Category Archives: moving

moving

Trapped

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Pocket Door of Terror

When I was very young I was at a neighbor’s place and had to use their bathroom. What happened next haunts me to this day. As I tried to open the pocket door, I discovered it had other plans for me. I was trapped. Being so young I didn’t really know what to do so I screamed and screamed hoping my mom, who was two houses away, would hear me and rescue me. After what felt like forever, someone heard my screams and broke me out of the death trap. I’m pretty sure I never closed that door all the way again.

So imagine the flashbacks I had when I moved into my new apartment to find another bathroom with a pocket door! Luckily for me, one of the best things about living alone is never having to close doors. If you’re planning to visit, consider yourself warned.

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moving, Seattle

Going Back

Tuesday morning was a lot like many other Tuesday mornings. Hopped on the 667 headed for downtown. Looked forward to one of my favorite scones for breakfast and a noon appointment with my favorite hair gal, Nina. Thought about which of my frequent skyway lunch spots or food trucks I’d visit. But those other Tuesday mornings were more than a year and a half ago and this was just a temporary walk down memory lane.

It was kind of neat to see some familiar faces on my old bus and in the skyways as I walked around. I got all caught up with Nina and made plans for another visit next time I’m in town. Visited the new brick and mortar shop of one of my food trucks and was happily greeted and questioned about my new life.

This was after Sunday at a hip-hop festival with a bestie, then a beautiful Memorial Day spent with my college roommates and sister, like it had only been days since I’d seen them last. And those were followed by a Twins game, again with my best friends, in a place I loved so much I bought season tickets to watch a dreadful team I never really followed, where I ran into another friend and was just as excited to be there as I had ever been.

And then dinner with my best friend from high school at one of our most visited dinner spots. I took the long way home and drove the parkway where I learned to drive, then continued on past Brownie & Cedar Lakes where I often enjoyed spending my time.

Thursday brought lunch with my dad in the neighborhood I grew up in. Then happy hour with old coworkers, people who brought me so much joy every day even the most dreadful work days were somehow ok. Saturday I returned to the cabin I once loved so much I lived there for six summers. Celebrated my dad’s birthday with my best friends and fam and sang with the classic country band I sing with whenever they’re around. And, to really top it all off.. my old bowling crush showed up at my step brothers’ bar! One hundred miles from the place I knew him from. This week was like a highlight reel of life before my move.

I felt… almost at home.

Going back couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. As I’m in a particularly frustrating phase right now, some might wonder if perhaps I regret my move and some of the choices I’ve made. Though I was incredibly happy to be back in my old routine for two days with a schedule packed full of time with my family and friends, I didn’t once feel like I was home.

It feels somewhat bad expressing that, as I mean no offense to those here I love. I miss them and always look forward to seeing them again. But there’s just something I’m missing when I’m here. A friend in Seattle, also from Minnesota and now moving back, expressed to me recently that when she was visiting MN a few weeks back, she just felt content. And that is how I feel in Seattle, at least for now. I still don’t imagine myself ever moving back to the midwest, but can picture myself in many other coastal or mountainous lands.

It was tough saying goodbyes again today and yesterday but this morning I flew back to Seattle and I’m happy to be home.

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love, moving

Moving, Yet Again

Tonight I went to a going away party for a friend originally from Minnesota that’s moving back there. When we were talking about it, she said that the last time she went back she just felt content. And I completely understood, as that’s how I feel every time I come back to Washington. I never felt that going home to Minnesota. That doesn’t mean I’ll live in WA forever, but confirmed for me that if it’s something you don’t feel somewhere, move where you’ll feel it. Do not hesitate to go where you are most content.

That said, it took me way too long to put my current moving plans into action. Had I known how much better just telling my roomie of my plans would make me feel, I’d have done it so much sooner. I’m sure I’ll miss my place a little, but I’m excited for another new adventure.

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dogs, love, moving, Murphy

Bifurcation

— River bifurcation may be temporary or semi-permanent, depending on the strength of the material which separates the distributaries.–

Tonight I went through my second split of the year and I’m hoping that a third is coming soon. I just told my roommate that I think it’s time I live alone. And hopefully I’ll find a new job soon.

The first, I’d give just about anything for it to be temporary. For whatever has split us to be a passing obstruction.

The house I’m in is nice, lots of room, great neighborhood, yard for Murph, friend for him too. But the dogs have too much energy together and though I am usually easy-going, I feel a little like a forceful flood behind a very weakened dam.

The team I’m working on right now is great for the most part. We started off kind of quietly but now we get along great and joke and laugh a lot. But the work has me near breaching.

My ex-boyfriend, well, he’s amazing. He’s funny, kind, handsome, and smart. And when I’m with him I’m so incredibly relaxed. Yet we went our separate ways. There is no way of knowing whether we will meet up again downstream.

This is the lowest I’ve been in quite some time. But I know, no matter what happens, the low is only temporary. Some day I’ll be flowing once again.

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moving

Moving Again

I started my search for a place a couple of months before I moved here. I found a couple of people who were also looking, some men who seemed to be looking for a girlfriend, one who proposed and another who offered me a place in Goa, India. Lucky for me I had a friend with a room that didn’t mind me and Murphy staying for a few months, and that’s where I’ve been for most of my time here so far.

In those five months I’ve grown to love so many things about my neighborhood. The Olympic Mountains are visible from the balcony every clear day. The beach is just over a 2 mile walk away. My first weekend out I found a favorite bar where the staff have become friends. The neighbors in the building mostly love Murphy but occasionally talk to me too (and leave me their leftover produce bags) and I’ve met great people while out walking nearby. Even the familiarity of the homeless guys at Safeway is somewhat of a comfort to me. But my living arrangement was meant to be temporary so after I settled into my job I started looking again.

I posted another ad on Craigslist, modified to be clear I wasn’t looking for love, and got quite a few responses. Many were too far for me to bus to work without leaving Murphy alone for far too long every day. And though they’d be roommate situations, I don’t want to have to rely on anyone else to take care of him. One man responded to my ad every time I reposted, saying he noticed I hadn’t found anything yet and was I sure I didn’t want to at least come look at the place though it was out of the area I wanted to be in. Another man responded a couple of times, and being that the room seemed like a great deal I finally called as he had requested in his email. The room was in the loft where he and his wife kept their computer desk but would arrange for times it would be best to use it. Also, they were former nude models and he continued to do some, but mostly now they were just nude around the house and would that offend my sensibilities at all? I was still going to check the place out after that but it bothered me a little that he didn’t just come out and say that during our email correspondence so I canceled.

Then there was one guy who seemed normal and actually responded once I got back to him so I agreed to meet up at a bar one weekend afternoon. In person he still seemed normal and I think we chatted for at least an hour, maybe even two, which is more than I can say for any dates I’ve had so why wouldn’t I just move in with this guy? He had a dog too and was going to be renting a house with a yard so it seemed like a perfect set up. It was still a few months out so we agreed to stay in touch and set up a time for the dogs to meet.

During the in between time I met a couple also having a dog and looking for a good dog friendly space. She worked at a dog day care and could potentially bring Murphy there now and then. Seemed like a great idea but ultimately it just wasn’t easy to find a place that allowed two dogs without any restrictions. When I did find what seemed like a perfect space, a block from a bus that would almost dump me on my office doorstep, no pet restrictions, remodeled everything, he was unable to reach her in time and the person who looked at it after me scooped it up. (I see their bikes on the balcony every time I go by. I hate them.) The couple had a lead on a studio in a good location for them so I encouraged them to go for it and as luck would have it, they got it. I don’t think I would have enjoyed living with a couple anyway, with all their holding hands and cuddling and kissing and doing fun things together. So dumb. 🙂

The time came when potential new roomie and dog could meet up and it also worked that I could see the house. So I grabbed a super quick bus over there after work one day. Unfortunately he was running late and unable to bring his dog, so I was going to have to meet up with this slacker again for the dogs to meet. (if you’re reading this Ryan, you know I’m joking. besides, you said I was a jerk when I couldn’t go to add-a-ball last week.) I liked the house though, it’s cute, has a fenced in yard, an eat in kitchen, a super cool old stove with TWO ovens, a bathroom with a window and a good sized basement for whatever one might need that for. And it’s in a great neighborhood, close to Lake Union, lots of bars and restaurants, also not far from Green Lake and other things I enjoy seeing/doing. He bought me a beer for his being late and we still got along so I agreed to meet him one more time for the dogs to get together.

We planned to meet at a dog park in the next week or so. Turned out not only was I going to meet his dog, but also his girlfriend. He assured me she wouldn’t beat me up so I went as planned. The dogs got along fine, the girls got along fine and being at a point where I couldn’t imagine a better living situation for Murphy right now and I also didn’t want to look anymore, I told him I’d move in. Since then he’s invited me out a few times and the one time I could go I met a couple of his friends that I’m pretty sure I’ll get along with too.

So yeah, I’m moving again.

And I’m really going to miss my current home and especially my friend/gracious host. But I’m excited for a new neighborhood, making new friends and most of all having a yard and a friend for Murphy.

 

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dating, love, moving

Tinder

It was my first weekend alone in a new city, my roomie went out of town. And though I don’t mind being alone, it was Valentine’s Day, President’s Day weekend, and that made for 3 nights of just me and my dog.

I don’t care about Valentine’s Day much either, so it wasn’t one of those desperate lonely girl acts. I’ve been single for over 7 years, it has pretty much zero meaning. And even when I was dating someone in a period that included that day, I didn’t care. Of course his best girl friend told him I was just saying that to test him. She said that about a number of things I did. Pretty sure that’s why that one didn’t work out.

But of course, I was in a new city, hanging out with my dog and Facebook and everyone was out that night but me. I had heard about Tinder so I figured, why not see who’s single and hot around here? I browsed for awhile, swiped way more left than right and headed to the bar. I was quite surprised, (and flattered!) to see how many handsome matches I had. The next morning I discovered that after a few drinks I had added something to my profile about being there for nothing more than a drinking buddy and make-outs.

I spent the rest of the weekend Tindering and hanging out at the neighborhood bars. I had far more fun chatting with the bar staff than swiping through Seattle singles but I kept at it anyway to pass the down time. I don’t think I ever really thought I’d make a date out of any of them, it was more a nice reassurance that there were plenty of handsome single men out there just waiting to hike, travel around the world, play with puppies (and some kittens, ish), hang out with nieces/nephews, volunteer in poor countries, skateboard, surf, cook fantastic meals, run marathons and cuddle with me. (apparently almost every single guy does all of these things. AMAZING!)  I don’t think I’d been on a date in Minnesota for a couple of years.

But I felt bad leading anyone on, so I did agree to meet up with a guy that I chatted with for awhile. We went out for a beer one afternoon. We had plenty to talk about but I just didn’t feel anything. I’m not even sure I ever laughed at him. If you know how easily I laugh, you’ll understand how sad that is. And he is an aspiring comic! So more sad for him. The next day I had an interview downtown and he happened to be there as well. He suggested we meet up so he could show me something. He took me up to the 17th floor of some tower and brought me out onto a patio with an amazing view of the sound and city. After that it was just awkward. He tried to chat, I stared at the mountains. I’m a horrible date.

I met up with two other guys and it was more of the same. One of them I went out with solely because he’s a fisherman. I’m convinced I need to marry a guy who spends a ton of time on a boat. He fished out of Cordova, where I spent most of my time in Alaska, so we shared stories of the town and had a nice time. Ended the night at bar with karaoke, I sang a song, he fell in love, I brushed him off. Same old story.

The third one, there’s really not much to tell. Looks wise, he was right up my alley. Super tall, broad, very capable of growing a beard. And that was it.

If you’re like me and aren’t really into the whole online dating thing, I’d recommend Tinder. You’re only connected with those who like you too (or accidentally swipe right, oops!), you don’t have to read much and it leans more towards meeting now than messaging for days. (this article kind of sums up my swiping tendencies.) Sure, plenty of people use it for hook-ups but many profiles I’ve browsed adamantly expressed that was not what they were looking for. (right!) I’ve since deleted the app as I’m content not to be dating right now. If I meet a handsome guy at the bar, fine.

And if you’ve ever wondered how I could possibly be single, you probably know now.

 

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moving, Seattle, Transit, Uncategorized

You might not wanna go in there…

Some updates since I last posted…

I am truly happy to be here.

Every day there is something that makes me smile and I know I made the right decision. Don’t get me wrong, I have times when I miss hanging out with my sister, fam, friends and the crazy group of pals I worked with, but I know they’re just a quick flight away. And it’s fun compiling a long list of all the places I’ll take them when they come to visit. If you know of a must see place in Seattle, I’d love to add it to my list.

Today was day 5 of my new job. It’s not too bad being back at work and so far the office seems pretty cool. I have views of Puget Sound and the Olympic mountains. There were so many days when I was contemplating my move that I’d stare out of my office tower at the flat lands surrounding it and feel so empty.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to get to work and not leave Murph locked up too long so I’ve experimented with different buses, driving to buses and Car2Go. The bus keeps me away far too long but I love being able to check out all the boats in Fisherman’s Terminal rather than giving them a fleeting glance. I’ll likely end up driving a lot when I replace the van. Yes, the sunroof still leaks. I have yet to completely surround it with duct tape.

There are plenty of good places to eat near the office and my coworkers love to get out. That was one thing I always enjoyed about being Downtown Minneapolis so I’m glad to have that again though I’m already making a point to bring my lunch now and then. Tough to do when all I want to do is try every single food place right now!

If you haven’t seen a Bubba Keg, you need to check them out. I’ve had one for years and found it the best way to get all the water you need. Mine is 52oz and I’ll often drink at least 2 of them a day. Where it becomes a problem for me now is that there are only 2 bathrooms for our office and the other offices in our area of the floor. Each is clearly marked for men or women but the men will use either if theirs is full. One lunch trip the guys were explaining that to me and how it is common courtesy to let a gal know she might not want to enter. I never want to be on the receiving end of that message but think I’d forever hate a coworker that didn’t warn me. So if you’d all hope for me to never be in the situation at all, I’d appreciate it. And a very sincere ‘you’re welcome’ to anyone who has read a previous post about bathroom related activities and was hoping I’d share more.

If you happened to read my post about the guy living in the park, he’s still there. He disappeared for a day or two so I assume he found his key but he is back and more comfortable than ever. Leaving empty food containers outside his car to prevent a stinky inside and his clothes out to dry on the roof. He’s had at least 3 parking tickets now but continues his stay.

At my favorite neighborhood bar they’ve started a $5 steak night! I’ve only been there the first night of it so far but it was great. And such a hit that they’re continuing it. Steak, potato, mushrooms & another veggie. You really can’t beat it! We went up there for St. Pat’s to have reubens. That and the weekend’s parade were the extent of my celebrating this year. I felt pretty lame but I’ve got lots of time for partying in my new home.

I think that’s about it for now. I’ll try to share some more about Costa Rica some time and Grand Cayman too, before I forget it all.

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moving, road trip, Seattle

Glendive to Seattle

Let’s see… back to the road trip…

Picked up the van at about noon and rolled out of town shortly after. So excited to be back at it after being stuck for a little over 24 hours! But Katie was going to have to make an expensive flight change and we were going to have to find one more hotel.

We hop back on the highway and are flying along when we hit packed snow and ice. For 100 miles. Cars in ditches everywhere, tracks in ditches everywhere yet everyone is passing us. I’m still not sure how we made it up some of those hills. We trudged along between 25 – 45 mph. Hit the county line and like magic, the roads were clear. (thanks Treasure County!!) The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. Hit Butte (“Butt”, Katie called it) around 10 something pm and asked the dude in sunglasses at the gas station how the roads were to Missoula. He had heard they were pretty bad. Because I heed no warnings, we continued on, making it to Missoula around midnight. (the roads weren’t bad at all)

Crashed for 5 hours or so and drove off around 7. Once again a pretty uneventful drive though Idaho was gorgeous! It was snowing and covered in snow and completely beautiful. Once we got near a city, Katie started searching for donuts. We took a much needed pit stop in Coeur d’Alene and munched em down.

Perhaps the best part of this leg of the trip was our stop in Ellensburg to unload my mattress. I have a massive full size mattress that Ben somehow squeezed into the van. To any passerby (and there were so many!), I imagine it looked like Katie and I were trying to pull an adult from a lady’s baby hole. That’s what it seemed like to me anyway. Haha. It had to have taken a good 20 minutes of pushing and pulling, but finally the mattress was out and we were once again en route to Seattle.

This was Superbowl Sunday and I was so excited to find a local bar and watch the game with the cheering crowd. However, Murphy had been a pretty good sport the entire drive and we thought it was best to get him some exercise before settling in anywhere. We found a nice dog park where he ran around a bit and we got an awesome view of Mt. Rainier. I really wanted it to be clear so my dear sis could see the mountains and why I need to be here, and it was!

We attempted to go together to a bar near the hotel to watch the game but Murphy had other plans for us. He started whining after we left the room so Katie chose to stay back and I went to a bar for halftime and most of the 2nd half. It was definitely a happy crowd and fun to experience. After the game we went to grab some food and that’s when the real celebration began – people cheering and yelling in the streets and shooting fireworks. I understand it’s exciting but really, it’s just football. I was happy for the revelers anyway.

Katie left around 4am for the airport and so it was just me and Murphy and our new adventure.

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moving, road trip, Uncategorized

Snowed in and Beached.

The day before I was to hit the road for Washington the weather monsters predicted snow for my departure. I figured I’d just wait and see. Decided when I woke at 5:30 that I’d wait awhile. Good thing because I hadn’t yet fully loaded the van and I decided to completely rearrange what was already in there. We smooshed my gigantic mattress back in and I proceeded to stuff every last inch of the van with my things. My sister thought Dickinson, ND was a reasonable distance for our shortened day and at 1pm we finally rolled westward.

The drive to Dickinson was mostly uneventful. The van was a champ and held 70mph just fine. North Dakota gave us a gorgeous gift in the form of a beautiful sun dog framed sunset. We made it safely to Dickinson and stayed in a nearly brand new HomStay. It was pretty nice and this morning’s breakfast included Lucky Charms which makes it the best place I’ve ever stayed.

Westward again at 8:30. The day was brisk and bright and seemed perfect for continuing our journey.

And then…

The van started stuttering. Then it’d recover and stutter again. And then it completely died. All the “I told you so”s were echoing in my head. We called AAA and the most familiar voice took my call. It took a few minutes to place it but I realized that Steven sounded just like Phil Robertson. Even called me Miss Amy! But he couldn’t find me a truck and had to assign the call to some specialist that would call me back in 20 minutes. When she did, it was only to tell me she was working on it. When she called again she found a guy who’d arrive in 15. I was really needing a restroom and wasn’t sure I’d make it. So I propped my self up against the van ditch side, sprayed the shoulder and maybe my boots a little. As much as I’ve used nature for a restroom you’d think I’d have this down by now. I don’t. While we were waiting/spraying my trusty travel companion thought maybe we should ask if the tow truck could take us to Glendive, the next large town. The driver was just a young guy and said he was pretty sure he had to take us to the nearest shop.

And what a shop it was. Before the van was off the truck the owner said he wasn’t sure he could do anything for us. He did try though. Calling all over to find this alternator that was only in Iowa according to one resource. Shortly after arriving I had to use the restroom again, having stopped mid-stream on the shoulder to avoid being spied by passers by. I asked him about a restroom and he directed me to the back, mentioning it wasn’t a nice one. Not a nice one? It was the dirtiest room I’ve ever been in. The seat was up and the rim was covered in dirt/scum along with the bowl, sink and floor. Once again squatting, I’m pretty sure I hit more floor than bowl. And tp? None. There were some crumpled up paper towels so I wiped up my legs and then used my foot to dry up the floor. Ish!

The mechanic confirmed he could get us an alternator on Monday. Not really an option considering my sister is flying out of Seattle at 6am Sunday. (Not anymore.) And, the idea of staying at a motel in Beach, ND was not the most pleasant one. (Sounds like it should be nice though, right?) We called some shops in Glendive and I found a Napa that could have the part tomorrow morn. He recommended a shop. I spoke with a nice guy named Robert, who when I met him later referred to me as a lady and called me Miss Amy (that is growing on me!), and he said they could get me in at 10.

It was time for another call to AAA. Same story, different agents. And an hour wait for the tow this time.

This guy was a chatter! From Toronto, lived in Florida, Vegas, now Glendive. Told us all about no one wanting to tow for AAA as they don’t pay much. So good to know! He recommended a hotel his wife manages, where we had already decided to stay, dropped the van off and brought us to the hotel. Even got us a luggage cart!

They mentioned fresh baked cookies would be coming when we checked in so we ordered pizza and went back to the lobby. Once, twice, three times, no cookies. Fourth time was the charm! Of course we had already picked up candy as an excuse to walk through the lobby. But we hadn’t eaten since breakfast so don’t judge!

Now we sit all night long (we got here around 4:30) and hope for a better tomorrow.

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The lobby of the lovely auto shop in Beach.

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