It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like… Rain

HOW IS IT ALREADY DECEMBER.

I’m pretty sure I say this every single year, so at this point it’s probably rendered completely null and void, but I seriously cannot believe how quickly 2012 went by. Happy holidays, y’all.

Here I am, nestled back in Seattle from my world travels, and I gotta say… this is a completely different Seattle than the one I left five weeks ago. This is the Seattle everyone warned me about before I moved here: gloomy, rainy, and dark. The sun pretty much never comes out, but when it does, I run around outside in a swimsuit, celebrating 50 degrees and Vitamin D. Not really. But it’s tempting.

The first week Nick and I were back in the Emerald City, we both contracted colds and watched the entire first season of Once Upon A Time. Yep that’s right, I successfully got my supercool pro snowboarder boyfriend hooked on the lamest/most addicting show of all time. We sat inside, gazed mournfully at the zillions of raindrops falling unapologetically everywhere, and didn’t exactly know what to do.

Then we got outside.

The Northwest is best appreciated when you suit up, sans umbrella, and march outdoors. So what if you get a little wet in the process. Just like everything else in life, Seattle’s weather is made much more tolerable with a positive attitude and a little bit of determination. And it’s beautiful here. For the first time in my life, I’m beginning to appreciate cold weather. My California wardrobe has been replaced with flannel, scarves, and beanies. I live in the Ballard district of Seattle, which has a style all it’s own. The word ‘hipster’ is never heard here. Staying warm and subsequently stylish is a way of life. See: @ballardvibes on Instagram.

Exciting things are coming! I am in the final stages of editing my upcoming memoir-in-the-making, Believing Is Seeing, which is due to be released later this month (!!!). Also, I have been working on a Ballard-inspired series of watercolor paintings dubbed Vintage Nautical, which will soon be up on Etsy. If octopus tentacles are your jam, this series is for you. Seattle, despite the incessant precipipation, truly has become a root of inspiration in my life.

More than anything, this is a season of thankfulness.

The Space Needle in a rare moment of sunshine.