Meet Mary

A very little bit about me, but if you’re here you probably already know it all

Hi, and thanks for taking the time to check out the page. My page is mainly designed to share updates and stories with my friends, family, and perhaps people I meet along the way so I don’t forget to share something these people want to keep up on (but let’s be real, mainly so my mother doesn’t worry so much- hi mom!).

In case you don’t know, though, here’s my very brief story:

• Raised in a suburb of Washington, DC by wonderful, loving parents in a nice little house with some cats
• Went to college just a few hours away, and came back to the DC area for grad school and stayed for work, great friends, and great opportunities
• Worked at the same job in a few different roles over the past 10 years
• Lots of free time spent traveling the US and abroad whenever time and money allowed, sometimes solo, sometimes with a friend or group
• I love popcorn, Murder She Wrote reruns, coffee, piggies, walks in the woods, rainy days, reading, trips to Wawa, and fun with friends like Sharknado and Hallmark marathons, music festivals, playing ‘around DC’ people-watching bingo at every occasion, and other shenanigans
• Currently 34 in actual age, have the wardrobe of a college student, the ridiculousness of a 5 year old, and TV habits of a 70 year old

You might be thinking, that sounds nice, why would you just leave all that good stuff and live in a metal box with no company and no home base?

Well, I kind of ask myself that all the time but here’s my best answer:

• I’ve lived in the DC area pretty much my whole life. It’s fantastic. There’s a lot of cultural opportunities, free museums and monuments, smart and engaged people of all different backgrounds, beautiful sights, and interesting things happening. It’s close to 3 major airports, a major train station, waterways, beach, national parks and sites, and within easy driving distance of many other cool cities and towns. There’s decent food, even for a vegetarian. Authors visit, protests occur, cherry blossoms bloom, fireworks illuminate, panda babies are born. But living in one place for so long means I haven’t lived anywhere else for long, and how else will I know if there’s a better place out there for me (perhaps lacking the traffic, high cost of living, and people who think they’re the most important thing on the planet)
• I love to travel, and while I’ve been to a lot of cool spots in the country there’s so much more to see. Spectacular places and sights await!
• I’m an only child, I’ve been basically living alone for years, and don’t mind being alone most of the time. This will either turn me into a hermit spinster, or push me to connect more with people- one way or another it’s a good way to find out! I’ll miss my friends and family a lot and will probably bawl occasionally and have major FOMO when they haven’t put their lives on hold, but phones work and visits happen.
• My previous apartment was recently sold by my landlord so it was a good sign from the universe it was time to make a change. Plus I totally can’t afford to live in this city without the sweet deal I had on rent or without a partner to share expenses and since I’m perpetually unattached I’d need a major career change or to win the lottery.
• I was ready for a change in my work life. I had a great career working at a preschool in the area, teaching young children, and managing our school library and reading to the kids each week. As time went on, staffing changed, and needs changed, I ended up taking on new challenges which were more managerial and office/tech driven- great for learning new skills and accomplishing goals I wanted to complete for the school, but terrible for my overall physical and mental wellbeing. Much more stationary, more stressed, less contact with the sweet and funny children, and more isolation from coworkers. I loved my school but there might be a better fit for me elsewhere getting back more to what I love doing on a daily basis (can’t beat that vacation schedule though!)

Let’s see if my self-reassurance works out!