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.

Evening Plans

You guys!  I finished work at a reasonable time tonight (6:30pm)!

I had a whole night with endless possibilities.  And then I realized I have no idea what to do with myself.  I  know I really need to, but I haven't cultivated anything to do since coming back...except work.

But whatever!  I'm a free bird.

So naturally, I went to Home Goods and bought a dog bed, came home and changed into my sweats/PJs, took Phoebe to the bathroom 3 times, and grocery shopped (yep, in that order).  And of course, I chatted with Steven the whole time.  And this:

Living on the edge.

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.

Music: Saturday Songs

Sad songs are kind of my thing (although Sarah circa 2000 - 2008 definitely has me beat).  Of all the music that I really love, I'd say at least 70% is kind of (or a lot) heartbreaking in one way or another.  It's the same with my taste in books - it isn't good unless I feel something grave.  I used to complain about it in high school - we only ever read books about misery and heartbreak and catastrophe.  I thought it was so depressing/perplexing and I couldn't understand why learning them was so important.

But as I've gone through life (or life has gone through me), my appreciation for the bluer side has changed drastically.  Life is hard and full of obstacles and no one gets through it unscathed - but that's part of the allure.  After 15 years of making "grown up" decisions and living the consequences, I've come to believe that hardship (however big or small) and the choices we make in the face and wake of it, are what shape a person's character.  And to me, that's a really inspiring and beautiful concept.  The hardest and most harrowing experiences of our lives are the ones that give us the greatest opportunity to be the kind of people we want to be.

And long story short - somewhere in all the hurt of a sad song I find hope.  A little crazy, eh?

Whatevs, even if it doesn't make perfect sense, I still dig 'em.  And these are the ones on repeat today.

Making Pies by Patty Griffin



If it's the Beaches by the Avett Brothers



Widower's Heart by Trampled by Turtles



Oh, and I also love bluegrass.  But that's a different thing altogether.

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.

Lately: zzzzzz

Current mood:

Image credit: ohgigue

I'm eating cooking videos for dinner

It's dinnertime on Sunday and I'm hungry.  But instead of procuring food, I'm blogging.  I started out reading cooking articles and videos online for some dinner inspiration, and somehow ended up just watching without cooking.  Eh.

Lately, I've been living off ready to eat meals and deli counter food, which is so unlike me.  But with everything in flux and how completely exhausting it is to be back in the office (how did I ever do this?), cooking has taken a backseat.  Even when I've had time and the groceries, I just haven't had the energy or desire.  After a month passed with no change in feelings, I started to wonder if I was ever going to want to cook again.  Was I turning a new page in my life...perhaps a kitchen-less one?

But today, I woke up feeling like my old self again and spent most of the day cooking and immersing myself in Mimi Thorisson's French Country Cooking (thanks Shawn and Kt!)  And I've gotta say, it was a pretty fantastic day.  Amongst other things, I made a crustless quiche to eat for lunch this week and a big ol' pot of homemade Arrabiata.

Photo from Mimi Thorisson's website

But dinner, not so much.  I tried to be adventurous, and combined my homemade Arrabiata with these tofu shirataki noodles that I picked up the other day. It wasn't good, not even a little (I blame the tofoodles).  It wasn't bad per se, but the texture just didn't do it for me.  The fact that the tofoodles kept perspiring probably didn't help either.  In the end, I ate about 5 bites before putting it down to look at yummier food on the internet instead.  It's probably going to be a while before I try that again, but I'm sure next time I'll do a little more research beforehand.

But while browsing yummier food online, I got stuck in a carb loop. And of course, I'm sharing:







And this scrumptious concoction is my favorite for the night.  It has so many ingredients I love - morels, asparagus, cheese, gnocchi, and butter!


Of course, I probably won't be making any of these dishes tonight.  Especially since I've now spent 90 minutes watching videos and blogging.  Hard boiled eggs for dinner?


Note: When I first started making Arrabiata, I followed this recipe.  Over time, my sauce has morphed into entirely my own thing, but this was where I started.  Now I use fresh tomatoes instead of canned, drastically reduced the onions because Steve isn't very fond of them, use only a little garlic because I want the tomatoes to be the star, fancy up the salt, and I prefer the flavor (i.e. swift kick in the gut) of fresh little Thai peppers over traditional red pepper flakes.