Mama Confesses:: I miss Seattle

 We arrived in Seattle to be greeted by GIANT Montana posters everywhere....

Our final days in Seattle before moving to Montana were spent cursing at traffic, cigarette smoke, and pollution.  We felt cramped and were more than ready to move to Montana.  We love Montana.  It is open, beautiful, clean, and quiet.  Our first few return trips to Seattle left us happy with our decision to move but on our recent trip to Seattle I was sad to leave.  Don't get me wrong, we love Montana and will be sticking around a little bit longer but Dale and I are talking about the possibility of moving back to the Seattle area.  We have talked about the lifestyle we want and enriching life we want for our children.  I am grateful to have grown up in Montana and while it does offer so many life experiences, it sometimes lacks the culture and diversity that Dale and I love. 

We also miss our friends. We are very isolated in Montana and while we have a few friends and family close by we miss the friends that we have grown so close with over the years.  We miss the friends that we can call at the last minute just to hang out, eat ice cream and vent about life.  We miss having an excuse to make dinner just for friends coming over.  Most of all, we miss sharing our lives with the friends who have stood by us year after year watching us grow.  I never thought of all things Seattle, I would miss our friends the most. 

Our trip was fun.   It was relaxing, full of good food, friends, and laughter.  Kannon slept better than he has weeks as his days were kept full and exciting as he learned of his new surroundings.  Here is how we spent our vacation and why we are missing Seattle:

New Clothes!!

1.)  The Food---We love to cook so it should be no surprise that we set the bar high when it comes to restaurants.  Missoula has a few good places but lacks the diversity we look for in food.  While in Seattle, we enjoyed Spanish cuisine at Tango (twice), chicken masala and shish taok at Cedars, breakfast at Portage Bay, delicious fondue and poppers at Palace Kitchen, sushi at Shiku, thai food at Thaiku, pho at Pho Cyclo, and homemade pasta at Tavolata, and quick pasrties at Piroshky, Piroshky.  Our dining experience in Seattle left us satisfied and wanting more the minute we arrived in Missoula.

 Kannon and his Sophie

2.) The Shopping---Dale and I hate shopping.  We do it once a year usually around Christmas.  Since having a baby, shopping has become a little more necessary as we discover new things for Kannon.  Most of the items I needed for Kannon's arrival I had to buy online, pay shipping, and wait weeks on end for stuff to arrive, just to realize that the item was not as "pictured".  In Seattle, all of our specialty items were found easily without shipping and usually a few blocks from each other.  We got some cloth diapers, sunglasses, a hat, and Sophie, the giraffe, Kannon's new love.  The best part was that we got to try before we buy, a luxury to us.  We debated for weeks on getting Kannon a Sophie.  To us it is practically an expensive dog toy, but the minute Kannon saw it, he picked it up and put it right in his mouth.  Now this toy never leaves his side.  Thank you Seattle for having so many awesome baby stores. 

 Kannon's new sun hat

3.) The Activity---We lead a pretty quiet life in Missoula.  During the winter, we prefer to stay indoors, cook, and only go out if we absolutely have to.  During the summer that changes dramatically as we head out every weekend camping and hiking.  However, in Seattle we were always on the go.  It was so easy and CHEAP.  Dale and I used to walk downtown almost everyday, just to people watch, grab a beer, and talk.  This time, we walked all over Seattle.  We explored Ballard.  We played catch at Golden Gardens. We went to Pike Place.  We adventured at the Zoo.  By the time our trip was over, both Dale and I had to get new shoes because our Danskos were clearly the wrong choice for our journeys.  The whole time, Kannon was with us, in a stroller or on my back checking things out with curious wonder.

 Kannon at the Zoo with some friends

4.) The People---I never thought I would say I miss Seattlites but I do.  They are just so nice. Everywhere we went people asked us how old Kannon was, complimented my BabyHawk,  or just said hello.  Don't get me wrong, people in Montana are nice but it has been hard to make friends and most people look at me like I am crazy when they see the cloth diapers or our array of baby carriers.  I saw more cloth diapering, babywearing families in Seattle in a week than I have ever seen in Montana.  It is nice to not feel alone. 

5.) The Opportunity---We moved to Montana primarily because after a few months of being jobless I finally found a job in Missoula.  However, it took Dale a few months to find a job which was disappointing considering his skills, passion, and work ethic.  Now that my job is nearly finished and Dale is well on his way to becoming a sommelier we are looking ahead at our future.  Montana will be dead-end for Dale.  There are few high end restaurants that need sommeliers and even fewer distribution companies in search of wine reps.  We constantly browse craigslist and winejobs.com and are consistently amazed at the job openings in the wine market in the Seattle/WA/OR area.  It would be easy for Dale to move up the wine ladder and hopefully land his dream job someday living closer to wine country, big cities, and fancy restaurants.  Not too mention, I sold several sets of dryer balls to Seattlites and was excited to see the potential in all those crunchy stores.

All in all, our trip was great.  It left us puzzled and confused as far as what we want for our life and our children's lives.  We don't like traffic or crime.  The schools aren't great.  But the culture and diversity is hard to pass up.  Our friends are close by.  We love the possibilities.  And, being landlocked in Montana is getting a little depressing.  We have some time to think as we aren't heading anywhere soon, but this trip certainly gave us a lot to digest.

We spent the last two days of our vacation in Leavenworth, WA at the Sleeping Lady Resort.  It was the most relaxing, peaceful two days I have had in a long time.  The amenities were amazing.  The food delicious.  And the hot pool.....how I long to return to thee. 

I will say, there is nothing like returning to your own house.  Sinking in to my bed and my favorite pillows was heavenly.  Needless to say, next week I will be ready to pack my bags and head on another adventure....somewhere just anywhere but here.