It's offical...

…we’re moving to Seattle!

Now for the FAQ.  Most people when I tell them that say “Congratulations!”.  Followed almost immediately by one of the following questions; “Why?”, “Do you have family out there?”, Do you guys have a job yet?”.  I think the hardest of these questions is the first one.  So instead of telling “why” we’re moving to Seattle, let me tell you what it is about Seattle that we’re really excited about.

Seattle is a beautiful, lush place with amazing views of cloud covered mountains peeking through like storybook kingdoms. 

It is a very artsy place, which means that it has a great music scene (in fact one of Joe’s favorite bands is from there) and will hopefully help me rejuvenate some of my dormant creativity. 

The people in Seattle are exceptionally friendly.  When we went out to visit in February, we were chatted up in bars, lines and pizza joints (Serious Pie…yummm) by people we had never met before, who wanted nothing from us, but talked to us like old friends, bought us drinks, and offered us advice about the area.  This is such a change from the stiff, keep to yourself attitudes of northern Virginians that we were taken aback at first and kept waiting to hear what it was they actually wanted from us.

Everyone hikes, bikes and goes outside in Seattle.  Yes, it drizzles or mists a lot in Seattle.  Often it flat out rains, but people there don’t seem to mind.  Everyone rides a bike, there are even actual bike lanes on the road!  People who we know form Northern VA who were never really the “outdoorsy” type actually spend their weekends outside hiking, skiing, canoeing and whatnot.  I’ve really missed these kinds of things since moving to NOVA and can’t wait to get back into the outdoors without having to drive an hour to do so.

The farmers markets in February were amazing.  There was tons of fresh fruit and vegetables and they all looked fantastic.  From the little we actually tasted, everything was delicious, most of it was organic and it was mostly local.  If that’s what’s available in February I can wait to try what will be there during the summer and fall months!

We will be within quick travel distance of several other amazing places including: Vancouver (about 2 hours), Portland (about 2 hours), Alaska (3 hour plane ride), Hawaii (quick plane ride), and the wonders of California (Napa, San Diego, and San Francisco).  All of which are places we’re hoping to travel to during extended weekend trips once we get settled.

Did I mention it’s beautiful?  On our trip out there we absolutely fell in love with Alki Beach.  The stony beach, with its tide pools full of hidden treasures; vibrant anemones, spiky urchins, and the occasionally darting shrimp or fish, were just captivating.  The view of the skyline of Seattle (complete with Space needle) off to our right was only matched by the Olympic Mountains and wooded beach off to our left.  Everywhere we went, there were amazing views, breathtaking sunsets and picturesque bungalows.  Who wouldn’t want to live around all that scenery?

So now we can get to the hard questions.

Do we have family there?

  No, but we have some amazing friends who went out from Northern VA and never came back, which gives us a good indication of how it compares to NOVA.

Do we have jobs yet?

  No, not yet, but if an elementary teacher and an IT guy can’t get a job in Seattle, then there’s something else going on.

Do we have a house yet?

 No again, but we’re planning a quick trip out there in July to house hunt and do some interviews.  We’ve been keeping tabs on what’s available and there are some great places for rent that are considerably less then what we would be spending back in NOVA.

Are we excited?

  Yes!  Neither of us has ever lived on the west coast before, so we are absolutely excited at all the possibilities and new adventures this will bring.

Which brings us back to our original question of why?  The easy answer is; why not?  The long answer is that we love our family and friends here in NOVA, but we are ready for the next adventure and what could be more adventurous then moving to the other side of the country and taking a week long car ride (with the yorkie) to get there?

We’re hoping to have lots of amazing things to post about along the way and once we get there.  Hopefully you’ll enjoy the ride along with us as you read along.