October Blues

October is a sad month in Seattle. Phrases like, "I can't believe it's still this dark at 9AM," or "I come to work in the dark and I leave for home in the dark," are common conversation starters and stoppers at this time of year. A gloom begins to settle over the city and her people, replacing the radiant glow that was another long and lovely Seattle summer.

As dreary and as long as Seattle's winters are, October is the worst of it. Although the weather in October does begin to deteriorate, getting colder, wetter and darker, it's the fact that this weather trend is just beginning, coupled with the anticipation of the long, dark winter ahead, that makes October so unbearable. 

When we first moved to Seattle the dreariness of the Seattle winters didn't affect us, not until our 3rd year. Once the winters started to have a negative affect on us we decided "Winter Sun" vacations were in order. In the winter of 2003 we initiated what we had hoped would be an annual tradition of chasing the sun.

Unfortunately, though our initial trip to Zihuatenejo, Mexico was amazing, this idea hasn't happened regularly enough to be a reliable defense against Seattle's winters.

Next, we tried to work with the elements rather than against them and took up snowboarding. Although she lived in Salt Lake City, UT for 21 years, Desi had never learned how to ski or snowboard. Starting from scratch, she took lessons at Mount Baker and we both got fully outfitted. Unfortunately, perhaps due to the minimum 2 hour one way drive to decent snow or to the high ski lift ticket prices, snowboarding has not become the escape we initially predicted nor the distraction we require.

Now, in 2009, with the idea that this may be our last winter in Seattle, we need to develop a new strategy for getting through these next few months. Winter doesn't end in Seattle until May. Though there may be some nice days, and even some warm ones, beginning in February, those respites are surrounded by dreariness until near the end of May and sometimes into June.

With some "Winter Sun" trips already planned, and one trip dedicated to snowboarding, we hope this season will pass quickly. However, when it eventually does pass, we'll undoubtedly become sentimental about the passing of our last winter in Seattle, regardless of how miserable it actually was.

Edinburgh

While in Mexico back in April we were inspired by a New Zealand couple to evaluate our life plan. Prior to our trip, we had abstract plans about where our life was headed but nothing concrete. This couple from New Zealand, on holiday for 3 months after living in London for 5 years and on their way to Sydney to start life again, inspired us to take a hard look at our life and goals. What we came up with was a desire to move abroad, specifically Scotland.

We got back from that trip to Mexico very motivated to make our move. After doing research into visas, we found that the only visa that would work for us would be a student visa. We started doing research into some schools and, along the way, we both fell in love with the idea of being students again. But, realistically, only one of us could be a student while the other supported both and we drew straws and Mike won. So, Mike applied to Edinburgh College of Arts and we waited.

Mike received notice yesterday that his application to ECA was unsuccessful due to capacity issues. Apparently, ECA reaches capacity during Round 1 applications and Mike was applying during Round 3. After a little sadness we brushed ourselves off and started to strategize our plan B.

Since the student visa is our only way in, we're going to still try for a fall 2008 start date. International students have until 6/30/2008 to apply, so Mike is sending an application to approximately 10 other art colleges, including a few traditional universities with fine art programs. If those schools are at capacity as well (highly unlikely for the traditional universities, I think) then there's always the Clearing.

If Mike hasn't been accepted by any school by 7/1 his applications are sent to Clearing, which will allow him to take a spot given to someone else who has either declined the offer or withdrawn after accepting. All this to say, even with this set back, we're still on track with our plan. We won't give up the fall 2008 date until 9/1, when most classes start. After 9/1 we'll focus on fall 2009, which would allow more time to plan and budget and maybe even visit (for the first time) the place we hope to live for the next 5 years. Some would say fall 2009 would be the more prudent/realistic/practical goal, but those people don't know us very well.

Back to Reality

We returned from Mexico red and tan, relaxed, happy and with many plans for the future. At the tail-end of our trip we met this wonderful couple from New Zealand that really inspired us in many ways. One of the inspirational moments was when they began discussing this fantastic hotel in Jamaica. They showed us the website and told us great stories, so we decided immediately that our next beach vacation was going to be to that hotel in Jamaica. Now, when that next vacation will occur is anybody's guess. But, if nothing else, it'll be where we conclude Desi's 30th birthday celebration bonanza year.

Right after returning from vacation in Mexico Desi had to travel to Alderbrook Resort in Hood Canal, WA for business. It was a nice, relaxing place to hold 4 days of meetings. Mike & Meg were able to join her on the second day, which was nice and helped ease the transition from vacation back to work.

Mike started his first temp assignment this past Tuesday. He gets to do mindless filing for a couple weeks, which is his dream job. He's finding out that the bar is pretty low for temp employees and he's having fun being continuously praised for having any skills whatsoever. It's constant comedy and he's really enjoying himself. Plus, the commute is about 3 minutes, which compares to his old commute of 45 minutes, so he's relishing that change, too.

Happy Birthday To Me!

Yesterday was the first day of my 30th Birthday Celebration Bonanza Year. My good friend, neighbor, and Costa Rica travel companion, Laura, took me for a mani/pedi at Julep in the U-District. We got to drink wine while getting pampered, which was awesome, and then Laura took me to Coupage in Madrona for dinner. I had the black cod and she had the beef yaki soba. We had beignets for dessert, but we eat dessert as the first course so we technically had it as an appetizer. Dinner was really good, too, for a neighborhood restaurant. We both agreed that we liked Coupage more than La Medusa, which is it's counterpart in Columbia City.

We leave for Playa del Carmen, Mexico on Tuesday. I wanted to do something memorable for my 30th, since it's so often I can't remember what I do or what I get for my birthday. I didn't want that to happen for 30. So, Mike's giving me a trip to Playa del Carmen. It's going to be fantastic!

My birthdays are usually at least a week long celebration but for this milestone I'm going for the full year of celebrations. Other trips already scheduled are Washington, D.C. and New York City. Both are business trips I'm extending and Mike isn't coming with me for NYC, but that just means I get to see Lion King on Broadway and Wicked, rather than only one. We're also planning a group trip to Las Vegas in October for Elton John. I want to also do another volunteer vacation. I'm hoping for Uganda but will probably have to settle for Guatemala.