the emerald city

since i only ever wrote about my descent into seattle, its time to do a little backtracking....

what an amazing city, seattle is! the weather was pretty nice for the few days that i was there, which, to be honest, was my biggest worry. thankfully, i wasn't disappointed at all...it was a little on the cool side - in the mid 60's - and although there were a few rain showers, they always seems to happen at night. and the sun found its way through the clouds during the majority of the hours that i was out and about.

thanks to melissa's recommendation, i stayed at a hotel that was walking distance from the down-town area, and that had an incredibly nice suite with a full kitchen, separate room with a king size bed, a balcony, and even a fireplace!

i must say, my all-time favorite experience was the public market. as i walked through the many shops, enjoyed the fresh fruit and vegetable stands, market spice, and the plethora of seafood and fresh meats, i couldn't help but think that every city should have one just like it. even i, who does not cook, would be inspired to stop by on the way home from work to pick up ingredients for dinner and fresh flowers for the table!

check out all the fresh veggies!

and yes, the fish DO fly!

there were flowers everywhere!

where else can you find tofu EVERYTHING???

the original starbucks, directly across the street:)

i also enjoyed some fabulous food in seattle, including dinner with colleagues at a french-italian fusion restaurant, chez gaudy, that we almost couldn't find. the entrance was hidden on the side of the building, and inside, we were greeted with an eclectic decor and an intimate setting, which i would highly recommend for close conversation and is the perfect place for a date. the food was excellent, as well - we shared a wasabi grilled cheese (it works, it really does) appetizer, and i had a grilled chicken breast over portabella mushroom entree, topped with chimichurri and melted goat cheese. AMAZING.

and on the last evening there, i have a fabulous crepe from a storefront creperie, filled with strawberry compote, vanilla bean sauce topped with fresh berries. what a delicious way to end my stay in seattle.

we're off to the bay...

yesterday, i received word from my manager that my transfer out to the san francisco bay area is definitely going to happen. no more if's or maybe's.

as relieved i was to finally know the direction in which our lives are headed, hearing - and digesting - this life-changing information was met with so many mixed emotions. i felt excitement intertwined with sadness, anticipation of the new adventures ahead, joy for the opportunity to finally be heading to mark's favorite city, fear of saying goodbye to so much that is familiar - to family and friends that i love so dearly.

so i'm going to do my best to work through all of the feelings, and to be honest with myself -with everyone - throughout this journey. change has never been easy for me - but i'll be stretching myself and growing through this process. and that can only be a good thing.

fun in the sun

my favorite quality moment this week again involved relaxation time...and i certainly feel blessed that i keep having opportunities to take time for myself. having had stretches in my life where i've felt overly busy and overworked, i can only hope that this trend continues...although i'm not counting on it!

i was sent on a short, overnight trip to clearwater, florida, where i helped to perform the preliminary setup of a new customer evaluation. it was the first time in my new position that i've actually had to answer all the technical questions on my own, with both confidence and certainty. the experience definitely had my pulse racing as i tried to recall details that i've learned over the past few weeks. the transition into this job was once described to me as "something like taking a 6-month final". and i'm only five weeks into it!

thankfully, the meeting went well, and i was left with lots of time to enjoy a perfect 70 degree day in florida. i quickly changed out of my business clothes, and headed to clearwater beach to get my feet wet in the beautiful waters of the gulf of mexico.

and after a lunch of fresh fish, a stop for ice-cream, and dropping my colleague off at the airport for his flight, i still had two hours to kill. amazingly, there is a great little beach just off highway 60, and right before you get into tampa. its the perfect spot to enjoy just a little more of the palm trees and seagulls, and definitely beats waiting in an airport for your flight!

so i stopped, rolled up my sleeves, pulled out my book, and parked myself on a picnic bench to enjoy this view and rejuvenate in the florida sun.

quality weekend: a whole lotta r&r

on friday evening, i could feel it coming on. sore throat, a little cough, and that general not-so-great feeling. i quickly headed to the drugstore for some airborne (i know, i know - i should have taken it before the flight, not after), and decided that it was going to be a rest-filled weekend.

i'm trilled to say that on both saturday and sunday, i let myself sleep in until my body woke up naturally. it was absolutely wonderful to open my eyes and not need an ounce of caffeine to keep them that way! on saturday, i had a wonderful chunk of time in the afternoon and evening to putter around at home, enjoy some home-made food, and catch up with friends. on sunday, mark and i had a fabulous lunch date at a brazilain churrascaria - thanks to the generous gift certificate i received as a good-bye gift from my previous colleagues - and then spent the afternoon and evening relaxing at home.

and now, on monday morning, i'm happy to report that the sore throat is gone, and i'm feeling re-charged for the week ahead. whee!!!

travel etiquette, part one

can someone please explain why certain individuals feel the need to wear so much cologne or perfume, namely when they are in confined spaces?

as i boarded my airplane on friday morning, as i found myself settling comfortably in my window seat, hopeful that i'd be able to sleep for the long flight home from seattle, i couldn't help but notice the strong cologne emanating from the man in the aisle seat, two down from me. unfortunately for me, he had only temporarily parked himself there for a few moments before becoming my cozy neighbor in seat 32D. i'm not sure that i fully realized, until that very moment, how little the air circulates within the close confines of an airplane. as the space around me became engulfed with the sickeningly sweet yet musky scent that this man was wearing, i knew that it was going to be a terribly l o n g flight.

the 45 minutes that we sat still until the plane finally took off, felt like an eternity. i tried desperately to breath only through my mouth, trying to allow as little air as possible pass through my nose. the left side of my neck was soon in pain as i strained to face the window to my right, hoping that i could manage to breath only enough times to stay alive, and that i might steal a bit of fresher air from the rows in front of, and behind me. i couldn't decide if cranking up the airflow above me was working in my favor or against me - after all, it was providing me with unscented air, but that air had to fight its way through the cloud around us before it could make its way to help me.

as i prayed that we would take off soon, out of the corner of my eye i noticed that my neighbor had reached into his carry on bag, which had, until just moments before, had been stowed safely under the seat in front of him. before i could even realize what was happening, i heard one. Two. THREE. dear God not FOUR! sprays, as he added more of that nauseatingly awful scent to his wrist. i nearly choked.

as soon as we took off, i immediately made my way to the lavatory to get some fresh air (!) and again, pray that i might make it though the next hours of my life. thankfully, the air circulates a little better while a plane is in motion, so while we were in-flight, i was almost able to enjoy the movie. sleep was no longer as option for fear that i might accidentally turn towards my left and die on the spot.

it was an incredibly long four hours, my friends. and so i implore you - travelers of the world - PLEASE be conscientious of your fellow travelers! clean. that's all you need to be. no extra scents required.

mount rainier

it is a beautiful sight to behold - a mountain that can be seen from above the clouds, seeming to peak into the heavens. here is a picture that that depicts this wonder, a 14,411 foot volcano and the highest peak of the cascade mountain range. only when i flew over mount rainier this evening, the sun was just beginning to set, so there was a glorious pinkish-orange glow beyond the clouds. what an amazing welcome to seattle.

the quality of comfort

this past week, i took my very first business trip to visit a lab at the medical university of charelston, south carolina. i stayed in the downtown area, and in my free time i walked the famous king street strip, did some window-shopping, ate wonderful seafood, and even took an early morning running-tour of the amazing bay front property. charleston is an absolutely beautiful town.

during the working hours, i got my first taste of standing all day in not-quite-comfortable-shoes, each day wishing and praying that i had brought just ONE more pair that was work-appropriate to change into - clearly neither my well-worn running shoes or my trusty flip-flops would do. by day two, i had two band-aids on each foot, and even made a pit-stop at the local drugstore to stock up on gel insoles and padded knee-highs in hopes that they would help provide some relief to my aching feet.

on day three, with some free time to spare before catching the flight home, my colleague and i decided to check out the local mall. the thought of walking around in my current shoes - for even five minutes - was excruciating, so our first stop was the shoe section at the first department store we encountered. let me just break to say that for weeks, i have been in search of a pair of shoes that is dressy enough to wear with tailored slacks yet comfortable enough to stand in for hours at a time - something that i knew my new job would require. i debated dansko's, clarkes, naturalizers, easy spirit, and aerosoles, but had not yet made my decision.

as i tried on shoe after shoe, i hoped that when i found the right pair, i would know. and let me tell you - i knew. i stepped into these shoes, and onto a layer of padding that felt like clouds under my feet, and the pressure was instantly relieved from each of my band-aided and blistered feet. this pair's heels were not too high and the classic cut was exactly what i was looking for.

let me introduce you to 'timeless' by nurture - the perfect shoe:

if at first you don't succeed

here i go, trying that blog thing again. i wasn't very successful at the last attempt, but here's to hoping that i can keep it up this time! as it type this, i'm reminded of my wonderful nanay, in her sweet, sing-song voice, reminding me that "if at first you don't succeed...try, try again". so that's all i'm committing to, friends of mine. to trying. no promises, just that i'll try.

over the past weeks, i've realized how much i have learned about my friends from reading their posts. and i've come to realize that blogging is actually a great way to keep in touch - and keep connected with other's lives - when the hustle and bustle of life takes over. not that communicating in this fashion is in ANY way a substitute for having coffee and brunch face-to-face, or having phone conversations or e-mailing someone directly, but blogging certainly has its place!

so here's to trying again.