Friday, January 25, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Decisions, Decisions
Mike and I's lease is coming up soon so we are contemplating between two new apartments. Rollin Street Flats and AMLI 535.
Rollin Street is definitely our top choice as it is very modern and up to date with gas ranges, European style kitchens, hardwood floors and best of all, central A/C and heating! The con to that is the price. It's way more expensive than what we currently pay for our apartment. Regardless of the cost, Mike and I are in love with the units we saw and have our hearts pretty well set on moving there. The only thing that could change our minds is if the unit we are looking at at AMLI meets and exceeds our expectations. The one there is a 2bed/2bath model at 923 sq. ft. The Rollin Street Unit is also about the same square footage but with a den instead of a second bedroom. However, AMLI does not have the hardwood floors nor does it have A/C. However, the lay out is wonderful and the cost is significantly cheaper than what we pay currently.
So why such contemplation over a decision that should be clear as day? Well, because Mike and I are stubborn and again, have fallen in love with the pricer deal. We have appointments on Feb. 2, to look at the unit at AMLI (the UNION model) we are interested in. If we like the walkthrough, we may end up going that route. Time will tell!
Rollin Street is definitely our top choice as it is very modern and up to date with gas ranges, European style kitchens, hardwood floors and best of all, central A/C and heating! The con to that is the price. It's way more expensive than what we currently pay for our apartment. Regardless of the cost, Mike and I are in love with the units we saw and have our hearts pretty well set on moving there. The only thing that could change our minds is if the unit we are looking at at AMLI meets and exceeds our expectations. The one there is a 2bed/2bath model at 923 sq. ft. The Rollin Street Unit is also about the same square footage but with a den instead of a second bedroom. However, AMLI does not have the hardwood floors nor does it have A/C. However, the lay out is wonderful and the cost is significantly cheaper than what we pay currently.
So why such contemplation over a decision that should be clear as day? Well, because Mike and I are stubborn and again, have fallen in love with the pricer deal. We have appointments on Feb. 2, to look at the unit at AMLI (the UNION model) we are interested in. If we like the walkthrough, we may end up going that route. Time will tell!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Short n Sweet!
One of the only downsides to not having a job and keeping a blog is that there isn't all that much to report on an average day. Sometimes, I feel inspired and come up with a topic but others, like tonight, I just don't have the energy to even try. Which is sad because I really didn't do all that much!
When Mike and I got back from Florida, we agreed to set up a menu for meals for the week so that I don't have to plan everything completely on my own. I must say that I absolutely LOVE this plan because it allows us to both have a say in what is for dinner or lunch and the burden is not placed on one person (namely me because in the past, when I asked Mike what he wanted, the answer was usually, "I don't know"). So here we are at week three of keeping a menu and I can say with complete confidence that my culinary skills have been rocking lately! Not to mention that because we plan on Sundays, for the week, we have a lot more fresh options which limits the pre-packaged meals and makes for much healthier dinners.
Today was one of the warmer days. Warmed up to the mid 40s in fact. I know that most of my audience is probably from Florida and right now, must think I'm nuts but hear me out! Temperature here is so much different from temperature there. I will admit that 60 degrees in Florida feels way colder than 60 degrees here. Why? Because Florida has more clear days and Seattle has more cloudy days. I think the clouds create a barrier and therefore it stays rather comfortable even if the temperature is below 50. I'd be lying if I said I didn't go out in shorts out here when it is 50 degrees out. I wouldn't dare do that in Florida though! And yes, while Seattle is cloudy more and slightly drizzly, that's about the extent of the "rainy" weather. People allow themselves to believe what the TV says about a certain place and that's it. Nevermind the fact that the places in question have people living there that know what they are talking about when it comes to the climate. I can't tell you how many people in Florida still ask how the rain is and when I tell them we average less rain a year than Orlando does, they proceed to tell me how wrong I am. I challenge any one of you to come out here for a year and see it for yourselves!
Good Move!
I don't often allow myself to read the news because it either scares or depresses me. However, lately, and by lately I mean since moving to Seattle, I check it more regularly. I think it's partially because I'm not 100% familiar with the area and eventually, I would like to leave the city and I sort of rely on the news to tell me what areas seem safe, entertaining and affordable. Of course, living in downtown, I'd say a large portion of the state is plenty affordable seeing as we pay nearly $2500 a month to live here in the middle of everything.
Anyway, the point of this post is that out of all of the downtown areas we looked at, I'm SOOOOO glad we chose (and continue to choose) places other than Belltown. For awhile, we were seriously considering it because it was close to Mike's office, had a lot of apartments, lots of restaurants and tons of entertainment but after reading the news, it's one of the areas of downtown that has constant crime issues. Perhaps it's because it's filled with bars and clubs so the amount of drunk people wandering about is higher. I honestly don't know but I'm happy we aren't staying there. When we first moved, our temporary apartment was right in the center of Belltown. It felt relatively safe in the beginning because we seldom ventured out. When our things arrived to our actual apartment, we walked from the temporary place to our current place to unpack but because we had so much to do, we opted to stay at the temporary place until we were able to set up our apartment to at least be livable. So that meant walking to the current apartment in the morning which was completely fine but then walking back at night which was when I started to feel uncomfortable. We never had any problems but it was just a gut feeling I had.
You see, in downtown Seattle, there are a lot of homeless people. Most of them are harmless and leave you entirely alone but you have those few that are just relentless. Granted, we've seen our fair share in this part of downtown too that can be annoying but on average, we are just fine walking just about anywhere in the business district without being bothered too much. But in Belltown, you have the homeless, and then the drunks. Just this morning, I read about this. For no apparent reason, some guy was just shot. Yes, there wasn't a full story to report so in time, we may find that there was a motive behind the shooting but as of right now, it appears that it was for no reason. One could argue that there is crime just about everywhere. Yes, that is true. But I sure as hell don't want to be living in that area just steps away from it all. And while crimes do happen here too, the amount is so small that I feel safe if I walk to Target which is a couple blocks away at 9pm. Seattle as a whole is still one of the safer big cities but I think the crimes are beginning to add up and the reputation of being so safe is starting to get compromised.
Don't get me wrong though! I would still say that the downtown area is a fine place to live. I just recommend picking places other than Belltown!
Anyway, the point of this post is that out of all of the downtown areas we looked at, I'm SOOOOO glad we chose (and continue to choose) places other than Belltown. For awhile, we were seriously considering it because it was close to Mike's office, had a lot of apartments, lots of restaurants and tons of entertainment but after reading the news, it's one of the areas of downtown that has constant crime issues. Perhaps it's because it's filled with bars and clubs so the amount of drunk people wandering about is higher. I honestly don't know but I'm happy we aren't staying there. When we first moved, our temporary apartment was right in the center of Belltown. It felt relatively safe in the beginning because we seldom ventured out. When our things arrived to our actual apartment, we walked from the temporary place to our current place to unpack but because we had so much to do, we opted to stay at the temporary place until we were able to set up our apartment to at least be livable. So that meant walking to the current apartment in the morning which was completely fine but then walking back at night which was when I started to feel uncomfortable. We never had any problems but it was just a gut feeling I had.
You see, in downtown Seattle, there are a lot of homeless people. Most of them are harmless and leave you entirely alone but you have those few that are just relentless. Granted, we've seen our fair share in this part of downtown too that can be annoying but on average, we are just fine walking just about anywhere in the business district without being bothered too much. But in Belltown, you have the homeless, and then the drunks. Just this morning, I read about this. For no apparent reason, some guy was just shot. Yes, there wasn't a full story to report so in time, we may find that there was a motive behind the shooting but as of right now, it appears that it was for no reason. One could argue that there is crime just about everywhere. Yes, that is true. But I sure as hell don't want to be living in that area just steps away from it all. And while crimes do happen here too, the amount is so small that I feel safe if I walk to Target which is a couple blocks away at 9pm. Seattle as a whole is still one of the safer big cities but I think the crimes are beginning to add up and the reputation of being so safe is starting to get compromised.
Don't get me wrong though! I would still say that the downtown area is a fine place to live. I just recommend picking places other than Belltown!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Uneventful Day of Chores
T-minus 2 days (or technically 1 day) until we close on the house! Yay!
Since today was MLK Day, we couldn't get too much information regarding the current status for closing as far as times and details like that. As far as we know, everything is still set to take place on Wednesday so I am really glad for that. Cannot wait until we are finally rid of it. While I miss Florida, I'm so ready to no longer have a financial tie to the place.
Today was just a regular week day for me. Woke up, did some house chores, started on the laundry, cooked dinner and now I'm winding down for the night. I did give Mike a hair cut today. Cut it shorter since in April, he plans to shave his head completely bald. Like, shiny bald! Not sure how it'll look but I know he wants to see what it will look like and since his hair appears to grow quickly, I think it'll be back to relatively normal length by the end of the year. One can hope anyway! :)
Something I don't think I can ever get used to out here is the intense fog. Like right now, I can barely see the Great Wheel which is giant and right in front of the apartment building. It's THAT intense! According to the weather channel, we are experiencing something called "stagnant air" that will hopefully dissipate once rains return later in the week.
I guess that's all for my update. I'm thinking I may try to take photos daily and upload those to my blog, especially when nothing particularly interesting goes on. That way, you aren't reading a boring recap of my day.
So with that, some photos from today! And yes, I'm aware that Mike seldom takes normal pictures :)
Monday, January 21, 2013
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to Olympia We Went!
I really need to make it a point to type a little something up while it still is the day I am posting about. Definitely something I will work on!
Today was such a fun day. Started with waking up, getting ready and then driving the hour south to Tumwater to spend time with our near and dear friends, Jacob and Suzanne. It has been SO long since I had seen Suzanne.... about six months! It was great to see her and Jacob. They're like an extended part of our family and I wouldn't have it any other way! If money allows in the future, I want to move closer to them and Tumwater is such a beautiful city.
After we got to their house, we loaded up in Jacob's car and drove the quick ten minutes or so to Olympia to have lunch at King Solomon's Reef. I'd say the highlight of that little trip happened at a red light near the restaurant. A crazy lady was crossing the street and she flicked us off for no apparent reason. Had we not all had looks of shock on our faces, I bet one of us would have pulled out a camera to snap of photo of psycho bitch. Definitely a sign that you're in crazy, quirky Olympia!
Lunch was delicious. I had what I consider to be the best veggie omelette I've ever eaten. We will definitely visit it again the next time we are in Olympia (which isn't too often as it is an hour away and traffic within Seattle can be a little crazy).
After we got back to their house, the boys went and played around writing music and such while Suzanne baked some amazing Oatmeal cookies. The best thing about that part was our girl chat. I love our talks. She is one of the best listeners ever and offers great opinions and advice. We tend to bounce a lot of our emotions and opinions off on each other since we both kind of understand what the other feels as we moved across the country for our spouses, In the end, we both walk away feeling great about what we talked about. Couldn't ask for a better person to share feelings and emotions with.
Jacob cooked us an amazing dinner; portobello mushroom steaks and a pasta alfredo. Super delicious and a recipe I plan to replicate in the very near future. I love new things and it was probably one of the most flavorful mushroom dishes I've ever eaten-- and the fact that Mike enjoyed it too makes it worth keeping around.
After dinner, we played this board game called Alhambra. I actually heard about it on this show on YouTube called TableTop with Wil Wheaton. He has quite a few games on there that he records and puts up so people like us can see the gameplay and decide from that, whether or not we may be interested in a game. It's so entertaining to watch and actually makes me want to expand our game library.
The drive home was pretty quick as it was pretty late on a Sunday so traffic wasn't much of a concern. It got really foggy making visibility poor in some areas but we made it safe and sound. Now, I'm pretty well unwound and ready for a nice and peaceful slumber. Talk to you guys tomorrow!
Today was such a fun day. Started with waking up, getting ready and then driving the hour south to Tumwater to spend time with our near and dear friends, Jacob and Suzanne. It has been SO long since I had seen Suzanne.... about six months! It was great to see her and Jacob. They're like an extended part of our family and I wouldn't have it any other way! If money allows in the future, I want to move closer to them and Tumwater is such a beautiful city.
After we got to their house, we loaded up in Jacob's car and drove the quick ten minutes or so to Olympia to have lunch at King Solomon's Reef. I'd say the highlight of that little trip happened at a red light near the restaurant. A crazy lady was crossing the street and she flicked us off for no apparent reason. Had we not all had looks of shock on our faces, I bet one of us would have pulled out a camera to snap of photo of psycho bitch. Definitely a sign that you're in crazy, quirky Olympia!
Lunch was delicious. I had what I consider to be the best veggie omelette I've ever eaten. We will definitely visit it again the next time we are in Olympia (which isn't too often as it is an hour away and traffic within Seattle can be a little crazy).
After we got back to their house, the boys went and played around writing music and such while Suzanne baked some amazing Oatmeal cookies. The best thing about that part was our girl chat. I love our talks. She is one of the best listeners ever and offers great opinions and advice. We tend to bounce a lot of our emotions and opinions off on each other since we both kind of understand what the other feels as we moved across the country for our spouses, In the end, we both walk away feeling great about what we talked about. Couldn't ask for a better person to share feelings and emotions with.
Jacob cooked us an amazing dinner; portobello mushroom steaks and a pasta alfredo. Super delicious and a recipe I plan to replicate in the very near future. I love new things and it was probably one of the most flavorful mushroom dishes I've ever eaten-- and the fact that Mike enjoyed it too makes it worth keeping around.
After dinner, we played this board game called Alhambra. I actually heard about it on this show on YouTube called TableTop with Wil Wheaton. He has quite a few games on there that he records and puts up so people like us can see the gameplay and decide from that, whether or not we may be interested in a game. It's so entertaining to watch and actually makes me want to expand our game library.
The drive home was pretty quick as it was pretty late on a Sunday so traffic wasn't much of a concern. It got really foggy making visibility poor in some areas but we made it safe and sound. Now, I'm pretty well unwound and ready for a nice and peaceful slumber. Talk to you guys tomorrow!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Happy Holidays... oh.. whut?
I already have a feeling that I'm going to bad at this. Mike had to remind me to post a new entry. I almost passed as I am exhausted having only gotten a few hours of sleep last night.
Today was a nice day, minus having woken up to my obnoxious neighbor talking and singing at the top of his lungs. I can honestly say that I really dislike of this person. I often wonder if maybe the walls are thin and we might come off just as loud at times. I'm not sure. We rarely hear our other neighbor and I don't feel like we are super loud unless one of us gets excited, but we can hear this idiot pretty much whenever he is at home and awake. Oh well, we are only here for another full month before we begin moving into the new place (once we decide for certain where that is).
So anyways, where was I before I went off on that tangent. Oh! I was talking about today. We worked on a new Film Fight. This prompt was titled, "Open" and well, you will just have to wait and see what we decided to do. I must say, I am very excited for this one. I'm getting over my camera shyness and played a pretty fun character. I used to not be as involved with these film fights but I am slowly getting out of my shell and really enjoying the challenges they come up with. It's a good test of the imagination and the best of all is being able to do these with Mike. We don't really have that much common ground when it comes to hobbies.... so the fact that I'm opening up to more of his interests helps us spend more time together.
Soon after that, we loaded ourselves up in the Light Rail and headed off to the Clink (Century Link) Stadium and to the WaMu Theater for Amazon's annual holiday party (which they put off until mid January I think because so many people take vacation around the actual holidays). This company really knows how to put together a fun event! The theme was Around the World and it was very true to its name from the food and decor, all the way down to the entertainment. They also had karaoke, arcades, foosball, air hockey, billiards and a casino. Again, such an amazing party! Finally, the best part of the entire night was the band. They had Imagine Dragons performing! They did such a magnificent job! I can't wait to see them again the next time they come to Seattle. I thought it was awesome of them to perform a special concert just for Amazon employees and their guests. So a special thank you to Amazon's party planners for hosting such a fun event!
Now we are back home and winding down for the night. Tomorrow will be another day and hopefully another blog! But for now, I will leave you with some photos from tonight!
Today was a nice day, minus having woken up to my obnoxious neighbor talking and singing at the top of his lungs. I can honestly say that I really dislike of this person. I often wonder if maybe the walls are thin and we might come off just as loud at times. I'm not sure. We rarely hear our other neighbor and I don't feel like we are super loud unless one of us gets excited, but we can hear this idiot pretty much whenever he is at home and awake. Oh well, we are only here for another full month before we begin moving into the new place (once we decide for certain where that is).
So anyways, where was I before I went off on that tangent. Oh! I was talking about today. We worked on a new Film Fight. This prompt was titled, "Open" and well, you will just have to wait and see what we decided to do. I must say, I am very excited for this one. I'm getting over my camera shyness and played a pretty fun character. I used to not be as involved with these film fights but I am slowly getting out of my shell and really enjoying the challenges they come up with. It's a good test of the imagination and the best of all is being able to do these with Mike. We don't really have that much common ground when it comes to hobbies.... so the fact that I'm opening up to more of his interests helps us spend more time together.
Soon after that, we loaded ourselves up in the Light Rail and headed off to the Clink (Century Link) Stadium and to the WaMu Theater for Amazon's annual holiday party (which they put off until mid January I think because so many people take vacation around the actual holidays). This company really knows how to put together a fun event! The theme was Around the World and it was very true to its name from the food and decor, all the way down to the entertainment. They also had karaoke, arcades, foosball, air hockey, billiards and a casino. Again, such an amazing party! Finally, the best part of the entire night was the band. They had Imagine Dragons performing! They did such a magnificent job! I can't wait to see them again the next time they come to Seattle. I thought it was awesome of them to perform a special concert just for Amazon employees and their guests. So a special thank you to Amazon's party planners for hosting such a fun event!
Now we are back home and winding down for the night. Tomorrow will be another day and hopefully another blog! But for now, I will leave you with some photos from tonight!
Saturday, January 19, 2013
New Beginning...
Hello World! I'm not typically one for putting my life into words. In fact, I'm not very good at it. I always have the want to be good at it but simply put, I'm lazy. Really, I have no excuse for it as I no longer work and spend my days in the confines of my apartment with my three cats. I'm like the crazy cat lady only I am married and have somewhat of a social life. Or well, I used to.
Back in April of 2012, my life changed (not necessarily a bad thing, despite how this may come off). My husband, Mike, got a job with Amazon. This meant us relocating from my home state of Florida of 22 years, to Seattle, Washington. While this was a scary and sad time for me, it was also really good as well. It got us out of our comfort zone of being 20 minutes away from family. Why is this a good thing? I feel like it forced me to grow up a little more. Living in the same place for so long sheltered me I think. I've seen and learned so much about myself over the course of this year. Yes, I miss my family, my friends and even my old job at times, but I can honestly say that I am happy we moved.
Currently, we live in the heart of the business district of Seattle. In just a couple of months, we will be moving to a new area, still in the same general area, but (hopefully, still have a few other places we want to check out first) to a place I have truly fallen in love with and can actually see myself living there for awhile. I love the building we currently live in but I honestly cannot stand the location. While city life is fun at times, I'm definitely a suburban girl and prefer that style of living. However, I feel happy with the choice we made of moving closer to Mike's work and out of the extremely busy downtown area.
Seattle definitely isn't as gloomy as people think. Yes, it rains a lot but it isn't your typical rain. It's a type of rain that you can walk around in for hours and not get very wet. It is a lot colder... colder than this Florida girl is used to but once I learned the magic of layering, I've been able to put together some terrific outfits and even bust out the scarf and boots! I just need to learn how to wear beanies and I will be set! That, and relearn how to walk in ice rather than having my butt sliding down the side of the road.
Living here has definitely been a culture shock but it's also been an eye opener. Mike loves it here and I am trying my best to love it too. It really is a beautiful city and I'm lucky to be able to call it home.
Back in April of 2012, my life changed (not necessarily a bad thing, despite how this may come off). My husband, Mike, got a job with Amazon. This meant us relocating from my home state of Florida of 22 years, to Seattle, Washington. While this was a scary and sad time for me, it was also really good as well. It got us out of our comfort zone of being 20 minutes away from family. Why is this a good thing? I feel like it forced me to grow up a little more. Living in the same place for so long sheltered me I think. I've seen and learned so much about myself over the course of this year. Yes, I miss my family, my friends and even my old job at times, but I can honestly say that I am happy we moved.
Currently, we live in the heart of the business district of Seattle. In just a couple of months, we will be moving to a new area, still in the same general area, but (hopefully, still have a few other places we want to check out first) to a place I have truly fallen in love with and can actually see myself living there for awhile. I love the building we currently live in but I honestly cannot stand the location. While city life is fun at times, I'm definitely a suburban girl and prefer that style of living. However, I feel happy with the choice we made of moving closer to Mike's work and out of the extremely busy downtown area.
Seattle definitely isn't as gloomy as people think. Yes, it rains a lot but it isn't your typical rain. It's a type of rain that you can walk around in for hours and not get very wet. It is a lot colder... colder than this Florida girl is used to but once I learned the magic of layering, I've been able to put together some terrific outfits and even bust out the scarf and boots! I just need to learn how to wear beanies and I will be set! That, and relearn how to walk in ice rather than having my butt sliding down the side of the road.
Living here has definitely been a culture shock but it's also been an eye opener. Mike loves it here and I am trying my best to love it too. It really is a beautiful city and I'm lucky to be able to call it home.
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