Seattle Life: Week 3

A common misconception about Seattle is that it rains a lot. This is actually not true. New York gets more rain than here. As a non-native, I get why. What's often mistaken for rain is really mist (or what in Phoenix, we'd refer to as "spit"). No umbrella required. That said, there have been some incredible storms here since I've arrived. One in particular this past week shot lightning at the Space Needle—a mere 2 miles away from my place. (Video here.) Not quite the monsoons of Arizona, but definitely a spectacular display of creation.


Things I've Learned:

- That I'm a user experience designer. Had no idea until now. This will probably change my career in the long-run, but for now I'm exploring the options. (For more UX stuff, there's some good articles here, here, and here.) I'm currently reading Don't Make Me Think, by Steve Krug, which has been both delightful and informative about web usability.

- How to make chocolate-covered bacon.

Highlights:

- Seeing Around the World in 80 Days at Tap Roots.

- Sharing stories and dreaming about the future with Marie.

- Pipes + Cigars on the deck with Graham + Joe + Mark, discussing user experience design and the second commandment.

- Being moved to the bull pen section of The City means we now have a trifecta of awesome. The Josh + Joe + Luz combination involves some pretty hilarious dialog. Josh writes about it here.

avenues

Avenues run one way
Streets they run the same
Something in the air here
Still keeps me away

-- "Avenues" by Whiskeytown

Seattle Life: Week 2

Things I've Learned:
- There's just too much in Seattle that I want/need to do. Working on a list for future trips back here.

- Must stop at two cups a day. Even if it's the delicious Storyville Coffee, French pressed to perfection. Two is enough.

- Norwegian Constitution Day is May 17. I celebrated it with my dear friends Dustin + Marie, which involved watching one of the world's largest syttende mai parades. There was an abundance of traditional Norwegian dress, but few viking helmets.

- Seattle has a *huge* Scandinavian population. This has resulted in Scandinavian talk radio and the Norse Home Retirement Community.

- There is also a large unicycle community here in Seattle. This is also an acceptable form of P.E. for elementary schools. True story.

- The City just gets better and better. Being able to be a part of its expansion is amazing. I'm so grateful for the people involved in this. I come home with a full head and heart resulting from these incredible people. Care for craft and care for the soul run hand in hand here.

Highlights:
- Learning about Don Cherry and his wardrobe.

- Meeting up with Toby and Rebekah during their stop in Seattle on their cruise.

- Discovering Peroshki Peroshki at Pike Place market. DE-LI-CIOUS.

- Gorgeous weekend weather. Upper 70's. Northwestern sunshine is unlike anything else!

- Arrested Development lunch at the office.

- Being asked for directions. Apparently, I look like a local.

- Zoka. Zoka. Zoka.

- Sunday's Scandinavian adventure with Dustin and Marie.

- Midnight pancakes with Emily.

- Late night pizza and coffee with Dan.

- Being able to participate in a community group here at Mars Hill. It's small and filled with lovely people. Very encouraging.

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To see life here the last two weeks, take a peek at my Flickr.

Seattle Life: Week 1

The view of the Olympic mountains from right around the corner of the house. Can be seen only when the clouds are high. Quite a treat.

Things I've Learned:
- Sunshine is a valuable commodity here. Locals take it to a farcical level.

- Shopping at a small grocery store down the street is as glamorous as I imagined it. Carrying my goods back via public transit, however, is not.

- My acquisition of an iPhone becomes more imminent the more times I get lost on the bus.

- The current season is late spring, and 58° is not unusual here. [This messes with my desert mind in so many ways.]

- "What's Love Got To Do With It" is sung by Tina Turner, not Janet Jackson.

Highlights:
- Being at The City. This has been nothing short of a rad experience. There's some pretty amazing people here and it really is an honor to be able to work with them. I've been greatly encouraged by some great life-giving conversations about community, design, and bacon. There's much I can learn from these wise and knowledgeable folks.

- Finding out that a box of donuts were a means of grace. True story.

- Drinking lots and lots of Storyville Coffee. Delicious and beautifully designed.

- Design project research has been nothing short of a dream! It's involved lots of mid-century modern infographics, and playing with lots of Archer and Gotham.

- Currently reading Total Church and The Ode Less Traveled. Both are fantastic books and have gotten me very excited about living life more fully.

P.S. I've been sick for most of the week, which has hindered the projects I need to finish up for Hello Luz clients. Haven't had much energy to do anything but crash when I get home. Would appreciate your prayers for my health.

Packing Up Again

The last week has been absolutely crazy. The last month, really. But much surprise has visited me in the last few days. I came home after two weeks traveling to Washington and San Francisco on Sunday. Tuesday, an opportunity to go back to Seattle to work for the rad guys at The City arose. This upcoming Monday night, I'm flying back up there for a month to be their onsite print designer! It's a short-term project, but it's totally a dream come true. The last few days have been spent with much grinning and squealing. Guess I finally get to live in Seattle and live in Phoenix!

I can't believe how perfectly this has all come together. The timing came at a point when my projects were beginning to dwindle down and my finances also. My friend, Sara, is letting me stay with her at her awesome apartment, which happens to be very close to the office. I've already got a great church to be a part of and relationships already built there. I'm already a pro at navigating the King County Metro, so transportation is totally covered. Not to mention work is going to be amazing! I've been a huge supporter of what The City has been doing and it's a huge honor to partner with them in strengthening churches. I get to work with some amazing designers, too. Can't wait to learn from Graham and Joe!

I can do nothing but marvel at God's kindness to me. Getting laid off was the best thing ever.