1. I don't have to experience another Midwest Winter. Right now, in my hometown, it is cold and snowy. But in the DC area, it is ten degrees warmer and the wind-chill is almost twenty degrees higher. We might get a little snow here, but I won't have to deal with shoveling and snowdrifts and falling icicles and black ice like I would in Chicago or Idaho or Salt Lake City.

2. Though many of the indie bookstores in my area have closed, one just opened! I'm excited to visit Hooray for Book! to see what they have to offer. And I'll be visiting many of the other indie bookstores in DC in the coming weeks.

3. I am living with two of my favorite people again. Celeste and Corinna were my roommates in college and just happened to have an empty room in their apartment right when I was looking for one. They are tons of fun and both have a passion for YA and children's lit. We have already started trading books and recommendations--even Celeste's boyfriend Kevin is getting in on the book-fun.

4. There are an over-abundance or great Asian restaurants in this area. I can find great Korean, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese...The list could go on forever. I LOVE Asian foods and am excited to be around so many of them.

5. You can do DC on a budget any day. Because so many of the sites in DC are federally funded, I can visit great art, historic sites, gardens, all for free. I know it is kind of nerdy to admit, but I love spending the day wandering museums and learning about interesting things.

6. Some great musicians frequent DC. I know, more of them go to Chicago and the music scene in SLC is more intimate, but there is Ford's Theater, the Kennedy Center, music halls, jazz clubs and so much more right on my doorstep.

7. My brother has talked about coming to visit me for New Year's, my sister is planning a trip out here for the Inauguration, my dad will be here for a conference in March and my mom is visiting for Independence Day. We might not all be together this holiday season, but we'll all see each other again soon. And I'll get to share with each of them in the coming months.