Just some tidbits of what I love about Seattle. I plan on choosing these kinds of topics for a while to get back in the hang of writing.

10. Jun the Mailman- The Boy jokes that the mailman is my best friend in Seattle, but he may not be wrong! Our mailman is super friendly, sweet, and kept tabs on my pregnancy back when I was super front heavy.

9. Swedish Ballard- I got to have our baby in such a great hospital, where the midwives and doctors intermingle, they are consistently kind and interested, and they stuck with me through everything. They even had pretty stained glass papnels on the ceiling for my c-section. Plus, you never get separated from your baby, so even though BBG is a ginger, we don't have to worry about a Switched at Birth situation. I will always love that hospital, and I hope future spawn can debut there as well.

8.Politeness- People say that residents of Seattle are polite to your face but mostly don't want to be your friend or hang out with anyone(the Seattle Freeze). I'll take it. In Silicon Valley/ Stanford Campus, people treated you like a nuisance if they noticed you at all, so this still feels like the friendliest place on Earth, because I at least get to make small talk with people! It feels like an infinitely more pleasant world, and honestly, I don't blame people for just wanting to hang out with their previously established clique. I am mostly jealous!


7. Bite of Seattle-  Cheap greasy wonderfulness with a delicious showcase for Seattle food in the center. The Alley offers bites of all kinds of food. Delicious and it felt like a community event.



6. The Gum Wall- Somehow, this might be the most Seattle part of Seattle. Pretty and incredibly weird all at once, with a solid helping of gross served in. Proudly, almost off-puttingly odd. I am sure tourists do the majority of the chewing here, but I still find the whole thing adorable and icky all at once.



5. Green Lake- This lake is a quick downhill mile from our house, and we meet there at least twice a week. It is the center of our Seattle neighborhood, and it is always popping with families and puppies and a surprising number of guys on roller blades. They also have a big luminary walk in Decmber, which I hope becomes a family tradition, because it was so beautiful there.


4. Bouquets of Flowers Wrapped in Paper- They are always so pretty, and there is nothing better than seeing someone carrying one of these big bright packs of joy. The only thing better is when you see couples down at Pike's Place and the girl is just beaming while her significant other totes around some gorgeous foliage. Happy vacation, ladies, this is Seattle's gift to you.

3. CoCA- Th art gallery that is keeping me busy and has beeen all kinds of awesome at different points in Seattle's history. I love that it is giving mea  chance to know the city historically, even if I still can't always navigate the city geographically.

2. PEPS- A complex system of Parent Support Groups in Seattle for new parents (it was first founded to help high risk parents avoid violence or depression. They decided everyone needs that support, and boy were they right, because that consistent support is saving my life. I know we have lots of company in the PEPS fandom, because every parent we talk to recommends it to us. I seriously love my Tuesday nights, and it maks Sattle feel like the best place in the world to have babies.



1. Our Home- It kicked our asses. I mean, we blow dried a fridge multiple times, fixed a leaking roof, and built a lasting friendship with the plumber. But it really does feel like our home, and I think it looks better and better as we put a little labor in all the time. I can already name so many happy memories in the house- from my Mom's birthday breakfast, to cooking together, to running up the stairs on New Year's Eve to watch the fireworks from our house. It has been so hard, but that's what makes it good right? This is a home and a family w are working towards all the time, and when I look aroudn, eveen with projects all over the place,, I feel like we are succeeding at building a happy home.