April 12, 2012: And Out of the Darkness, Comes a Great Light

Do you see that?  That's the beach a few blocks from our house.  That's what it looks like on a clear day.  Go ahead, click on it.  Make it bigger, enjoy the view.  It's amazing.

Yep, the beach again.  But that white stuff in the distance is the Olympic Mountains.  My beloved Olympics.  In just a few short weeks all tire restrictions will be lifted in the Olympics and we can travel at will to Hurricane Ridge and the other sights the Olympics hold.  We can already tell that the mountains aren't quite as snow-covered as they've been.  Truly, it's a sight to behold.

I keep thinking that maybe we should look at some of the other neighborhoods in Seattle and consider living there.  For instance, Ballard, which is close to Lake Washington and houses the Locks where the boats come in from fishing in the Big Water.  Also, Ballard is home to the Scandinavians.  I do love Ballard.  And then there's Magnolia and Queen Anne, both with amazing views, amazing homes, and also close to the water, but on the east side of the Sound, the downtown side.  Fremont has the water of the Lake and also its own brand of funkiness that feels homey to me.  There are also about 5 or 6 other neighborhoods with equally fantastic attributes and surroundings.  But...I love the west side of West Seattle - I love that I am so close to the beach I smell the sea just about every morning.  I also love that there is very little obstructing my view of the Olympics.  Some mornings, when it's crystal clear, they are close enough to touch.

Seriously.  Look at that!

I seem to be hitting the beach lately when the tide is rolling in or rolling out - not sure which - and I get the loud waves.  It's been really gorgeous.  Check them out.

And of course, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that Lorelei has overcome her rather recent fear of barnacles enough to check out the tide pools at the beach.  I have no idea about the barnacle thing.  I didn't even know what they were until she was suddenly afraid of them.  But look!  She's obviously over it.

I guess that's probably enough about the whole "Seattle is so beautiful" thing.  You get the point.  But wow.  When Spring arrives in Seattle it arrives with bells, whistles and a parade.

In other news, things are going well.  I'm busy at work.  So busy, in fact, that I'm headed to Palm Springs for a seminar or something in May.  Looking at a map, Palm Springs is in southern California, in the mountains on the edge of the desert.  I'll let you know how it goes.  I'm interested to see what this new place is like.  Otherwise, work is good.  It's challenging, busy, crazy and never a dull moment.  I'm happy to work with some really amazing people and I've begun to embrace Washington law and feel a part of it.  It's good.

Shawn continues to catch the eye of his coworkers at Allrecipes.com - they are really accommodating about permitting him to shadow the web developers as he wants while he's in school.  They are excited about having someone on board who is studying web development.  They see bright things for him, and really, that's what it's all about.  He landed a pretty good gig there.

Lorelei is doing well at school, though she still exists a bit apart from her classmates.  No real friends, at least in her class.  I fear this move has been hardest on her.  She has more fun in her extra-curriculars with kids in different classes than among her actual classmates.  Sometimes I think she would have been like this in C-bus, too.  She approaches this world from a different perspective than a lot of kids her age.  All in all, though, she seems to be having fun, and that's all that counts.

We are all feeling more a part of things here.  It helps that the weather has turned, and the light!  Well, and of course, Steve having layovers here has been nothing short of amazing.  It's lovely having family on a regular basis here - more than I could have hoped for.

It's 8:49p as I write this and still not quite pitch dark yet.  It will be in another 5 minutes, but wow.  This is the payoff for the darkness in the winter.  Also, Lorelei and I booked our tickets to come back to Ohio for a week in July.  Very exciting times indeed!

Until next time - happy spring!

March 22, 2012: Arrivals, Departures and Delays

We had our first visitor in the Pacific Northwest!  Leigh Ann came for an extended weekend on my birthday weekend.  It was a fabulous, whirlwind of a time!  The day she landed, Seattle weather showed off for her and gave her great views of the mountains, the beaches and everything in between.  Above is Lincoln Park, walking distance from our house and a favorite running spot of mine.  The big boat off in the distance is Fauntleroy Ferry, which takes you to Vashon Island and some other islands that I don't know the name of yet.  We will work on that as we explore when the weather breaks.

The day after Leigh arrived, the rains came.  Of course they did.  It's March in Seattle.  It didn't stop us though, we spent time at Pike Market and downtown, even caught the Buckeyes in their first game of the Tournament.  It was a great time even though it was wet.

Above is the very first Starbucks.  It's at Pike Market.  The line for coffee there is usually ridiculously long.  I mean, seriously.  The coffee isn't going to taste different there.  Although, how would I know when I can't ever get in there....

It was a fabulous weekend and one of the best birthdays I can remember.  On Saturday we toured Capital Hill and Queen Anne neighborhoods.  Cap Hill is very trendy, hip, artsy.  Tremendous people watching.  At one point, Leigh Ann commented, "I didn't know there was a circus in town."  Oh yes, that's what it's like in Cap Hill.  Always circus people hanging about.  For those following along, Cap Hill is one of my favorite places and where the Jimi Hendrix statue is.

Of course we painted the town red.

As we were having our fun, though, the Castaneda family had just a few things going on.  Amy was due March 7, so her mom, Diane, arrived on March 4, in order to be here for the baby.  Diane brought her dog Charles.  She had this ancient pomeranian declared a therapy dog so she wouldn't have to pay extra to have him on the plane with her.  I just love Diane.  She and Lorelei are BFFs.  This is Charles with Lorelei:

Amy did not have her baby on March 7.  Or March 8.  Or March 9, 10, or 11.  As the fates would have it, this was a good thing.  It enabled Ed to travel home for his father's funeral on March 10.  My condolences, Eddie.  Our love to you.

As a matter of fact, Amy didn't have that baby until March 15.  Maya Rose Castaneda came into the world at nearly 8 lbs and over 20 inches long.  She's gorgeous.

 This picture is already outdated.  As I write this she's a week old, going on 14.

I fear Shawn has baby fever.

The most important thing, however, is that Amy, Ed and Maya are all doing fantastic.  Maya is growing and changing as babies will, and she remains beautiful.  Amy doesn't even look like she had a baby, which of course means all of us who looked like we had a baby and might still be pregnant into our kids' first year, well, we are quite envious. Ed, for all his tough talk about how he will raise this daughter of his, is already a pile of goo and wrapped around her little newborn finger.  Maya has been in the world a week and already conquered it.

With all these goings on, we continue to acclimate and become adjusted to our new hometown.  This week it seems that the Olympics are out more than they are not, even if it's not perfectly clear.  This makes us all believe that the weather will break eventually.  It's been an unseasonably cold winter and spring for Seattle, to counteract the unseasonably warm winter and spring in Ohio!  I wouldn't say it's terribly cold, but I'm ready for some sun.  This week it appears the sun is on its way.

To pass the time we've been trying to develop good habits.  Like Lorelei, here, teaching her polar bear how to floss.  There is an accompanying video, but I'll save that for later.

Otherwise, all is well.  We've had some wonderful visits with Steve as he lays over in Seattle.  That has been a welcome part of family that I've desperately needed.  It also helps to have him laying over here so that I can convince him that he needs to move here.  I'm continuing to work on that.  Shawn and Lorelei are both doing well.  Lorelei has started to turn a corner in her school and bond with more students, and Shawn is beginning to really like his job.

As for me, Shawn finally got tired of my sad face over not having cable.  He lined it up just in time for March Madness.  Very, very cool.  Go Buckeyes!

We miss all of you in Ohio and hope you come visit soon.  Until then, love to all!

This entry is for Carlos and Maya Castaneda.  Godspeed, Carlos, and welcome, Maya!

February 18, 2012: Blogs, Dogs and Jobs

This is Gretel after training class.  It absolutely wipes her out.

This is me after training class.  It absolutely stresses me out.

Gretel is making progress, though.  She completed her first round of classes and we are now in the second phase.  This is where she learns a bunch of "tricks", like shake, sleep, and fetch a beer.  It's building on obedience training and a good filler class before she takes the advanced class.  Dog training is not the hobby that I would have chosen for myself, but Gretel is a city dog now, and she needs to learn how to live in the city; i.e., being on a leash, etc.  She's making some progress, but we still have a long way to go.  Because Gretel can be...unruly...at times, we have good sessions and bad sessions.  Today's session, being the first of a new set of classes with all new classmates, was rough.  Whew.  I'd also like to thank the 3 dogs and squirrel that taunted us on the walk home from class as well.  Ugh.

On another note, I know I've been remiss the last 3 weeks about updating the blog.  Frankly, I didn't really have much to report.  We've been sort of heads down, going to work/school, and generally just getting by.  The weather has been ugly and our respective jobs/school have been keeping us crazy busy.  My job continues to get busier.  I have an intense trial schedule for the next three months.  It's great work and I love getting back into the nuts and bolts of litigation, but wow.  I forgot how exhausting it is.

Shawn is doing great in school, but he's getting busier.  He started working at allrecipes.com a few weeks ago, part time while he's in school, and they've already upped his hours to full time.  It's great from an experience and paycheck standpoint, but it makes his life that much busier while he juggles school.  By the way, for anyone contemplating a move to Seattle, allrecipes.com has 40-50 positions open.  Talk about a company with exponential growth.....

Lorelei is busy too - she's doing more and more complex math concepts in school and she's also busy with learning how to sew, drawing self-portraits, and making some pretty serious contraptions out of empty cracker boxes.

Speaking of jobs, Steve's job has brought him to the Emerald City two weeks in a row, so we were fortunate to be able to share several meals with Steve and his copilot (First Officer?), Alan.  It's wonderful to have this time with Steve.  After being so homesick for so long, to see one of my family here just as if it happens all the time was just what I needed.  Alan, as it turns out, was born and raised in Seattle, so he's showing us all the ropes a bit.  Alan is pretty cool - he decided the last time we had dinner that he needed a blast from his past:

Ha!  I think this might be Seattle's equivalent of Milwaukee's Best.  We are a classy bunch.

This is part of the UPS garden referenced above.  It's in an urban neighborhood downtown called Pioneer Square.  I love Pioneer Square.  It's kind of like....maybe German Village or the Brewery District:  a formerly sketchy neighborhood that the City has put some money into.  Probably still not a good idea to walk around alone late at night, but lots of good shops, restaurants, and neat little corners to check out.  This is one of them.  There is also a firefighter monument, a kilt shop (Utilikilts), and killer sandwiches at Collins Pub.  Oh, and a brewery or two.

In addition to Steve (and Alan) breezing into town once in awhile, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of two people.  First, Leigh Ann is coming to visit for a long weekend in March.  Just 3 weeks away!  It's terribly exciting - I can't wait to have a friend to show around!  We also are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Unicornia Castaneda!  Also, just 3 weeks away.  Getting close!  Ed and Amy have discovered the lovely crib assembly, stroller operation, and pack 'n play mysteries.  Very fun.  We cannot wait to meet the newest arrival to the Castaneda family!

And very close to Pioneer Square are the stadiums.  A while back I promised a picture of Century Link Field where the Seahawks play.  This is the best I can do from my car - it's only a partial, but you get the idea.

I can't wait to post pictures from the inside of the stadiums!  I love living in a pro sports town!

We've had some yucky weather.  Just very wet, gloomy, dark days.  Interestingly, just about the time you are ready to jump off the Fremont Bridge because the weather is killing you, we have a marvelously sunny and clear day that gives the Sound it's perfect blue color and mountains in every direction.  It certainly makes it all worth it and reminds us why we embarked on this adventure in the first place.  On such a day, I snapped this picture on my way home from work:

Sure, it's not going to win any awards, but it was snapped from my car with my phone.  Gotta love it.

Speaking of the weather, it was cold, windy and rainy this morning.  Just biting cold.  It's now late afternoon and the clouds have disappeared, revealing a fabulous blue sky and yes, my beloved Olympics.  I think it's time we get out and enjoy it.

Love to all, and Go Bucks!

January 29, 2012: Winter Blues and Funk

Of course by now you've all heard about the snowstorm hitting the pacific northwest right after MLK day.  Despite my skepticism regarding Seattlites and their issues with snow, this storm was one for the record books.  Seattle ended up with about 6 inches of snow, followed by an inch or two of ice, and south of Seattle they measured the snowfall in feet.  Olympia, which is about 45 minutes south, had something like 2 feet of snow.  It was truly an unusual event for this area.

The hills in Seattle are incredibly steep - think San Francisco.  The city is full of them.  I have about a 6 mile commute to work and I can think of three major hills I have to traverse, and I avoid the seriously steep hills for fear I'll get stopped in my standard shift car and roll into the car behind me.  These hills are somewhat treacherous in the rain, so adding a little snow to them creates nothing short of madness.  As if that weren't enough to contend with, the city is really not cut out for dealing with this weather.  They do not treat the roads with very much in the way of salt or the chemicals used in the Midwest for fear that it will kill the salmon population.  Seattle also does not have a lot of snow plows to help clear the roads.  This is why, on the second day of the storm, I had a pretty good commute in until I hit downtown - nothing had been done downtown.  The city allocated its resources to the bridges and freeways.  It was...an experience.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the snowstorm was the cliche-like run on milk and bread.  We live pretty urban here - we are walking distance from several grocery stores, not to mention the little markets that are sprinkled in here and there.  In some ways, you can't really blame the masses for overreacting - the local newscasters described the storm as certain death for anyone who went outside.  It's far worse than the White Death newscasters in Columbus.

We decided to walk around in the snow, since there was virtually no traffic and not a lot to do (though of course, I was working remotely).  I love how green the plants still are in the winter.  When the snow melted, just a couple of days later, it was so pretty to see the green grass underneath the snow.  I can definitely appreciate how green it is here year-round.

They close the side roads during the bad storms because of the hills.  In West Seattle, where we live, it's hills all around.  You cannot go anywhere without heading up or down a very steep road, so these signs are everywhere.  The hills provided a lot of fun though; Lorelei went sledding with some kids from her school, and we saw lots of people skiing down the hills and getting around that way.

Of course, the beach is still fabulous, even with snow.

It's winter, so no matter where you are, if you are in colder weather, it's cabin fever time.  All of us here in Seattle are getting a little stir-crazy.  The snow has melted and the weather is a little warmer now, more normal for Seattle, but the rain is back and it's still just plain dark.  8 hours of light a day is not enough.  Gretel and my walks are consistently in the dark and the rain, morning and night.  It's depressing.  So yesterday, Ed, Amy, Lorelei and I took a day trip to Portland, OR, where it was 50 and sunny (sadly, Shawn could not join us because he had to study).  Despite the torrential snow they received in Portland from the storm, and flooding that followed after, the city looked great.

The city itself is gorgeous.  The Columbia River flows right through the city so there are lots of bridges and of course, natural beauty.  You may have heard that Portland is a very environmentally conscious city.  The picture below is of windmills on top of a skyscraper.

I think Amy put it best when she said, "Portland makes Seattle look like a bunch of uptight republicans."  However, like Seattle, Portland has all this cool, funky art out and about, and there is a real culture and beat to the city that you can't ignore.  It's a fun city.  There is a booming microbrew industry there as well.  You can't walk 3 feet without passing a microbrewery.  The beers were amazing, too.  I'd like to spend more time checking out the rest of the city.

There is this really cool bike sculpture outside of one of the stores in the Pearl District, which is where we spent the day.  Lorelei thought it was awesome.

I think we all liked the bikes a bit.

That's my self-portrait from Portland.

Of course, no visit to Portland is complete without two things:  a trip to Powell's books, which is the size of a city block (not including the technical annex which is on a separate block) and VooDoo Donuts.  Wow.  Donuts, beer and books.  Heaven.

Otherwise, we are hanging in there.  Shawn and Lorelei continue to do well in school and I'm busy at work as ever.  Shawn started working at allrecipes.com, and it seems to be going well so far.  It's a good start as he continues studying web development.  I have Gretel in training classes and despite how crazed she is on the leash (the reason for the training), the trainer loves her and sees real potential for her.  We'll see.  I know she needs this kind of stimulation and I need to be trained on how to care for a big dog that needs exercise.  I guess we are both in training.

In the meantime, we are keeping our eyes toward Spring and the weather clearing (hopefully) a bit so we can get out and about, exploring the mountains.  And of course, we await the much-anticipated arrival of Unicornia Rosabelle Castaneda!!  Amy is 35 weeks and counting.  It won't be long now!

Our best wishes to all back in the Midwest, and Go Bucks!

January 14, 2012: Time & Change

Happy New Year!  Many good wishes to all for this fabulous 2012!

The new year in Washington so far is nice.  You see in the picture above the welcoming mural on the side of a building in Leavenworth, WA.  Leavenworth is a Bavarian-style town nestled in the Cascades.  It's really kitschy, lots of touristy shops and German food.  We decided to go to Leavenworth last weekend, just for a day trip, something to get out of town and explore a little bit.  The nicest part was Shawn's mom, Brenda, arrived in Seattle Saturday morning, so we picked her up and took off for the mountains.

Leavenworth was really cute.  For the German in us, it was fantastic.  They still had their Christmas decorations up and it was truly adorable.

It's truly nestled right there in the mountains.  It had an amazing view on all sides and it's settled right in the middle of ski country.  I liked Leavenworth.  It was really neat, and I'll be happy to go back in the Spring and probably the fall for Oktoberfest - it's got to be just crazy fun during Oktoberfest.

The best part, though, was the drive to Leavenworth from Seattle.  You go through the mountains and through Stevens Pass, which is the easiest way to get there, being one of the lower altitude passes.  We had to watch the weather reports for several days to make sure we could get through the Pass.  Leavenworth is only about 2 hours away, but the weather in the Pass can make it difficult.  Down here in the lowlands we don't see snow very much, but just a couple of thousand feet makes a big difference.  The Washington Department of Transportation is pretty good with up to the minute weather and you can access their webcams for current conditions in the Passes.  They are also conservative about closing the Passes or requiring chains/cables for your tires.  So if the Pass is open without restrictions, we are good to go.

I go into this detail because I am a midwestern girl and really had no idea about all this.  But this is what it looks like in the beginning of the mountains:

No snow, right?  Here's what it looked like 3000 feet later, or about 20 minutes:

And this:

And this:

I love the mountains.  I mean, I really love the mountains.  I expected to reignite my love affair with the ocean by moving here, but surprisingly, I am drawn more to mountains.  I loved that drive to Leavenworth.  I also have itchy feet because I really want to learn to ski.  I think Lorelei would be awesome on skis, too.  Her legs are getting so long, and her coordination seems pretty decent.  I think our goals for next winter include buying an all-wheel drive car and learning to ski.

Other than Leavenworth, Shawn, Lorelei and Brenda had a great week.  They visited the Locks and the Nordic Museum, shopped downtown and went to Pike Market, and also did lots of local exploring.  Lorelei loved having her Grandma Shrader around, as did we all.

Speaking of snow, it's in the forecast for this week here in the lowlands.  If you think that people freak out in C-bus over a few inches of snow, you haven't seen anything.  The excitement and frenzy over the possibility of  a small amount of snow is akin to that of the Beatles landing at JFK.  It's like I'm living in town full of Jym Ganahls.  A town full of Jym Ganahls who can't drive when it's perfectly dry and sunny outside...and will surely lose their minds if they get behind the wheel in an inch of snow.  To be fair, the hills here are terrifying on the best of days.  I don't look forward to navigating them in snow.  On the other hand, I'm not sure this forecast merits a run on milk and bread.  Oh, and I'd just like to remind the Seattleites in my neighborhood:  you are walking distance from 4 grocery stores.  No need to rush out to stock up.  You live in the city.  You can walk in one inch of snow.

New Year's was nice.  Ed and Amy came over and helped us ring it in, and that was perfect.

This is Amy and the baby sharing a NYE toast.   Lorelei has named the baby Unicornia Rosabelle.  Is there a better name out there?  I dare someone to come up with one.

This is Ed with his three drinks.  We had fun.  We are now looking forward to the great arrival of Unicornia!  Amy is due March 7.  I will say this:  I might have a little baby fever.  I'm very much looking forward to holding a baby again!

For our biggest news, Shawn got a job at allrecipes.com in the customer service retention department!  He starts next week.  It's part-time, but will work well around his school schedule and it might also allow him to be around the web developers a bit.  It's a good opportunity and will certainly help us as we carry two households financially.  More importantly, this is Shawn's first step in the industry he'll work in.  The opportunities out here are so much better than in Ohio; it's one of the reasons we wanted to relocate.

Lorelei continues to do well in school.  She's learning to tell time from a clock (not a digital readout like most alarm clocks) and how to count money.  She's reading more and more all the time, also.  Gretel started school today also; she and I enrolled in training.  We'll see how it goes, but I think Gretel will be happier being in school pretty regularly.

As for me, well, I remain homesick for my friends and family and am looking forward to trying to get back to Ohio in a couple months or so.  I love it here - and I don't regret moving.  I just wish I could transplant all of my people to this part of the world.  Work has been ramping up and getting quite busy lately, but it's good work and I enjoy it.  Even when it exhausts me....

I think the most important thing to remember is to take time to smell the roses.  Or in Seattle in the winter, smell the coffee and sit by a giant stuffed bear.  (That picture was actually taken in Leavenworth, but you get the idea.)

We continue our new experiences and becoming acclimated to this new and amazing place.  Much love to all, and please come visit - let me know if you want to and I'll watch flight prices for you!

Beck

12/27/11: Holiday Frolics and Hangovers

Happy Holidays from the Pacific Northwest!  Hope you and yours had a good one.  I can tell you that for us, all was quiet on the western front.  We stuck close to our new home and had some home-cooking, and generally relaxed.  Well...as much as you can relax with a crazed 6-year-old whose eyes glazed over every time a new package arrived with her name on it.  Oooh the Christmas anticipation was at full speed by Christmas Eve.


Christmas Eve was a glorious Seattle day.  The sun and my beloved Olympics were out, and I went for a run along the water in shorts.  As a matter of fact, we spent most of the day outside, running errands (walking to the stores) and walking to a neighborhood open house in the evening.  The open house was hosted by the head of the PTA at Lorelei's school.  She's a true free spirit, which of course, makes her parties the best.  I've been to two, now, and each time, something interesting happens.  At this party, we walked into a conversation about the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance.  Just when I thought it could get ugly, someone handed me a glass of champagne.  God bless whoever that was.  Then another person arrived in full dress.  I mean, in full vampire-goth-weirdo-Halloween-floor-length-gown dress.  I feel terrible that I don't have pictures to share because it was a sight to behold.  To be perfectly fair, these people were wonderful and we had a great time.  The kids all played in the basement which was decorated, and the parents listened to great music and enjoyed a Mexican-themed fare - complete for 3 different types of homemade tamales (Ed - you were missed).  

When we got home, Lorelei was permitted to open one gift, and she chose the above gifts - from Great-grandma Bear.  She wears the doggy hat all the time!


And then the storm came.

Lorelei was crazy with presents.  She had a great time, but wow.  She got a lot of stuff.  Whew.  It wore me out.  By around 5pm Christmas Day, Lorelei had what can only be described as a Christmas hangover.  Those of you who spent the holidays around little kids will know what I'm talking about.  Only the aspirin isn't for Lorelei, it's for me.  Ugh.


It's hard to say what her favorite gift was.  She has played with all of her gifts.  It was really nice that everyone sent her gifts - she loved getting the mail and having the presents...it was just really nice.  She was sad to not be with family, she told us that.  This was a nice consolation.


Shawn and I did well too.  I got the hat I always wanted and the cookbook that I didn't even know existed (nice work, Santa!).

That hat is for the rain.  As luck would have it, it's been raining here, so I've had an opportunity to wear it.  This hat is perfect.


Probably the best part of the weekend came on the day after Christmas.  We walked down to Lincoln Park right near our house.  We walked all along in the woods and down by the water.  The Olympics were visible despite the clouds, but they looked like ghosts of themselves. It was really beautiful in a different way than the pristine views you have on a clear day.

Sometimes I think I like the Sound and the mountains as much on the cloudy days as I do on the clear days.  The wildlife is always much more visible on the rainy, cloudy days.  

It's nice.  This is a good place to get a little perspective on things, that's for sure.  It's why we moved here.  


As the year draws to a close, here's hoping that we all can keep perspective and have a great year coming up.  Much love to everyone - we wish we were with you, but hopefully we'll see you out here soon!


Much love to all!