Why Seattle?

I get that question a lot. Why did you move to Seattle, WA from Los Angeles, CA? Was it for a job? Did you move up here with anyone? How many people do you know in Seattle? People say I am brave to have moved up here by myself. I've never really considered myself a brave person, so this is strange to hear. To answer the question honestly, I moved up here for a change of scenery. I found myself suffocating in LA, I just couldn't be me. I'm not keen on driving so I relied heavily on the bus system, which sucked and deserves a blog post all its own. My time in Los Angeles consisted of parent-time, work and the gym here and there. In a way, it helped me recharge: giving me the strength I had lost in San Francisco to start fresh in a new city. And here I am. I've been in Seattle since March and I am slowly but surely making my way here. I knew I wanted to work at REI so I applied and was hired. I knew I wanted to explore the outdoors, something I felt I was akin to but never quite had the opportunity to explore. I've been hiking a lot these days and very much look forward to snowshoeing in the coming weeks. I have plans of conquering my fear of the ski lift as well. A friend from work insists I learn to snowboard with her. If I must, I must. It's all about trying new things and seeing how far I can push myself. I don't think I give myself enough credit. When I moved to Seattle I knew I wanted to start dating again and perhaps find a girlfriend to call my own. I set up an OkCupid account and went on some dates. It felt good to be out there again. To sort of be free and meet these interesting (sometimes crazy) women in this new, beautiful city. I met a special lady in May. We became girlfriends shortly after and we had a really good time together. She made me laugh a lot. Unfortunately, said girl and I broke up last month. Our views of what a 'girlfriend' is were quite different and neither one of us wanted to compromise. Sure, I miss her. I think of her often and I am thankful for the time we shared. We did a lot together and she even took me to a John Legend concert. Bless her. So .. with the close of that relationship, a door (many doors?) are bound to open, right? I've been making new friends and 'nature' and I have become rather close. I am glad to be in this grand city. I appreciate my apartment at the Joey Ray. I love my cat with all my heart. And visitors (most recently my parents) are always welcome. It snowed when they were here and I fell on Denny Way. Running is my salvation. Baking is always fun .. And to quote my friend Jeremy, "Love will find you." -- In a way, it already has..