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As you may have figured out from previous posts, I am "new" to the Seattle area. I put new in quotes because I have technically lived here since February (which means I am not really new). But let me explain the "new" a little better. Of the 7 months I have lived in Seattle, I have been gone for a total of 3.5 months. That means I have only been home in my new home for 3.5 months. In my opinion, that still makes me a "new" resident. What this means is that I am still learning about Seattle and figuring things out. What this also means, is that I have been able to spend some really good time with favorites who live so far away (hooray!). And lastly, it means I have been able to go back to my old home (Phoenix) far more than I anticipated. From a work perspective, it's kind of a bummer. But from a personal perspective, it's been so nice to transition away from there. No cold turkey for this girl!

Being gifted with the unexpected time in Phoenix, it has made me really start to think about what makes your home a home. If people ask why I moved to Seattle, I alwyas start by saying, "I lived in Phoenix for 6 years and it never felt like home". Oddly, by moving away it is more home now than it ever was when I lived there. This is not to say that I regret my move (I definately don't!), but it has made me appreciate what Phoenix has to offer.

So, in that vane (and in homage to one of my favorite bloggers) here are my Top Ten lists (don't worry list lady, they are an even number just for you) for both Seattle and Phoenix and why they each have a special place in my heart:

Phoenix Loves(since it was first in my adult life):

1. It never snows (I know this is an easy one, but I really hate scraping off a car before I have to get somewhere in the morning.)


2. You can swim outside practically every day of the year.


3. The first days it reaches 100. It actually feels good to be warmed all the way to your bones. (Believe me, it does get old 6 months in, but initally it's lovely.)


4. When trees are green, they look brilliantly green because the rest of the landscape is brown.


5. It made me appreciate brown and the various shades. (I am serious. The shades of brown can be really beautiful.)


6. Sunsets and sunrises are never quite as beautiful as they are in the desert. (sorry, Papa, but Lake Michigan sunsets just can't beat a good desert sunset.)


7. The feeling of being somewhere unexplored (even though it's a thriving metropolis you can drive 25 miles west or just south of Chandler and listerally be in the middle of nowhere)


8. And the most important- the people who helped shape 6 years of my life. It was a good ride and I would not have become who I am without those people. The good ones will always be part of me and part of my life.

Seattle Loves

1. The smell of salt water in the air (all the time!)


2. Being able to walk .5 miles and see water, boats, little shop, and a great market.


3. The way my garden grows! (It is amazing. I have never seen plants grow the way mine did and they were slightly neglected due to my travel schedule)


4. The availability of fresh food (fish and fruit being at the tippy-top of the list)


5. Coffee!


6. Culture at my fingertips.


7. The cityscape. Every time I cross the West Seattle bridge on Hwy 99, I grin from ear-to-ear that this is where I live!


8. How Mt Rainier still surprises when it appears as if out of nowhere (how a HUGE mountain can do that is amazing and delightful to me.)


9. That I can wear pants everyday and not sweat to death. (Grandma Schulte knees are not short-friendly which can pose a problem if you live in a place where it 100+ for 40 days out of the year.)


10. The People. The good friends who have taken me under their wings to introduce me to their home and help make it mine. And the new people I have met, who want this to be home as quickly as it can be.

In short, the common denominator here (and to my previous "homes") are the people who help shape that place in my memory. I am a lucky lady who has had many places to call home.