Snow and Snuggles

It's snowing (a teeny bit) in Seattle this weekend.  So naturally, I ditched my plans (I actually had some if you can believe it), lit a fire, roasted chestnuts, and snuggled with the Pheebs all weekend.

My entire life should be this cool.

Lately: Another House?

Now that I'm back in Seattle for the foreseeable future, we're kinda-sorta-maybe looking to buy a house again. After paying a mortgage on the Gig Harbor house, paying rent for an apartment just feels so futile.  And since the prospectus for the area is so positive for the next 10+ years, we decided now is better than later.  My lease doesn't expire for another 6-ish months, but we've put a toe back in to the real estate market.

But you guys, this is crazy.

I started by re-educating myself about the market using current inventory and past comps.  And when I saw what it looks like, my first reaction was:

Prices have increased by like $100,000 across in the last 2 years.  So that took a while to get over (like 2 months).  I kept obsessively researching and apparently I have to read the same thing from about 120 different sources for me to half-heartedly accept that this is where things are at.  

But then I finally made a list of potential properties in multiple areas and starting looking at them one by one.

There were 7 houses (in 4 different neighborhoods) in my first list, and this is basically how looking at them went:

So I took a 2 week break while Steven and I re-assessed whether we really wanted to do this.  In the end, the answer was still yes.  But I had to give myself a little pep talk before making and seeing another list.

Going forward, I decided to work my way through one neighborhood at a time to keep it a little more focused.  But it didn't go very well and I was getting pretty discouraged by what I was seeing:

And then about a month ago, I went back to Gig Harbor for a visit.  

Since then, we've accepted that we'll be happiest on the west side of the Puget Sound.  That area really encapsulates what we love about living in the Puget Sound, and luckily for us it's a little more affordable.  So now we at least know the general area we'd like to stick to.

And we're continuing the hunt for a specific house or property.  But the more we look, the more we're coming around to the idea that our best option is to buy a few acres with a meh (okay, in most cases down-right shitty) house, tearing it down, and rebuilding.

It's a daunting idea, but relatively attractive considering our other options.  And maybe it's just this time of year, but I'm feeling a lot like I did a year ago when I was packing.

So there. In the space of the last 5 months I've gone from "omg I'm so bored in Dubai" to "maybe we'll just build a custom house on the Puget Sound."

Sounds about right.

Phoebe in Seattle, again

PHOEBE IS HERE.

I picked her up from the Seattle airport on Friday and we haven't been apart since.  She spent the first 10 minutes of the ride home very dramatically whining at me, and I'm certain she was telling me the story of her arduous journey.  I made sure I nodded sympathetically, and injected lots of "really?" and "it's okay" and "well you're home now" type of comments.  She seemed satisfied.

And so far it's been pretty smooth.  We had one small (or large if we're really honest) pee incident about 30 minutes after arriving in the apartment, but that was my fault.  I'm a little out of practice when it comes to telling the difference between "Play with me" and "I have to pee" whines.  Clearly, it was the latter.  Good thing we have a heavy-duty carpet cleaner.

She was bouncing off the walls after we got home, so we walked to get a cup of tea and shared a cookie.

The "don't eat all my cookie" face.

I forgot the Chuck-it, so my arm-throwing distances were pathetic.  She was gracious and didn't make fun of me.

Tired, happy, and blurry.  Ball chasing (or maybe flying across the world) is exhausting.

But my poor Sven.  Now he's all alone and I can't help feeling sad for the loss I know he feels.  Phoebe is a giant bag of snores most of the time, but caring for her does wonders to stave off the worst of loneliness.  I've been really mopey lately and having her around is already helping.  Currently, she's laying beside me on the couch, snoring and farting on me at the same time.  How sweet it is to be a dog lover.

In happier news, all three of us will be together in a few weeks!  Steve's just popping in for a quick visit, but we're counting down the days.

A Belonging I Can't Place

I drove to Gig Harbor yesterday and I can't decide whether it was a good or bad idea.  While it was wonderful to revisit our former little town, it also left me with a sense of longing that I wasn't expecting.  I drove around the familiar streets, took in the familiar sights, and talked to some of our friends/neighbors, and couldn't help feeling like maybe I belonged in this sleepy little town full of boats, trees, retirees, crazy squirrels, and laid-back deer.  And that's just not something I was prepared for.

This might be a first.  I've never been attached to a particular house, town, or location of any kind.  Sure, there have been a few in the past that I really liked - but none have made my heart swell and my bones ache at the same time.  But I should point out - I don't feel like I don't belong in other places. It's more that I don't think/feel/consider "belonging" as a physical concept.  That is, until quite suddenly yesterday...I felt it.  

What. Is. Happening.

And now a day later, the more I think about it the bluer I become.  People have always been my only anchors, not places.  And as I try to explore my surprising emotions, I know that so much of it is inextricably tied to how much I miss Steven.  I think Gig Harbor was the first place where we've both been really happy (as opposed to him hating LA, me hating Vegas, and both of us being ambivalent to Belltown), and that satisfaction with our surroundings made everything a little sparklier (is that a word?)  What I can't separate right now is whether I feel this way because I miss our quaint little town, the happy little life we built there, or just simply Steven.  I have a feeling it's all three rolled into a giant, heart-stopping, triple-whammy.  And either way, it hit me like a ton of bricks and I've spent my day trying to avoid the creeping sadness.

Note to self: it's not that helpful to look at photos of your missing loves when trying to "keep it together"

But distraction is the key to compartmentalization, or at least it is for me. So first I tried hunting for some new neighborhoods that are gaining popularity and a lot closer to work.  Long story short - I hated all 3 of them.  Strike one.

Second, I went to an RV dealership to look at travel trailers because I don't know.  Strike two.  

And then finally, I fell back on my tried-and-true reliance on culinary therapy.  One grocery trip and 6 hours later, I have a pot of homemade Korean oxtail soup.  Of course, now it's after midnight and I'm just going to bed without eating any.  But that's okay, mission more or less accomplished.  The effort was distraction enough to keep me from going off the deep end.  And perhaps coming home to something yummy tomorrow will make my day a little brighter.  It's the little things, right?

Image and recipe: HipFoodieMom

Before I crawl into bed, here's a little cuteness from a couple years ago in Gig Harbor.

I'm disregarding what I said earlier about not looking at things I miss.  Oh, and there was probably a squirrel behind me.

Goodnight.

2017: The Year of Air Miles

This year, we'll spend a lot more time in the air.  If all goes according to plan (which never exactly happens but usually close enough), Sven and I will be flying all over the world every couple months to spend time together.

Add the extra travel to see family plus a little more for work, and I'll be on a plane at least once a month. I know that really isn't a lot compared to some of my colleagues that fly out and back every week, but it's certainly a step up from the last few years.

And of course, this includes Phoebe.  While we won't fly her back and forth with us on trips (but I would if I could) she's still getting some miles in this year too.  Last February, she flew from Seattle to Dubai and now she'll do it again to come join me in Ballard.  In just under 2 weeks, my furry babe will make the 7,400+ mile trek back to the land of rain, woods, beaches, and happy pups.

Photo credit: Sven!

But until then, I'm going to savor these aerial photos I took last weekend.  I don't know if we flew lower than normal (possible since it was a teeny plane), or if the snow just made everything more interesting to look at.  But I couldn't stop staring out the window at everything below.

These photos aren't the greatest, but I wanted to share anyway.  I hope you enjoy seeing the world from up high as much as I did.

I am not sure if this is snow or thick cloud coverage.  It's cloud, right?

This tree line was so interesting - so long, straight, and abrupt. It reminds me of the aerial views of the border between Israel and Egypt.

Snowy Portland

Sunset over the south Puget Sound was breath-taking.  It reminded again me why we love this place so much.  And made me want to buy another house way too far south.

Seattle skyline.  It's not for everyone, but we think this place is pretty great.

Moving to Seattle: An Apartment in Ballard

In the wee hours of this morning, I signed the lease for an apartment in Seattle.  Yep, even though I'm still in Dubai.  Here's the story...

I accepted the job offer about a week and a half ago.

My start date is in early December, so this gives me 5 1/2 weeks to pack all my Dubai stuff, find an apartment in Seattle, fly from Dubai to Vegas and Reno to spend Thanksgiving with our 4 families, drive a Uhaul with Sven full of stuff from storage in Reno to the new apartment in Seattle, move in and unpack the basics, get a new drivers license, put Steve on a plane back to Dubai (cry), and then be ready to travel to Atlanta GA for my first week of work.

It's a lot to do in a relatively short period of time, so I knew I had to cut corners somewhere.  Finding an apartment online instead of in-person was a natural choice since it could be done early from Dubai and take off some pressure towards the end.

Sure, why not?  I already had a couple neighborhoods in mind from our previous time living in Seattle, and I'm an old pro at finding housing online anyway.  I knew if I did my research well and picked carefully, it would be fiiiiine.  And if the carpet isn't the same color as the photo, or the room looks smaller in person, or the counter tops look a little older than some other place across the street - meh.  That doesn't really bother me.

I do however, need to be within walking distance to a park for Phoebe, a gym for me, and public transit so that I actually use all them as often as possible.  One thing I keep re-learning about myself is convenience is key - when something is just right there I usually force myself to go regularly.

When the gym is within 4-5 blocks of home

When the gym is far

So I've spent a good portion of the last 10 days hunting for apartments.  After some hemming and hawing, I settled on a 1 bedroom in Ballard.  The apartment meets all of the criteria, and then some them.  Plus, the additional "pet rent" for PB is pretty modest.  I CAN have my cake and eat it too (minus the fact that Sven will still be in Dubai and I'll have a 40-90 minute commute).

Of course, I don't move in until the end of November.  But at least it's one more thing that's DONE!

Gig Harbor House: Buying and Selling

We always knew that selling our house in an unpredictable market only 18 months after we bought it would be an interesting experience.  And oh it has.  My father-in-law is a real estate agent and he keeps reminding me that, "You just never know" when it comes to buying and selling houses.  

And while I keep repeating this mantra, I'm still shocked when we get unexpected news.

When buyer #1 inspection is totally benign, and then buyer #2 asks for $4,000 in repairs.

But while we're on the subject, I've had some time to reflect on the hilarious differences between buying and selling this house.  

Selling our house:

Pricing

Signing an offer

Inspection repair requests

The net sheet

After closing (at least this is how I expect to feel)

When we bought our house:

We had no idea what was happening and it felt like magic.

But as we go farther down the path of escrow #2 I'm trying to adopt a more Zen attitude, inspired in part by my cool as a cucumber spouse.  In a nutshell:

Imma try

Gig Harbor House: Selling Again

Less than 36 hours after the 1st buyers backed out of the sale of our home, a new offer has been signed with new buyers!

Our real estate agent, Kari, is worth her weight in gold.

My reaction

Steve's

My virtual appreciation for Kari

Gig Harbor House: On Selling - Heather vs. Steven

As some of you already know, we put our house up for sale in Gig Harbor around mid-March.  We accepted an offer a few days after listing and have been moving through the escrow/closing process ever since.  Today, I talked to the title company to arrange the details for signing the final papers in a few days (getting things notarized takes a little more effort here).

And then tonight, I got an email saying the buyers will not be moving forward with the transaction (we're not sure why).  Thirty-three days into the process and like a week from closing, and they will not be buying our house.

WHAT.  

Ugh. As always, we'll just move forward.  The only thing we can do is re-list and try again.  But this is the range of emotions I had within the first 10 minutes of receiving the news:

And this was the range of Steven's emotions from the minute we heard until the moment he went to bed:

So basically, this is our marriage:

we're different, but we dig it