I really do love this city.

When I left for UNLV I didn't rule out moving back to the D.C. area at all, especially since I knew I didn't fit in in Vegas pretty much immediately, and felt maybe D.C. wasn't such a bad place after all. However, I certainly didn't ever imagine being back in my parent's house. My parents are on a mission in Ukraine and their absence is the only reason I am inhabiting their house for the time being, in addition to the facts that I'm saving money and I have absolutely no commute to where I am working presently. It just makes sense to be here.

My parents rented out the upstairs floors and put in a kitchen in the basement. It seems like our house isn't big enough to have a second kitchen, which is true, but it's tiny and doesn't have a dish washer. Hunter is living with me in the basement. He was anxious to get out of his apartment in Bethesda. Life is becoming more normal with my parents gone, and the stress of my thesis eradicated. However, I don't know if I feel like I've taken ownership over my life. I don't know if it'll be possible living in the house I grew up in. But maybe that just doesn't matter. I'm doing okay/am happy, I guess. There are so many wonderful things about the house I grew up in and I'll elaborate a bit. I love that I live right on the Potomac with a running trail for easy access (and it's fun to go over to the Maryland side sometimes too). I love that there are so many beautiful (and huge) homes in the neighborhood. I live right off the beltway, which makes getting around really easy.

Before my parents left we had a little outing to the tidal basin on the Sunday of General Conference. We were there at just the right time. It was beautiful and it was fun to go out on the paddleboats with all the kids.

And of course I was asked to speak in the Langley ward in a couple weeks. Will I ever get away from being S. and L. Swift's daughter? Probably not. That's okay. It's just now I have to speak in church because of them.