Seattle

So, I am here. And have now been here for almost 3 months. And I love it. I tell people all the time that I love it, and then they ask why. As the first blog update of my new life, I will list some things that I like about living here. And I will keep adding to the list with regular updates that I promised Katie.

1. Rain.

I know that is a silly thing to love. But it smells fresh outside all the time. And some mornings, there is fog that just sort of sits on top of the trees. It is not oppressive fog.

2. The trees change colors.

I had this question and dad even asked me if trees change colors here. Yes! I will take a picture tomorrow. It is beautiful because it is not like Utah where everything changes colors and falls. It is just half the trees. And the colors are bright. Not mostly yellow like Utah, but deep reds and bright reds and oranges.

3. Ferry Boats

To steal a line from Grey's Anatomy: "Did you know Seattle had ferry boats? I love ferry boats." and the quote goes on but it wouldn't make sense out of context. And okay, so Ihave only been on one. And it is the shortest trip of all the boats. But it was awesome! And it was the same ferry that will some day take me to Forks to see the home of Twilight, which was actually filmed in Oregon. And I am not obsessed with the books, but I am interested to see how crazy the fans are closer to the actual location

4. Cute Resturants.

There are not really chain resturants here. And except for Chili's which is missing, I am totally okay with that. Although I need to find a place like Kneaders so I can get a good grilled cheese sandwich and mint chocolate brownie. They don't seem to have bakery places around my current location.

5. Gooeyducks.

It's an animal - supposedly kind of slimy with a hand and a shell? I still haven't seen one, so I am not exactly sure what they are. But I am determined to see one someday.

6. H&M

I haven't shopped there. But I love living in a city that is cool enough to have an H&M - just like Paris.

7. My Apartment.

It is not the nicest thing in theworld. But it is perfect for me. Quiet. Centrally located but next to a park so Bruno can have a place to walk around - when it is not raining because he hates the rain. It is upstairs so I don't have to worry about people walking by. All the food in the refrigerator belongs to me. So I still don't have a couch. But one day when I do get a couch, it will be cozy.

8. My Job.

Every job I have had has been thebest job in the world. I somehow manage to score nice stable jobs that offer me opportunities to learn and to kind of do my own things. And although I am still trying to find my place, it is a great company to work for. And I get to work with Loan Officers again. I forgot how fun they are.

9. Blow-up Mattresses.

It just seems wrong to buy a bed before a couch, so I have been sleeping on an air mattress. But it is really comfortable. I probably won't replace it for a while.

10. The Commute.

I only have to travel 2 exits - 3 when we change buildings. And people here drive cars, not huge diesel trucks. And there are rarely semis on the road. And people here drive the speed limit (unless it is raining, which is weird).

Shout out to Rob: There are billboards here! It took a few months to find one, but I did. It is next to a casino on 220th

And those are the first 10 reasons why I love it here.

Dress Up!

My blog has been neglected and I am sorry for that. Let's be honest - my life is exciting to me, just probably not to everyone else. However, there are moments like this afternoon that deserve to be posted for all the world to see.

My mom is one of the most incredible women you could ever want to meet. She can find the good in every person. She has raised four children who like each other. She is totally selfless. And, I found out today, a fashion diva. So during Sunday dinner, a certain sailor dress was brought up. I had never seen this sailor dress. Shortly, a bag full of old dresses was brought out from under the bed. You are never too old for dress up! My mom made the dresses Katie and Albree are wearing. This is just a taste of my exciting life...

Christmas Miracle

In case you didn't know, I am a geek. A really big geek. So this week, as my iPod and camera seemed to be on the fritz, I was more then a little frustrated. I don't go to bad websites. I don't curse electronics. I have good computer karma, so I just couldn't understand what was happening. And then it hit me - my USB drives were fried. Probably a hangover from that studpid wireless internet I had at the beginning of the year. Fortunately, my dad had a spare multi-port. And because of that, we are back in business! I have a working iPod and downloaded pictures from Christmas Eve! It is a Christmas miracle!

Shelli hosted Christmas Eve which was fun and delicious. We played several rousing games of Guess Who, which was our favorite game when we were little. Mom and Dad tried to play, but their eyes are so bad, they couldn't tell which cards had mustaches or yellow hair.

Afterwards, we drove around Alpine looking at the lights and giving out the Spirit of Christmas awards to the people with the best lights. And to end the evening, I watched the traditional Christmas Vacation. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and look forward to a prosperous and adventurous new year!

Thanksgiving Part Deux

Lucky for me, I get two Thanksgivings this year. The first one was actually on Thanksgiving. What did I love about it? No one hassled me for only eating one thing at a time. I had a roll. And then potatoes. A little turkey, and then a little ham. Nothing touched and I got to sit at the big kids table. Of course, I didn't take a picture of the whole spread. Duh. But Shelli and I posed after with our leftovers. Kudos to Shelli for a perfect turkey and the most delicious pumpkin pie cheesecake in the whole world.

Then my brother came home!!! We met at JCW's. And guess what, he's not weird! He almost even asked a girl on a date today, so I think he is getting back into the swing of things. Don't mind the puffy face - for some reason, my eyes started leaking when I saw him...

And then on to 2nd Thanksgiving. This time with the whole family. I am battling a nasty cold, so I didn't stay long. Don't want to be the cause of anyone's untimely death. And good news - no one hassled me about my eating habits! I could squish aunt Dennece's yummy rolls without any funny looks! Love that all the attention was on the boys! But I managed to snag a few pics of, well, Albree and Katie and Shelli... Uncle Randy supposedly has a picture of me and Shelli "posing" when we were little. I guess our family comes by it naturally. I will post it when he sends it. So good to see everyone and Happy Holidays!