Our Unique Livng Situation

So I’ve come to realize that not everyone quite understands why we suddenly have an apartment in DC and why Rob and I are not exactly living together anymore. Don’t worry – we’re not separated! Well, not in the legal sense. But the military has an unavoidable way of separating families, and it’s finally our turn. Rob received orders this spring for his next shore duty…at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. A fabulous tour, to be sure. Washington is a fascinating, vibrant city, and what could be more exciting and challenging for a military member than a tour at the Pentagon. Under normal circumstances we would have been ecstatic.

A couple situations made it less than ideal, though. The first, and most important, being that we are so upside down on our house that we would probably go bankrupt if we tried to sell it right now. We bought it in the summer of 2006, right at the height of the real estate market. At the time we felt that it was probably a bit overpriced, but with the optimism that was running rampant at the time we jumped in headfirst. Almost four years later it has lost almost $100,000 in value. We wouldn’t even be able to rent it without a huge loss each month. It’s a beautiful home, but I don’t think we could give it away at this point.

The second sticking point is that I actually like my job. I don’t want to leave it. Working in the non-profit sector, there are probably dozens of jobs I could apply for in DC, but I am perfectly happy in my current job. (Most of the time. Nobody loves their job 100% of the time!)

So that has led us to our unenviable position of living apart. We rented a pretty fab apartment in Arlington, right across the street from the Pentagon with great views of the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial. It’s very small…just one bedroom and about 700 square feet. It’s all we need, though. It’s within walking distance of lots of shops and restaurants. Take the metro just two or three stops and we’re in the heart of DC. You can’t beat it.

The plan was that hopefully I could spend some time working remotely from DC and spend most weekends up there. It hasn’t really turned out that way yet. Traveling, work, vacations, meetings have all gotten in the way so far. We’re hoping that life will slow down some this summer and we’ll be able to get into a routine. This tour will most likely last for two years, so we’ll see how long this living situation can endure! Anyone want to place bets on when I’ll give up and move up there permanently??

The view from our balcony in Arlington.