A Big Move

After a month and a half of living in DC I thought maybe I should re-open my blog. Once upon a time this blog was about my journey through a political life. It highlighted some of the amazing things I had done as a career woman, it showcased some of my favorite places and told the world about my engagement. It showed the good, the bad and the ugly of planning a wedding in the middle of a presidential cycle.

And then when life got too personal and real, I just stopped writing and fell off the blogging world. To make a long sad emotional story short I was offered a job in DC by an amazing non-profit. In order to take this job, I would leave everything, including my amazing fiancé, to go take a wild ride across the country.

After many tears, and conversations with family and friends I decided it was the right road to take. So, I packed up a mini-van with everything that would fit. Convinced my good friend Melinda that there was plenty of the US she had not seen, and that this was the perfect time to see. And put my pittbull Bubba in the back seat and we took off.

 We got a speeding ticket in Arizona, flew through Texas (cruise control on 90 miles per hour) stopped and paid respects to the King (We love you Elvis) and had the best soul food in Tennessee that we have ever had.

I moved into a 408 square foot apartment in Dupont Circle. Melinda stayed 2 nights to help me move in, and then left back to California. And then all of a sudden, within 6 days, my life changed completely. One morning I woke up looked around and realized this was the first time, in my entire life, I have ever lived alone.

Was I scared? I still am. Every day, for the past month, I wonder if this was the correct choice. I have no one to come home to, no one to ask me how my day was. I have to start my life completely over. And little by little I am okay with this. This is a growing experience that I think I really needed.

 We all have to take adventures; it shapes our lives, and who we are. I decided to take mine a bit later than most.

You've Got a Friend In Me

I met him when he was as at his lowest point in his life. He had been given up by his family three time, beaten, starved and broken to a point of no return. He hovered in the corner, shivering, with a gash on his face and dead eyes.

I had gone to the shelter to volunteer in previous weeks, and saw a dog named Bubba in the back. He was not available for the fact they said he was viscous and aggressive. His first family never even got to know him and dumped him at the shelter when he was just a little pup with his sister. His second family took him and brought him back within in weeks, saying he was not a correct fit, and his third human took him and beat him, until he was brought back to the shelter with dead eyes, and no heart.

And there he sat about two years old, with black and white spots, on death row, heartbroken. It was then I knew that I needed to save him. He needed to know what love was, and I felt like it was my job to show him.

I took him home and never went back to the shelter again. He hid in the closet for three days. He would not come out for food, water, anything. I stayed home from work and just cried, feeling helpless, frustrated and heartbroken. And then on the fourth day he came out while I was sitting and crying, and put his head on my leg and we never parted again.

It took time; I thankfully worked on a campaign at the time that let me bring Bubba to work. He laid under my desk, quiet as a lamb, only making a peep when he had to go outside. We spent hours on walks, days lying on the couch together researching, and it took months to get him to the point he was social with others. He was by my side at all times. We were attached, and Bubba was my love.

I have gone through campaigns, different rental houses, boyfriends (yes plural), fights with parents, weeks without talking to friends, some of the best times of my life and some of the worst, and Bubba has been my constant. I could have not asked for a better friend to stick by me. He has been my longest relationship to date.

I truly believe I did not go to the shelter to save Bubba, but I was brought to the shelter for Bubba to save me. He, lets me cry until their are no tears left, protects me when I am scared, he makes me get out of the house and go for the 4 mile jog that I really do not want to go on and when everyone else walks out he stays.

He is my puppy love and every girls dream.

You've got a friend in me
If you've got troubles, I've got 'em too
There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you
We stick together and can see it through
Cause you've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me





Thank you to Karisa Cook for the beautiful photos. Check her out at HERE.