Slow and Steady

Lately things have been steady, but this is for the first time in years. It's interesting because for so long this was all I wanted. A little home, to be married, and a work predictable job. Right now I have all those things and no, this isn't going to be the part where I say I was wrong all along and that this isn't actually what I want, because I am very content with all the steadiness and predictabilities that this season is bringing us. I'm so grateful for this time where Mike and I can slow down and look at each other and sit and dream. No we don't have any crazy plans for our first year of marriage. Just to work and save and pay off debt and sink into this new life.  I decided to put the grad school process on hold until next year because this needs to be our year to just slow the heck down. So here are some snippets of our slow lifestyle as of late. It has been lovely.

Weekends in the cottage have been dreamy. Candles, reading, music, pizza, movies, friends, baking, and sleeping in (if 8am is considered sleeping in...). 

It has almost been three months since our wedding day and I am so in love with this little turd. 

 The Northwest is starting to get coooooold. Like, "I need to go buy some mittens and a wear socks for the next 4 months" kind of cold. 

 Seattle has been Seattle. Beautiful, randomly sunny at times, a bit stormy, and grey on more grey. Mike and I went to a Sounders game a few weeks ago (the one where we won the championship! It was super fun). We also showed some friends around the city and took them to Kerry Park and Discovery. It was good stuff.

Fall has been ridiculous. It is this season that makes me not miss California at all. Even if people are at the beach right now while I am huddled inside with tea and warm socks. 

 We changed our clocks last week ( a sad day in my book ) At least it is lighter in the mornings on my way too work, but sadly not for long.

"These are the days that must happen to you" - Walt Whitman 

Life Lately

The past three weeks have been quite a whirlwind. Fall decided to show up here in the Northwest and it has been magical. I started my new job a few weeks back and I am adjusting to the 9-5, commuting, cubicle life. I am so grateful that I found a job but I have to remember what I really want. It is too easy to find a job with good pay and bearable work and forgot all that you have dreamt for your life. Good thing I walk past multiple books stores on my way to work and that I choose to sit (when I actually get a seat...) on the side of the bus that will give me a view of the UW library so I can keep on dreaming :). God has been showing me to wait. To stop. To just be in this season and don't immediately jump into the next thing. Oh the balance of dreaming and staying present...

Snippets of fall in Seattle

Oh and I chopped my hair off... I haven't had hair this short since I was 8 years old. As Coco Chanel says (and I TOTALLY agree) "A women who cuts her hair is about to change her life." and it has!

Spruced up the house last weekend and did a deep clean. It felt so good.

We finally built our desk! We had ordered the hair pin legs over a month ago, we were just too lazy to go to Home Depot and buy a piece of wood. This project was REALLY easy, so if you ever need to build anything, go with hair pin legs. I will admit they aren't the sturdiest, we are eventually going to add more support but for now this will do.

Weekends are for piles of waffles in the morning are they not?

A week ago we headed to Sodo to buy Mikey some new work boots, I made us take a little detour to Pioneer Square. I haven't been to this part of town in years, which is ridiculous because it is so amazing. But don't go here at night... alone.... ever...

We stopped in the London Plane for croissants and flowers. This place is everything I want in one spot. Mike commented that I love things that have multiple purposes and flavors. Like why have just apple pie when you could have apple, blackberry pie with a gruyere cheese crust? So the London Plane isn't just a place to get brunch, but also pastries and home goods and flowers. Not to mention the Little London Plane down the street for classes and parties. 

 I was very inspired to say the least. Perhaps I will open a pie shop/library/flower shop/coffee shop. Because just one would be too boring.

 We stopped in Drygoods design across the street and I was in love again. I don't know how to sew so perhaps I should take a class here. 

 I've been enjoying my commute to work. It is a little on the long side, but I love walking through downtown. I am glad my commute has built in cardio; I'm walking 3 miles a day people! It helps with the whole desk job thing. 

The Olympic Sculpture Park is 3 blocks away from my work, it is quite the inspiring place to eat my lunch. 

I will try and update more frequently once I am in more of a rhythm with my work schedule!

Snippets of my week

Explored the neighborhood where my new job is! Yes! A job! Yahoo!! 

Went out to celebrate at Mioposto  for some delicious wood fired pizza.

Took a refreshing walk/run at Carkeek Park

Took some sneaky pictures of this house. I love the white with black trim.

Went back to one of my favorite spots in Queen Anne. What's better than ordering a mexican mocha and perusing a book store?

A Note on the Present and the Future

On the Present:

 I found this apple tree on one of my evening strolls. The textures of the thing!

 We finally ordered a new rug for the living room. We currently have this giant tan rug (that matches the colors of the walls mind you) that our landlord insists we have to have to "preserve" the hardwood floors, aka cover them up so no one can ever look at them :(. We decided to save up for two 5x7 rugs to replace the giant rug that covers the whole room. So here is rug #1, at this rate rug #2 won't be around for another 3 months... cause you know, paying rent is more important than a rug... #firstworldproblems 

 Coffee in bed with David Sedaris

Coffee on the couch with Madeleine L'Engle 

On the Future:

The Central branch of the Seattle Public Library

 Over the past six months the course of my life has taken a huge turn. I decided I didn't want to use my degree in music and didn't even finish my music therapy degree. I did a lot of processing/praying/staring out the window/dreaming and my mind kept coming back to this one thing, libraries. I love everything that they stand for; intellectual freedom, open access to anyone despite race, gender,  and socioeconomic status, and their value of community. I wanted to be a part of a "helping" profession but I don't have the stamina or personality to be a counselor or special ed teacher (two other career options I was contemplating). The thing is I am sensitive, introverted, and have a bit of an anxiety problem. The summer I worked with kids with special needs I had nightmares every night about something terrible happening at camp. When I was interning for music therapy I found myself becoming numb to my clients feelings because as soon as I began to empathize I became too sensitive and overwhelmed. 

After realizing all this I started to feel like a failure. I thought I was a selfish person who didn't have the capacity to help others. God sort of nudged  me and said "Come on kid, you are who you are, lets not be ridiculous now." True story God. I am who I am, how silly of me to think you couldn't use me. So yes, I'm anxious, I worry a lot, and I am not cut out for the heroic helping professions like social work/counseling/special ed. I think I am meant to help in a more quiet way. Thus the dream of becoming a librarian was born. First things first, graduate school. I am applying to University of Washington and the Pratt Institute in NYC where they have a dual degree program in library science and art history (can we say dream?) Mike and I have talked about the whole New York thing because we love Seattle and we have lots of family and friends around us, but he always reassures me that if its my dream then we have to go. Thankfully, his electrician's apprenticeship can be done anywhere in the U.S. so it won't get in the way of his school. But who knows what is coming next anyway. There are days when I am like "Yes New York!" and others day where I say "Seattle, I love you, I will never leave you or forsake you." Plus I have to get into grad school first... :). 

Isn't this place amazing? 

Come to this place in four years and find me working here. I'll help you find a book or something. 

Settling

 It is almost mid-September and we are still getting settled into our cozy little house in Seattle. Sometimes I am still in awe of the reality of my life. Despite being unemployed and having a horrible time finding a job, life is sort of ridiculously idyllic. I live in a cottage in an adorable neighborhood with a handsome ginger (who somehow agreed to marry me) in the city of my dreams. Yes, life is good. God is good. Since I have more time on my hands than usual, I have been able to nest and give our house lots of attention. First things first was get rid of as much as possible. When my roommate moved out and all my things/Mike things got shuffled around I realized how much we both owned that we hadn't even looked at in over a year. That being said I took over 5 large trash bags to Value Village and it felt SO GOOD. No clutter is vital for this tiny little house and probably for my well being too.  I tried to register us for a lot of neutral colored things (whites and greys mostly). I did this because I believe the gifts we received we will have for years and I wanted them to be as timeless as possible. Everything seems to be working together quite nicely.

Evening stroll on the Tour de Little Free Library

Had our first date night in Seattle as a married couple

Rode our bikes to the Fremont Sunday Market on one of the last sunny days. 

Sweet Summer Time

After fourth of July summer came into full swing, as it usually does in the PNW. We have had weather in the 90's for the past couple of days (that is hot hot HOT for here) and its planning on staying in the high 80's for the rest of the week, ah! So far summer has been full of nannying way too much, wedding planning, making pie for friends, watering the garden, patiently waiting for the blackberries to bloom, avoiding the spiders who have taken over our yard, evening bike rides, and jumps in the lake. I am already making a good dent in my book list (almost done with To Kill a Mockingbird, but I am savoring every bit of it).
This summer is a unique one, considering I am getting married in a month. I am working really hard to stay present and to be honest, I haven't been succeeding lately. It is so easy for me to get caught up in the future, in fact it is almost habit. What lies ahead when we come home after our honeymoon is unknown to me and I am trying to be okay with that. Mike is great about keeping me focused on our present joys and I am so thankful for him. So I will soak in this moment and enjoy eating my cherries, listening to this tiny desk concert, and writing this blog post. Here are just a few things from summer that I am grateful for:

Peaceful walks with inspiring friends who keep me dreaming

Early morning serenades from the beautiful composer that I will soon get to call my husband

Sunset sails at Golden Gardens

Pretty things in the places I nanny

Flowers and gardens from the neighborhood

Finishing good books and sneaky pictures of the neighbor's house

Pretty views from the places I nanny

Blessed thrift store find and lazy afternoons in the hammock

More reading in the park

A peony from our garden. They all went away by mid-June, but now we have Dahlias and Hydrangeas blooming like crazy.