Update

After a year away from the city, almost to the date, i moved to Seattle permanently, where i currently reside and work and live and play (and maybe love, but first, myself).
While i wish i had been able to write a blog about the move, why and when and how, the trip up in my little red car, the friends i met and lost and how much i have grown and changed since i have arrived on July 2nd, i just didn't have the time or mindset.
Everything moved so fast and honestly i don't feel like i have fully arrived yet anyway. Not truly.

Anyway, for a New Years Resolution, i am going to be putting more time aside for myself to be creative. Make more music, make more art, and hopefully take more pictures and start blogging again. I have recently start journaling and i find through the honesty and thoughtfulness evoked in me when i write, i am able to sort through a lot of whats going on in my head in a more logical grounded way.

Thank you for reading!

June 30-July 2nd

For my last two days in Seattle, i wanted to walk around the city just as i had done the first week i spent there. I took my time, seeing the area with a whole new light. I walked up to Capitol Hill. 

Twiggy, one of the associates of Molly Moon's dog, was all about getting her photo taken. I got to go in and meet her. She was so incredibly friendly and happy! she gave me lots of love and i needed it. I was starting to feel sad thinking about leaving the beautiful city. 

I went into Value Village for a rolling suitcase; after walking around the airports, lugging my bags all over the pace, and being sore for a week because of it, i decided it was worth buying something to make it easier. I ended up finding an almost brand new rolling suitcase that was carry on size. It worked out too because i had acquired a few things having been in Seattle for a month. 

This chair was hilarious

 After Value Village i stopped by Lather Daddy to say hi to Katie and Poe and let her know i'd be there the next day to do laundry. She was busy and her boss was there so it worked out that i would come back the next day. I went to lunch with Nick and then cleaned up the hotel room and did some light packing and loaded up the laundry bag for the next day.

 Tuesday i went to Lather Daddy and did my laundry and hungout with Kaite, and Sandy, a girl who had been a new customer there and had done her laundry the same time as me the week prior. We talked and laughed and i enjoyed the little time left i had with Katie. After that i went back to the hotel and packed. I wanted to leave something for Nick, a parting gift of sorts, so i copied the Radiohead poster i had brought with me for a homey touch by hand using the window as a light box.

Wednesday i was going to say bye the Katie, then stop by Nick's work, then take the Link to the airport. When i went by Lather Daddy, Katie surprised me by telling me she was taking a few hours off to drive me to the airport herself. I was an incredibly sweet gesture. We had some time to kill so we walked to the park and got Molly Moon's before picking up food. We had these two girls take a few pictures of us. After that we stopped by Nick's work and he and i said our goodbyes. We ate food, though i wasn't very hungry. It was the most bittersweet parting. I would have cried, a lot, but we were in public. Christian came outside and said goodbye as well, and then Katie drove me to the airport. We promised we would keep in touch and write letters to each other. 

Poe wants ice cream. Silly poe

i LOVE Poe's ears in this!

 The flight was alright. The kid next to me was reading Fight Club. I talked to him right before we landed. But i spent a lot of my time on the flight realizing just how much i was going to miss my time in Seattle. I thought about my life back at home. I had missed my family, my friends, my bed and my car, but i didn't miss it as much as i thought i did. I had let my sister know when i was coming home and she asked if she could pick me up in my car and i said i would rather her not but then i had to get on my flight. I thought "the one thing i would hate is if she showed up in my car" because i never gave her permission, and i would feel obligated to drive back or sit uncomfortably in the backseat, too out of it to want to drive. I just wanted to be able to relax and be happy to be with my sister and best friend again. And when i got off the plane, and waited for them to get there, they showed up, and there was my car. And all the feelings of disrespect and ill-communication, all the reactionary, uncomfortable feelings of never being listened to or taken seriously came flooding back to me, and there i sat outside of the san diego airport crying my eyes out. I was so mad and upset and let down and hurt. And i wanted to be anywhere but where i was. But i was also crying because being in Seattle, even leading up to leaving for Seattle, was something of an emotional roller coaster.

I realized how much Nick had really respected me, and loved me, and how Katie and i cared for each other and spent time together just being good to each other as friends, listening, not judging, not forcing anything on each other. I thought about how Nick wanted me to be happy as much as i wanted him to be happy. And all at once i missed it all more than anything.  Thinking about it now gets me all choked up. My time in Seattle was more than a vacation off of work or a relaxing time away from life. It was a glimpse at how beautiful people can be towards each other, how much love and respect we can give and take and how much a difference it can make in our lives. I was so happy in Seattle, i was so alive. I felt wonderful, like i could take on the world. And it stuck with me for a while when i got home. But a month and a half later, i'm already worn down. I already feel dried up. Food doesn't taste as good, colors aren't as bright.

Life isn't worth living if there aren't people really wonderful around to share it with; people that want your company as much you you want theirs, people who take time to listen and feel welcomed enough to open up and talk to you. Honest, loving, good natured people.

I'm not saying that my family and friends aren't wonderful people, or that i don't love them and care for them as much as i did those in Seattle, but being in love makes the word a brighter, bigger, more wonderful place to be. Nick and i aren't together because long distance was too tolling, but i still love him with so much of my heart, wish him the best, his happiness and success, undeniably miss him, and will forever be grateful for the love, compassion, care, honesty, understanding and consideration he showed me.

The San Diego Airport

I did not miss those palm trees

And that was my time in Seattle. I will forever look back on this trip as a wonderful time in my life. I hope you enjoyed following me in my journey. 

Who knows, i might have a bigger and greater adventure waiting for me just around the corner!

June 27th-29th

It was my last weekend in Seattle, so i wanted to do something fun with everyone. That Friday Katie had invited Nick and me out for karaoke; we got Pho before hand with Scott, Christian, and a friend of Christian's, who's name i can't remember, but she was French and spent a lot of time in Portugal. She was very nice and very funny and had really good English. I had been spending every second i could with Nick, but it was nice to get together and have so fun with Katie and her friends, who had become my friends at this point too!

This artist had a spot at this gallery and  i love his work so much. Every few weeks they would put up a different work by him. Something about the colors and patterns really captivated me. 

Pre-gaming my night out on the town

The ONE picture i took at Karaoke: a blurry Katie and the back side of Christian 

After pho we met at the Karaoke bar, which was in Capitol Hill, so it was full of interesting people. We drank some beers and put our names in for karaoke. Nick sang "wouldn't it be nice" by the Beach Boys, and that song by The Cars "Just what i Needed", Christian sang "All By Myself" by Celine Dion, i can't remember what Katie sang!!, Scott refused to sing, and i sang "House of the Rising Sun" and maybe something else but it was probably horrible. We had so much fun, singing and dancing and drinking and hanging out. I really miss all of them. They are wonderful people and really great company. Katie is such an amazing human being, so of course her friends are all really great too. I'm so incredibly grateful i was able to meet them. 

The window display for a paper and printing shop

The next day, Nick and i walked down to Pioneer Square. We got lunch at Tat's, a really great, really well known, sandwich shop. I could not make up my mind for the life of me. I got something with meat? and Nick got something chicken ranch. They were both really delicious.

My something with meats?

Nick's something bacon ranch chicken

He looks happy c:

 After our late lunch, we went to the Underground Tour. It's a tour of the history of Seattle and how it got to be what it is today. It was a really amazing tour and i definitely recommend anyone to go participate in it.

An old bathroom

looking up through skylights, standing on the old sidewalk, staring at the new sidewalk.

Ferns grow like weeds here

One of the skylights not in use

 After the tour*, we went to this giant two story toy shop across the street. They ad the biggest and best puzzle collection i had ever seen. I wanted to buy like 20 puzzles! (if you didn't know, i love puzzles. So much) We spent way to long in the toy shop, and i started feeling nauseous from the recycled air, so we went home. Along the way i looked into some store windows that had some really great little ceramic doodads and nicknacks.

LOVE the porcelain flower, and the design on the cups!

and then there was this hippo with kittens on it's back

We spent the rest of the night hanging out in the hotel, watching adventure time and just trying to get the most out of the rest of our time together. I was leaving July 2nd, that Wednesday, and i was going to miss him more than the world. 

So there was this heinous painting on the wall at the hotel so i decided to draw on it but without ruining it. so i put masking tape and drew over the masking tape. I drew a little sea otter and a polar bear as i had seen them in the painting, like looking for things in the clouds. 

Seeing as how it was my last Sunday in Seattle, Nick took me out to dinner. I had been cutting his hair with my giant sewing scissors in the bathroom, and he had his new glasses. He was looking real charming. We went to the same restaurant he had taken me out to when we first had dinner, Dragonfish Asian Cuisine. We got hot sake, which was half off that night, and some rolls. It was really good.

I mean, for never cutting someone's hair before, it wasn't That bad, right? haha but he's such a cutie his face distracts from it anyway.

And me, talking about something stupid. 

  

*The Seattle Underground Tour Website
http://www.undergroundtour.com/
and a little wikipedia knowledge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Underground

June 24-26th

So seeing as how i got to a point of posting a week behind what i was doing, and the last week i was in Seattle i was really busy and over come by feelings, i never got around to posting about the last two weeks of my time spent there. I've been working and staying busy now that i'm home and it's summer time still, so i didn't get around to blogging about it till now, a week before my summer is over, for fear of me never doing it. Sadly, it's too late, and i don't have as clear of a memory of what even did happen. These next few posts will be more pictures than anything, but i still feel i need to finish my blog. So here it goes.

I must have gone out late at night for some reason or other around June 24th because i have this wonderful picture of the most pink sunset, and some Molly Moon's. I miss Molly Moon's. I most likely hungout with Katie while doing laundry and then went to dinner with Nick or something.

        That week, Katie and i went to Snoqualmie Falls, located about 30 miles East of Seattle. It's know for being used in the show Twin Peaks, for the opening sequence as well as the outside of the hotel, known in the show, as The Great Northern. The real hotel is Salish Lodge, a very ritzy luxury hotel and spa, where the continental breakfast is $70 and aslo the most delicious breakfast you will ever eat. Katie drove, and we took Poe.

Poe waiting patiently in the backseat.

Heading out of Seattle and down the 90

It started drizzling

I felt just like Agent Cooper driving to the town of Tiwn Peaks in the first episode, talking to his tape recorder "I've never seen so many trees"

We stopped in this terrible cafe, the Twede's Cafe, located in the town of North Bend, that was known for being the Double R Diner in Twin Peaks, but it was so overly emphasized and run down that all the parts that would have been fun were just dirty. There was a cool wall next to the bathroom covered in photos and magazine clippings from when the show was being filmed in the town. 

Outside the Twede's Cafe

Back on the road towards Snoqualmie Falls

I love how many bridges this area of Washington has

We finally made it! The Salish Lodge and Spa sitting atop the waterfall

The Falls

The view North West of the falls

After walking down and around the trail that gives you that picturesque view of the falls, we decided to hike down the trail to look at the river. There's a power plant that converts part of the waterfall into energy. The trail was steep at times but made to be accessible by the general public. It was incredibly beautiful, and the park had put up informational signs about all the different plants and animals native in the area. Katie and i had a lot of fun pointing out all the plants we were learning about, making jokes about their names or figuring out how they got them. Poe was having fun with all the new smells.

There was a group of children doing the hike as well

There were a lot of trees growing out of old trees. I thought this one looked particularly sexual.

Everything was lush and green. There were ferns everywhere and it was slightly drizzling. It felt like a rainforest. 

This was the second part of the power plant, the first being in the cliffside next to the waterfall. *

Snoqualmie River

The river runs Northwest for miles and miles before emptying into Possession Sound, located just North East of Puget Sound, Between the cities of Everett and Marysville.

Katie was excited to see Korean written on the handrail. It said something along the lines of "*child's name* loves father" How cute c:

We hiked all the way down to the base of the falls

I had Katie take some pictures of me. 

Looking across the river 

I jumped the railing and walked towards the falls

i could feel the mist from the falls on my face, there was such an energy in the air, it was magical. 

It's hard to see, but there is a small cave located at the base of the waterfall, where there is a a small amount of whitewash. This is the exit for the water used in the power plant. 

Look up

So i saw deer across the river, a mom with her baby, and i got so excited i grabbed this girl with this huge expensive camera and like yelled "Look deer!" and she started back at me like "this girl is crazy" and then said "It's too far away for my camera" haha
Then i saw her taking pictures of them i was like "Yeah that's right. You know you wanted to"

i love that blue-green color of the water.

The trees are so dense

Back on the road, on our way to Seattle

Seriously, so many trees

After the falls, Katie drove me around the backside of Capitol Hill, we looked at houses, she told me about how she loves to just drive around. She said when she was young she used to go on car rides with her father. There was something so sweet and sentimental about it. It was really nice to be a part of that with her. She showed me some really beautiful roads covered in trees, pointed out houses she wanted to live in, took me to the general area where Kurt Cobain had lived, and then took me to Bruce Lee and his brother's resting place. It was a really great day. She took me home and i spent the rest of the night with Nick. 

* the Snoqualmie Falls Hydro Electric Plant:

A (11 minute long but really good) video of the restoration of the plant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsJFjMx7raA

and the website for the plant

https://pse.com/inyourcommunity/king/Pages/Snoqualmie-Falls.aspx