: Where is home for us now? Or, rather, what is home? 

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros say "home" is "wherever I'm with you."

Webster's dictionary says "home" is "one's place of origin."

Wikipedia says it is "one's place of residence or refuge." 

An ancient proverb says that home is "where the heart is."

There seem to be conflicting views out there on what "home" actually is. If home is as Edward Sharpe declares, then for me, home is with Clark - assuming that the "you" mentioned is implying one's significant other. If it is my place of origin, then it is Apple Valley, CA. If is is my place of residence, then it is currently all over the country (or I must be homeless). And if it is the latter, then home is literally in my body and figuratively…. with a soccer ball. (Just kidding!) Anyway, all cannot be true at the same time. Or can they? Is there is a bigger and deeper concept behind the word than these descriptions suggest?

I've spent the past week thinking through this concept and am beginning to feel like I am writing my own version of the children's book, "Are You My Mother?" only mine is, "Is this my home?"

For now, I leave this question unanswered, yet still bouncing around my head.

Below are some pictures of our (ahem) "home" for the past few days in the mountains of Colorado.

On our way to the campground, Clark and I stopped by the Air Force Academy.

 The Air Force Academy is the youngest of the service academies. 

It was signed into legislation in 1954 by President Eisenhower.

Here was our "home" for a few days on Mount Herman, just outside of Colorado Springs. 

It was a beautiful campsite! 

The road to the site was super-narrow — 

made us wish we had rented a jeep like our friends in front of us!

Clark and I ran for cover during a thunder storm and read out loud in the car 

while we waited for the storm to pass. 

Clark's friend Al and his wife Rachel (and their dogs!) joined us for our last day of camping. 

We had a fun time catching up with them! Unfortunately, I failed to get a better picture of them :/ 

Here we are at the end of the trip - that mountain behind us is Pike's Peak.

And boy, oh boy did it feel good to take a shower after this. Even so, I think my hair will still be smelling like campfire smoke for a few more days...

Next stop: Nana and Papa's House! 

Early Stages

William Clark began a lifelong practice of journaling his experiences at the age of 19 while serving in the volunteer militia force. At that time, his responsibility was to help preserve the Kentucky territory during the Northwest Indian War. It would be another 14 years before Meriwether Lewis asked Clark to share command of the "Corps of Discovery" expedition.

This whole moving thing is a little weird. It doesn't compute in my head. At least, not yet. I think about all of the goodbyes we said just a few days ago - goodbyes to family, friends, co-workers, home, work, our cars, our home-state, everything familiar to us - and I can't comprehend that any of those were actual goodbyes. They felt like a bunch of "see you later's." I can't say that a single tear dropped during any goodbyes we gave and I think that's because this just doesn't feel real. It feels so much like we'll just be back in a few weeks. And everything will be back to normal. 

But it won't be.

We are on a road trip and that definitely computes. After all, we just spent 18 hours solid in the car yesterday. But it feels more like we're going somewhere than that we are also leaving somewhere. 

California is home. California has always been home. So how can it be that California is no longer where I live? How can it be that I don't even know the next time I'll be back to California?

As of right now, I don't have a physical home. In that case, now more than ever, I recognize that song as true — home is wherever I'm with you ("you" being my hot, genius husband Clark, of course!). So for now, home is in Little America, Wyoming. Tomorrow it will be the mountains of Colorado.

And some day, this will all make sense in my head.

Below are some pictures from our loooooong driving day yesterday. Mostly scenery. I promised to have more pictures of myself in my next blog post, but I would like to give you a rain-check on that promise for now:

 We left California for good when we crossed into Nevada. 
It was a weird, but exciting feeling. Adventure, here we come!

 Miles and miles of... road. 

Clark driving. Crossed into 4 states yesterday. He did the whole 18 hours all by himself!

But he did have a pretty stellar wing-man/woman ;)

 Utah state line!

 Salt flats in Utah - these were crazy! Looked like snow all over, but it was over 100 degrees here.

My mom sent me a text message during our drive with this picture attached. 
Maybe tacky, but I felt like it completely surmises our expedition right now.

 Made it to Wyoming!

I wish we drove through Wyoming during more daylight! 

The scenery was beautiful, but it got dark too fast. 

Stay tuned for more from the Lizzie and Clark Expedition!