Deck the Halls

I love Christmas, so naturally on the day after Thanksgiving, the day I can "legally" start celebrating Christmas, I decorated. We only have some colored lights, garland, silver snowflakes and a wreath, but it's enough to make me happy and ready to put Mariah Carey's Christmas album on repeat.

There's a donut hole-shaped void

... in my Seattle life. There is not a single Dunkin Donuts here.

Yes, Seattle has Daily Dozen and Top Pot, which I have yet to try. But back in NYC, I worked and lived above DD. The giant, bright, glowing coffee cup was like a beacon; I'd use it to direct taxis on where to drop me off. I could smell donuts and brewing coffee every summer morning. It's not like a patronized DD every day, but it was a staple in my NYC life, so I miss it.

Anyway, Josh posted this on my wall, and it made me smile.

Over Puget Sound

It's only been a month since I moved to Seattle, but I still can't get over how pretty this place is. With Mount Rainier to the south, the Olympic Mountains to the west and all the greenery, this place is just stop-in-your-tracks stunning. My new office has a balcony that overlooks Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains, and every time I pass by, I can't help but stop and stare into distance like some airhead.

Discovery Park

Saturday afternoon, Nick and I took advantage of the sun and had a nice, little stroll through Discovery Park. (Zach, if you're reading this. I know you were first.) The park is this beautiful oasis of meadows and forest in the middle of the city, with easy trails for joggers, dog walkers and casual strollers like ourselves. Life is different in Seattle but with places like this in the city, it's been pretty easy acclimating to our setting.

BOO

Happy Halloween.

My mom sent me the card, which made a nice addition to our front window sill next to the mini pumpkin.

I started my new job today. My first "first day" in four years. In fact, my first day at AKQA was on Halloween too. It's funny how Halloween has become a significant holiday in my life. I'm curious to see what will happen on Halloween 2012.

One Year

Building a Nightstand

Happy Halloween.

I tried building the night stand posted on Design Sponge by Silvia Song. It didn't turn out the way I wanted. The wood I bought was warped, which made putting all the pieces together extremely difficult. It's functional but the pieces are crooked and wobbly. It looks alright and serves its purpose, so I won't be buying a real nightstand any time soon.

At least I mastered the art of the hand saw today.

Chilly Mornings

Keeping Busy

It's been a little over two weeks since I landed in Seattle. I'm not really sure where the time has gone.

For being unemployed, I try to stay busy. In fact I'm wasting less time now than I did during my last months working. I'm sparingly on Facebook or email. Each day I give myself tasks. Digging through the shelves at Goodwill or Value Village to find random kitchen things (e.g. compost bin), searching Craigslist and all the communication/travel that comes afterward to actually purchase the stuff, pruning the plants along our walk way, getting our car fixed ($$$), many trips to Target. I fixed up a dresser I bought off Craigslist. The innards needed some TLC and the drawer tracks needed new parts.

My next project: building our night stands. I haven't found anything I like and after seeing this on Design Sponge, I decided I'll just make them. Let's cross our fingers they turn out alright. I bought the wood (and hand saw!) today.

I'm really liking being handy and domestic, but these days are limited since I start a new job on Monday.

Fall

The mornings have been grey and there's been some rain, but for the most part Seattle's weather has been autumn-tastic -- chilly but sunny. The leaves have started to turn too! Growing up in San Jose, seeing the leaves turn in October and November was a real treat in NYC. Now I still get to enjoy this magical seasonal shift in Seattle. Lucky me.

Nick waiting for me while I take pictures. "Broads..."

Attention Shoppers

Today I rediscovered the beauty of a plentiful Goodwill. And it was glorious. I gave up on NYC thrift stores because they were usually picked over. Not Seattle's. Here's my booty for today.


Not pictured: a $2 cupcake tray and 20 cent knife utensils since I dislike Ikea's

Home Sweet Home

I made it! I landed in Seattle on Tuesday. I kinda can't believe I live here. The city is just stunning with its trees, mountains and gorgeous sunsets. Our apartment is pretty awesome too.


It's part of a duplex. We're just down the walkway on the left.



The house is surrounded by many plants and flowers, which hopefully we'll keep alive.


Tomatillos!


Inside we get some really nice light in the afternoon.


We just bought a couch this weekend, so we're really excited about getting the living room set up for visitors and lots of sports viewing.


I'm in love with our mint green kitchen.


A full size stove/oven!




Nick's duvet has a safari vibe to it, so I'm gonna run with it.
His only mandate: no animal print. :(


The luxurious second room.
Friends/family, this could be yours when you come and visit. (hint hint)
I promise it'll be much more inviting and comfy by then.



I still can't believe that I have a washer and dryer. I'm already taking full advantage.

The door leads to our backyard patio...



I cannot wait to make s'mores in the fireplace.





There's even more greenery on the side of our apartment.



We have a garage for storage.


... and a view of the Space Needle.
The apartment is pretty empty but I've spent the last few days buying random basics -- lights, towels, cleaning supplies -- so it's starting to feel more like a home. It'll be a slow process but we'll get there eventually.

The Hunt

Technically our search for an apartment only lasted 24-hours, which in retrospect is a very brief search, but at the time it felt long and intense. I was due back in NYC on a Sunday red-eye and Nick had nowhere to live, so we were stressed to find a place. Fast.

We arrived in Seattle Friday afternoon and by Saturday morning had seen five apartments. We really liked the second, but by the time we turned in our application, someone beat us to it. We were bummed. We drove away in our car stuffed with all of Nick's belongings, a pathetic sight, and waved goodbye to the landlords...

Five minutes later, they called.

There was a second property they wanted us to see, but it wasn't listed yet because they were still making repairs. We dropped whatever we were doing and drove to the second place. After parking, Nick saw a golden doodle staring at us from nearby house. A sign.

Nick loves Harry, another golden doodle from back home.
This is not Harry or Harry's patronus (HP reference!). Image via Google.

The place was even better than the original apartment we wanted. After the tour, Nick and I only had to look at each other to know this was it. We said "yes" and a week later after a very thorough credit and background check, the place was ours.


Our new apartment.


A very relieved and happy Nick after we found our new place.