The Luck of the Three-Legged Chilean Pig

So finally, Doug and I have returned from our two-week excursion to the West Coast, and we had a great trip. We spent Christmas with my Canadian family in the Vancouver, British Columbia, area, visited my mom briefly in Bellingham, Washington, and then drove down to Seattle for some apartment hunting and New Year's fun.

Apartment hunting? This may be news to some, but to make it official, we have decided to pack up our belongings and make the big move to (or, in my case, back to) the Pacific Northwest. Not that we aren't happy in Raleigh, but a lot of personal decisions concerning job prospects and the possibility of a future baby Greene all play a role, along with the appealing idea that we can finally experience four real seasons instead of the South's seasons: lukewarm, warm, hot, and really freaking hot. Wait. You say it rains in Seattle? It does rain a lot—in November and December. Actually Washington, D.C., and New York have higher annual rainfall averages. And contrary to popular belief, it hardly ever snows. I'm definitely looking forward to camping, swimming, biking, and hiking in the 75-degree-July summers once again. We don't want to live in the city, but comfortable suburbia appeals to us, so we had our sights set east of  Lake Washington in Kirkland, Redmond, Bellevue, or Issaquah.

With this in mind, I had a lot riding on our New Year's visit to Seattle. Doug's only been to Seattle once, and it was a brief and wet experience, so I wanted him to see the Pacific Northwest with my eyes this time and understand why and just how much I am in love with that part of the country.

Legendary Chocolate Chip Cookie

Initially, Seattle disappointed me with a steady downpour the first night we arrived. My friend Corrie, who we were staying with, was nice enough to take us downtown, and we explored Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square, and a few shopping areas, and purchased a cookie the size of my head (pictured right). We had fun, but I really wanted the next day—our day to apartment scout—to exclude galoshes and umbrellas and the ever-present steely gray hue that overshadows everything in the rain. And then our luck changed. While exploring downtown, Corrie took us to the Seattle Art Museum's gift shop, and that's where I found the little three-legged Chilean pig. Three-legged pigs, called chanchitos, are apparently very good luck in Chili, and I thought we could use a little extra boost of fortune, so I bought the little guy; Doug named him Churro.

Our Three-Legged Chilean Pig, Churro

And the next day, Churro rode shotgun with us to find our new future home, and he gave us some sun and a fantastic taste of suburban Seattle. Driving across the bridge over Lake Washington, we could see snowy peaks to the north and south, and a veritable wall of evergreens rose to meet us on the other side. We visited apartments and shopping centers nestled in the trees with perfect, rugged mountain backdrops. And thankfully, on the practical side of our search, we also found reasonable rent prices and discovered the wonders of Seattle public transit.

At the end of the day, we enthusiastically chose Redmond and Issaquah as our top favorite living locations, although many decisions will depend on where Doug finds his new job. But we had a great visit, and it made us hopeful for the future. Thanks Churro!