[Oh the Places We Go] Lindsey, Seattle

Lindsey is my Sister-in-Law. Before she was my Sister-in-Law, she was a Bridesmaid in my wedding. Before she was a Bridesmaid in my wedding, she was…Well that’s the funny part because I barely knew her when I asked her to be a bridesmaid in my wedding.. But she was dating my brother and I needed an extra bridesmaid who would not mind being “the extra bridesmaid.” Is this a horrible story? No. It only proves that I and my brother have great instincts.  (Though Lindsey may have questioned her own instincts when I handed her the now infamous pink and coral dress…) My only regret was that she wasn’t blogging back in ’03 (none of us were, sigh) because her thoughts on my wedding from that perspective – AMAZING.

Lindsey blogs hilarity about life with my old last name at Really Really Much.

                              “Maybe God will make the sunshine come out today…. or…

maybe he will make it rain ice cream!”

I wish I could have the same hopeful outlook toward the gloomy weather as my three year old daughter. I mean, if it’s going to rain every single day, then it should at least be raining ice cream. Makes perfect sense. But, since moving to Seattle eight months ago, I’ve quickly learned that life with two little ones doesn’t slow down just because it’s a rainy day. I’ve also grown to have a deep appreciation for coffee and my rainboots.

But don’t call me a Seattleite just yet. I may be wearing Patagonia and composting my trash (it’s a city requirement), but this place can drive me absolutely crazy. Here are just a few things that make me want to run for my life:

-Juneuary. I kid you not. This is a common term used to describe the chilly June weather. I might start crying right now.

-Sunbreaks. This term refers to the brief moments when the sun appears through the clouds. In our home, a sunbreak is usually followed by a mad scramble to get outside and ultimately dissapointment when I fail to wrangle a one and three year old in time.

-The Seattle Freeze. I came to a tough realization that I might be getting a little chilly myself when my mother-in-law recently visited and said hello to a neighbor as we strolled by on our way to the park. I cringed. He froze. Don’t say hello to strangers. It’s weird here.

But sometimes, just sometimes, I am caught off guard and think I might be able to stay here forever. Why?

-No mosquitoes. Sound silly? It’s a pretty serious advantage when almost no one has air conditioning and we don’t have screens on our windows.

-75 degrees and no humidity. The summers, though short, are amazingly gorgeous and the mountain views are breathtaking.

-Organic sprinkles. No, that’s not a real reason to love a city, but there is something contagious about healthy living when even the local ice cream place is making an effort to get onboard.

- Our neighborhood is awesome. I have an occasional Sesame Street moment when we stop by the bakery after a walk to the market to grab a few things for dinner, then swing by the schoolyard park before heading home.

-Hipster or Redneck? As a girl from Southwest Virginia, I particularly get a kick out of the hipster mullet and find myself trying to decide if a person is a hipster or a redneck on a daily basis. It’s almost always a hipster. This is Seattle, after all.

We are slowly, but surely, making new friends and learning the new rythyms of life in the Rainy City. I miss my friends and family on a daily basis, but appreciate when Mrs. Hughes (Downton Abbey, anyone?) so gently reminds me “If you’re feeling homesick, there’s no shame in it. It means you come from a happy home.” So I will continue to put on my rainboots and snazzy new raincoat (but no umbrella, so not cool) and drag my children around this soggy town and pray the rain turns to ice cream.