Taking it all in...

We had a fabulous Seattle summer weekend, and I find myself trying to take in and memorize all the things I love about the city this time of year-- the view of the Olympics off the viaduct as I drive home from work, the way the sun highlights the jagged peaks of the mountains as it sets behind them, and the fact that it stays light until 10pm at midsummer. The way the blackberry bushes at Greenlake smell in the sun, and the scent of pavement after a summer rain. The lushness of all the neighborhood gardens, overflowing with huge tumbling peony bushes and fragrant roses, and the way the blue sky looks through the thick canopy of leaves when I'm lying in the grass.

Summer has always been my favorite season because it's so spectacular here in the Northwest. I know summer in Austin will introduce me to a whole new set of fragrances, sights, and experiences that I will grow to love, but despite that I know I will miss Seattle's natural beauty and the amazing gifts Mother Nature bestows upon the Northwest every summer-- it makes the long months of gray skies worth it!

And then there are our friends... Having moved around quite a bit as a kid and in my adult life as well, Seattle actually ties my parents' current home as the place I've lived the longest. After 5 years here, I've made some amazing friends who will be dearly missed. Of course, I already have plans to get most of them out to Austin for a visit in the next year. Fortunately I'm moving to a city that just about everyone wants to come check out.

I'll sign off with some photos from the weekend. My amazing girlfriends threw us a going away barbeque on Alki beach, and we had such a great time. We also made time for one last trip up to Kerry Park to enjoy the city view.

Sign of the times?

Today, while jogging around Greenlake with J, I passed a man holding up a large poster board. Admist all the runners, dogs, and baby strollers in the 80-degree heat, this man was dressed in khaki slacks and a button down. On the poster board was his resume, blown up 3 feet tall-- in essence, a white collar "will work for food" sign. This is the kind of thing you'd see on the evening news in a quirky, semi-humorous segment on creative ways people are approaching their job hunts in response to the economy. Funny? Yeah, sort of... I guess. But as someone who is actually in the midst of a job search, it's also kind of depressing. Because 10 bucks says that if one of those moms pushing a stroller or one of those guys with a heart rate monitor had actually stopped to talk to that guy and offer him an interview, he would have jumped at the chance.

But, on a cheerier note, I have had one interview so far and am waiting to hear back about a second round... fingers crossed!

Lovely Weekend

We had a fantastic weekend and now sitting here with my coffee, it's tough to get back in the swing of the franctic Monday morning pace. Saturday was actually off to a little bit of a rough start, but all's well that ends well. We started the day with a lot of cleaning and organizing for the move. Since we've given notice on our apartment (actually a rental house), our landlord has decided that needs to hold 4 hour open houses every weekend until he rents it out. Super. He is also, um, how do I put this delicately-- "quite fastidious"-- about the condition of the house and how we maintain it, so this required us to spend most of the day cleaning, repainting all the little dings in the woodwork and baseboards, and generally correct anything that might result is us not getting our full deposit back. I tend to get a little overwhelmed at times when confronted with massive to-do lists, so I was not in the most joyful mood, but later in the afternoon J suggested we head over to Alki to take a long walk along the beach. Turns out that was a great idea... it's amazing how quickly a little physical activity and a pretty view melts away my stress and anxiety. I was kicking myself for not bringing my camera with me, but this was essentially the view (courtesy of Google):

(random dude enjoying the city view)

(random dude enjoying the Olympic Mountains view)

Saturday evening wrapped up with delicious homemade burgers and strawberry shortcake and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

Yesterday, we had to be out by 11am for the open house, so we went to church, headed over to the mall to run some errands (including buying me some comfy shoes that will actually look NOT extraordinarily dorky with shorts, so J can stop listening to me whine anytime we go do something sporty or that requires lots of walking, and I end up wearing "cute" sandals and then complain all day/night about my searing foot pain), and then headed over to parents' place for some Father's Day festivities. We enjoyed a great steak dinner and then all went to see "Up" together in 3D-- pretty cool! I don't think I've seen anything in 3D since Captain EO at Disneyland (credit to J for reminding me about the Michael Jackson fabulous-ness that is Captain EO) when I was approximately 9 years old, but it definitely makes the animation pop!

All in all, a relaxing, fun (and still somewhat productive) weekend! If only they could all be that way...

Friday Musings

Weekend Plans:

• Sleep (at the office until 1am last night)



• Workout (copious amounts of pizza during previously mentioned late night at the office)



• Seattle Sounders Game (yay! a Seattle sports team that actually wins! also satisfying husband's soccer obsession)



• Attend friend's surprise party (can't tell you who!)



• Ride bike! (J was kind enough to go find and install new tires and gears on my bike... which had its wheels stolen in 2003 and hasn't been ridden in 6 years!)



• Um, pack (not exciting and doesn't require much explanation)

Also, a random thought... why am I always so much hungrier in the morning after a big meal the night before? I know, I know... it has to do with my blood sugar, insulin production, digestion, blah, blah. But really? Couldn't the universe just throw me a bone and make me NOT incredibly hungry today? Does the universe really want my jeans to be tight? Sigh.

And, finally, I thought this was super cute: during our wedding planning process, J was inconsolably appalled by the mere presence of a wedding magazine within a 20 foot vicinity of him at any time. Like, the way I am appalled by... I don't know. I can't even think of a strong enough metaphor. There's a lengthy explanation for this, but, basically, it boils down to the fact that he strongly dislikes the materialism these magazines represent-- putting lots of emphasis on how cool or beautiful or flashy the party is, with little to no emphasis on the importance of the marriage itself. And I respect and understand this... but still, a bride-to-be's gotta enjoy a little Martha every now and then!

Anyway, long story short, I was cleaning out our magazines the other night and, seeing as we're approaching a year of marriage, I decided it was time to deposit all my wedding mags in the recycling bin. He saw the stack of magazine stashed in the bin later that night, and was shocked and adamant that I pull out at least a few to save so I could show our future daughter(s) what the wedding styles looked like when we got married! Precious. So he dug through the bin and pulled 3 out, and then I proceeded to carefully sanitized them with my Method all-purpose cleaner, and now they are safely stored in my closet for posterity.

Notice

This past week was a big one for us in our preparations for Austin. I gave notice at my job, we gave notice to our landlord, and we were found an apartment here:


The State House is located right in the center of the South Congress Ave. strip, which is home to a ton of fun restaurants, bars, and shops. We'll be within walking distance of downtown, and a UT shuttle picks up right in front of the complex so J can get to school quickly and easily. And, as an added bonus, I'm told that this is where the cast of Friday Night Lights lives while they're filming. Tim Riggins, anyone? ; )

Meanwhile, I've been staffed on a huge new project at work, I'm trying to find a new job in Austin, and we're working out the logistics of a cross-country move. So it's a lot to juggle right now... I just keep telling myself, "only five more weeks, only five more weeks..." We've got a 6 day roadtrip planned through Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and into Texas. And when we finally arrive, I can't wait to spend some time relaxing here:


Ah, pool time... That's something we just don't get enough of here!

Summer has arrived!

. . . Finally! After what seems like one of the longest, coldest (and definitely snowiest) winters in recent history, it feels like summer has finally arrived in Seattle. This past weekend, J and I hosted our first (and last!) BBQ of the season at our house. It was great to spend time with all of friends before we head south, and we couldn't have gotten a better evening . . .


Homemade sangria, a warm grill, and great company! I'll miss all my Seattle girls!