a city after my own heart.

i love Seattle.

i sat next to a girl from Iowa on the way to Seattle…more on the plane mishaps later…and as we began our descent for landing, she asked me what there was to do in Seattle. i got a HUGE smile on my face and proceeded to not shut up the rest of the flight-ha! although i’ve been gone for a year, i had a list a mile long spilling out my mouth in this poor farm girl’s direction. she and some of her college friends were here for a conference and sounded pretty adventurous so i gave them a kajillion ideas of things to do during their stay. it was so weird to say that “i’m not from here anymore” yet feel like everything about me identifies with this city.

i couldn’t stop smiling as i peered out the window over Lake Washington and the bridges all lit up in the night sky. i felt immediately oriented to all the geography and the memories came unabated. “i remember when Amy and I did this….” and “oh, it was so fun to sit in the middle of I-90 during Seafair watching the Blue Angels with the girls…” and “i can’t believe i used to drive all the way over here for business meetings…” and “remember that summer when you and your friends went camping EVERY WEEKEND…”

we touched down and i zipped right to the bathroom to freshen up. i couldn’t very well show up to my friend’s house looking travel weary. the rental car place was efficient although slightly rude but nothing could dampen my mood, so i took the elevator down to the “rental car” level and looked for my stall number. i’ve been so excited for what kind of rental car i would get. guess what i got?? a chevy HHR-HA…..definitely not the coolest car is town BUT the unexpected blessing is that it has so much more room than a normal sedan (which is what i rented). God is so good! i have plenty of room for boxes and small pieces of furniture that i will need to transport as i pack up my storage unit.

as soon as i passed rental car security, i hit the gas and headed straight towards the city! i literally screamed for joy and couldn’t stop smiling the whole way into town my friends were having a Homecoming Dance on the night i flew in. it’s a new tradition that started the year i left but the party happened literally a week before i moved. i couldn’t believe how perfect the timing of it all was for me to visit during this time. what a perfect way to kick off the weekend! i love to dance and most of my good friends would be there they all thought i was coming in around midnight….but i got bumped to an earlier flight and direct flight so i was thrilled to surprise them!

i parked in the back alley and snuck up to the front door, my heart beating in anticipation of the reunion waiting behind the front door. i opened it and there was a slight delay as everyone looked over and then we all started screaming! it was so so so so so much fun to hug all my girls and pinch ourselves because we couldn’t believe we were together again! the rest is history….we danced the night away!

sunday morning, a group of my friends met me at my favorite breakfast joint called Portage Bay. you cannot go wrong there. EVERYTHING on the menu is good and it’s all organic, free-range yumminess. we indulged and sipped coffee during the course of the meal out of mugs that say “eat like you give a damn”.

a sunday tradition i had while living here was to wander through the Ballard outdoor market in the morning, sometimes with friends, sometimes without, soaking in all the earthy goodness and meandering in and out of my favorite boutiques that line old Ballard Avenue. Robyn and i spent the morning doing so. it was divine. good conversation, fun memories for us both (she has recently moved to Portland and misses doing that on Sunday’s too!). then i spent the rest of the afternoon visiting some parks and the beach before meeting Megan for coffee at Zoka’s in Tangletown.

next came 5pm service at my old church. it was crazy to be standing there worshipping in the place that was the haven for such a significant portion of my growth into adulthood. sitting under Pastor Richard’s teaching was inspiring and i had  a full, thankful heart as i exited after service. what a blessing my time in Seattle was! i grew so much. i grew into an adult here. i am forever changed by the experience i had in Seattle.

shortly after service, Laura and i headed straight to Kristen’s house for a Valentine’s Celebration! we swirled wine in glasses while we at Chicken Parmesean and ate Molten Chocolate Cake-YUM. it was so fun to see Kristen again so soon after her visit to Denver a month ago, and the three of us had a great discussion on Global Health. I am EXCITED for some of the ways that people in various locations are engaging the 20-something’s in these global issues. i cannot shout from the rooftops loud enough how important this awareness and engagement is for our generation. it can literally change the world if we want it to!

we ended the night by going to see “valentine’s day” in the theatre downtown! what a perfect girls night and time spent with friends

today, laura and i are tackling the storage unit. i am shipping some of my stuff home and donating the rest. i had prayed that i could find people to use the things i didn’t want to take, and it turns out that most of it got snatched up by my friends! Kyara’s mom works down in Burien at a “soup kitchen” sort of a place but they provide needy families with items beyond food. So she is going to take much of it, including furniture, to give to her mom! i am so thankful that it will be a blessing to someone.

hope you weekend is going well and i’ll be back with more stories from the NW soon! pictures will come once i’m back home