Ch ch ch changes

My old cube all packed up

There have been a couple of changes around here.

The boxes in the photo are mine. I moved from where I sit yesterday. This is very bittersweet. I got a promotion a couple months ago, which takes me away from the team I have worked with ever since I moved to MD in May, 2006. (What's funny is we never got on those duck tours) This is a good move for me, and even for my old team (maybe possibly most probably), but it's still sad to move away from folks you've worked with for over 5 years. For the last couple months, I have been working on both teams, I was left sitting with my old team but I guess they want me to start transitioning into the new role. So, yesterday, they moved me closer to the folks I'll be working with now.

Other big change is Jeff is finishing his first week at a new job himself. For the last almost 2 years, he's been commuting to Arlington from Elkridge. The driving directions say 1 hour 40 minutes but if any of you have driven the DC beltway, that's not true at all. Hi didn't drive anyways, he took public transit, which consisted of:

• drive to the BWI/Amtrak station 15 minutes away
• get on MARC train from BWI to Union Station, DC
• get on first Metro train at Union station
• change to another train somewhere
• get to work 1.5 - 2 hrs later

Some days, it took him 3 hrs to get home. If it was too hot, the ACs in the trains would break and they'd drive at half the speed. In the winter, the snow caused issues. Then, last year, they had 2 horrid crashes on the Metro line. This was hard on us before but since having Oli, it was horrible. Jeff would get home to see Oli for maybe 5 minutes befor ehis bedtime, and sometimes, Jeff would get home after Oli was asleep. So, he started looking a few months ago and thanks to some wonderful friends who had leads, he's now working 15 miles from home. He's actually working in the same town as me. No, we don't carpool. I go into work at 6:30, he starts around 8/8:30. But, I drop Oli off and Jeff picks him up. This way, Jeff has an extra couple hours in the morning to sleep in and I have an extra hour or so at the end of the day to run errands, get groceries, cook dinner before my boys get home. And, we have a few hours together before Oli goes to sleep. And after that, we have an hour to ourselves.

Y'all, I started and finished a book in 3 days!!! Last time, I started and finished a book like that was before I had Oliver. Some 7 months ago. And Jeff gets to play video games. Or we watch a movie. The options are endless!