Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Weekly Update - Holding on to spring.... as an official Washingtonian

Hello all!

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend, and for those of you who are mothers, I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Spring is in full swing in Seattle, but I fear that it will be over before I know it. I love the sights and smells of spring, the trees and shrubs in bloom, the rain, the birds, all of it! I could really get used to spring, but it seems that as soon as you get used to things the way they are, they change. I was surprised to see something new on my commute Friday morning, two gigantic cruise ships in Elliott Bay. Friday marked the official beginning of the "cruise season." In the next several months over 700,000 people will travel in and out of Seattle on cruises. I have never seen a cruise ship close up and I know that I will really enjoy watching them come and go as I drive past the bay on my way to work every day.

Friday night I enjoyed one of my favorite things in the world.... FIREWORKS (over water)! The Windermere Cup Sky Light Celebration took place at 9:30 p.m. on Friday evening. The Windermere Cup is an annual rowing regatta that is followed by a boat parade that marks the "official" launch of boating season and subsequently summer in Seattle (see I am still enjoying spring, and it's time for summer already!). So picture this... It's 9:30 p.m. on Friday night. I have found the perfect, hidden-away spot to watch the fireworks, my radio is tuned to the station playing the music for the show and I am very excited! The fireworks begin and all of the music is "Summer" themed. "In the summertime, when the weather is hot..." etc, I am standing in jeans and a sweatshirt, watching the show thinking, "Summertime, my ass!" I really enjoyed the fireworks and I have been told by numerous locals that we have 2 weeks of summer every year. So I guess we have to start pretending that it is summertime now, so that when those two glorious weeks arrive, we are ready to go!

After two months of living here I can now officially say that I am a Washingtonian! On Saturday morning I went to the Department of Licensing completed the last two tasks to becoming an "official Washingtonian" by getting my WA Driver's License and registering to vote. I have to say that it was the most positive experience that I have ever had at the DMV or similar agency. Everyone was friendly and helpful and the entire process took just a little over a half an hour. Several co-workers had warned me that the test was "really hard" and the state took great pleasure in failing people the first time. So I ran out an got the book last week and then didn't spent a whole lot of time reading it, so when "test time" came around I was a bit nervous, but in the end I only missed one question. All that worry for nothing...

The weather was great this weekend and I was quite the weekend warrior. I circled Green Lake numerous times on Saturday and Sunday! Green Lake is becoming one of my favorite places in Seattle. I have walked around it's 2.8 mile loop too many times to count and yet I never seem to get tired of it. It is always changing and there is always something new to see. This weekend the park was alive with activity. People transporting themselves and many various types of transportation from bikes to boats, people of every size, shape and color, and boy some of them are really colorful"! You can check out the lake and park at the following link:
http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/parkspaces/greenlak.htm

I always use this platform to report on the events of my life and as a result you often hear about the people that are in my life. Many of you have met one another through me or have come to know one another by reading these emails. So, I have decided that occasionally I will include notes of celebration about the lives of the people I love and the great accomplishments of their lives. Today I am celebrating my friend, Jenna Seeley.

A little background... I met Jenna under a tree on the campus of Skyline High School during gym class when one of us (think it was me) didn't have a watch and we were required check our heart rate! Jenna has been in my life now for 17 years, so I have known more of my life with her than without. Jenna is one of those friends who is always there for you, especially when you are moving. You don't even have to ask, she is just there! And I am not exactly sure why, but it seems that whenever Jenna moves I am unable to assist. Unfortunately this will be the case again this weekend as Jenna moves into her recently purchased town home in Salt Lake City. I am really excited for her and wish that I could be there to help her. We have joked for years about "growing up and buying a house" and Jenna did it! Congrats girl!

Hope this email finds you all happy, healthy and enjoying spring in your corner of the world!

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