Pike Place, Beds, IKEA, and BBQ

I went to Pike Place Market yesterday for lunch. I simply walked 3 blocks south from my office, and I was there. I pulled out my book (The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner, chick lit at its finest), settled on a stool, and looked at Elliott Bay in all its glory.

All around me, tourists were taking pictures and oohing & ahhing over the wonder that is Seattle, Pike Place, Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains, the Space Needle, and Mount Rainier--all of which were in sight. I live in a city were people spend thousands of dollars to visit, and work a mere 3 blocks from several world-renowned attractions.

And you can tell I'm not from around here, or I wouldn't ooh and ahh over the fact that I live in such a place. Jesse gets quite bored with my oohing & ahhing at all the Seattle stuff he's been around his entire life.

This is my second week at the Art Institute, and I love it so far. To be sure, it's a ton of information and will not be an easy job but I think it will be a great fit for me. I get to talk with prospective students all day, everyday and hear their stories, interests, dreams & goals and see if the AiS (Art Institute of Seattle) has a good program for them. I'm glad I signed the dotted line (or rather, solid line) on my offer letter. :)

I made a truly fabulous purchase once I had accepted the new job...hallelujah, I have my very own queen-sized bed from Sleep Country! No more twin beds, no more uncomfortable mattresses. You see, since I left home in 1996 the first time, I have been sleeping on hand-me-down or school-sponsored or missionary bedding--all twin sizes and not a one comfortable.

I also invaded IKEA for the first time ever last weekend. People have told me for years that I would love IKEA. They also tried to explain that you have to walk through the entire store, which I could never understand...why can't you just turn around and walk out. Oh, I get it now. There's only registers after you have followed the one-way trail through the entire mega-store. Jesse had fun introducing me to the wonder that is IKEA, and helping me pick out stuff for my new place.

I have been told that I'm a "friend separater" (separator?) by several of my friends, and I guess I am. I tend to hang out in very distinct groups, and actually usually one-on-one getting coffee or dinner with my friends. That's why, after a year in Seattle, Jenn has never met Chrissy, Chrissy has never met Gina, Gina has never met Paula, Paula has never met Josephine, etc. Well, I decided to be a "friend gatherer" last night and invited my new roommate Leah and dear friend Chrissy to dinner. So the 3 of us went to Dad Watson's, a fun bar & grill in Fremont, and lo and behold...we HAD FUN. Who woulda thunk it? I should be a friend gatherer more often.

So...my newest idea? Why don't all y'all, anyone reading this post, come on over to Seattle (you should really want to after reading the first part of this post) and I will have a slumber party for all of you in my new place? I supposed I'll ask Leah if this is ok, or she may prefer that I go back to being a friend separater (or).

Ah yes, one other recent hap worth mentioning. So, back in the Africa days, my roommate Kate & her now-husband Tim who are both from North Carolina tried to convince Kari (from Georgia) and me (from Texas, of course) that true barbecue is only in NC. (Jonathan, Jeremy (both from Iowa) and Tad (Ohio) could care less about the entire topic. However, Kari & I were clearly miffed. Well, 5 years later, Tim sent Kari and me this video to prove once and for all that he and Kate were right. Watch the video for yourself and determine if you'd believe anything these guys say.