shouldn't have left you without a dope beat to step to

Subtitle: we live in Seattle now! If you feel left out because you didn't know about our big move (just for the summer, mind you), you shouldn't! We didn't tell anyone. It just kind of snuck up on us and now here we are, a month into Robbie's internship. And the minute we got here our laptop died on us and Robbie's work laptop makes me want to pull my hair out, so here's my belated update on our life for the past month or so. Lots of pictures too, for those of you who just scroll past the text for that sort of thing anyway. (The TL;DR version for people who just want to know how Rhoda's doing is that she talks a mile a minute now and has way more hair than she did in my last post.)

If you haven't already heard, Seattle is basically perfect in the summer. June is apparently usually questionable, but we won the lottery and got just two cloudy/rainy days this month. (Sorry Allison.) The problem with testing out living in a city in the PNW during the only cloudless months of the year is that you don't have experience with months of gray at a time, or with happy lamps. So we'll have to revisit that in a few months when we're figuring out where we want to live I guess... but for now I'll just enjoy the sunshine.

So far all of the other non-weather related stereotypes about Seattle are turning out to be true, such as the alarmingly high number of white people I see with dreds and the immediate desire I had to go camping once we landed at the airport. Two of the most surprising things to me are how aggressive homeless people are here (you give them the benefit of the doubt that they're normal when they start to exchange pleasantries with you, and then they start shaking their arms above their head and start rambling about how you need to get your baby home to feed them some g--d---- steak and eggs) and how EVERYONE HERE SMOKES. Do we not live in the 21st century?! I still don't understand why people smoke. I understand even less why people vape, and there's plenty of that going on here too.

Overall I'm pretty into the Emerald City. We live in a sort of lame area for families without a car (downtown) but cool for accessibility to the best Greek yogurt I've had in my life. I also really like our ward, and I like every single person I've met here. Not that I don't like people I meet in other places, but I've been pleasantly surprised at how welcoming everyone has been to us even though we'll just be here for a couple of months. The Relief Society presidency came over for a visit two days after our first Sunday at church, which was super impressive, and I am now regretting ignoring most of the interns in the Capitol Hill ward, because interns are people too! I've also been introduced to lots of friends of friends (who should be living in Seattle right now and NOT in Pocatello or Palo Alto) and we've been keeping busy every day with outings to splash pads, parks, and City Target (hallelujah, it's a block away from our apartment building).

Okay, time for pictures and witty captions.

Landing at SeaTac. The beginning of a week of jet lag-induced tantrums (for 2/3 of us). Glad we're past that stage... for now.

We live right around the corner from Pike's Place Market, which is awesome if only for the immediate accessibility of crumpets.

LDS churches, they just don't make 'em like they used to! I'm in love with our building's landscaping. First Presidency, take note.

 This is the view from Kerry Park, which is at the top of a hill I tried to summit with a jogging stroller on a very hot morning. The Bob can do many things, but running uphill on a narrow cobblestone streets poses a real challenge. Google Maps should really give you some warning about severe elevation climbs.

Thanks to a sweet discount from Robbie's employer we get into a lot of places for a great discount. $3 for a dinky children's museum? I'll take it!

This photo was not taken in Seattle but since Courtney and Brent really should still be living here I'll count it. Rhoda and I went to Palo Alto for Cousin Karls's wedding last month and Courtney was super nice and babysat Rhoda while I went to the reception. Rhoda and William were too much to watch walking around in their sleep sacks, especially after Courtney said they looked like Maggie Simpson.

Rhoda looking super impressed with Courtney

I needed to document how efficient of a solo traveler I've become. On my California trip I had a backpack, an overnight bag, a travel crib, and Rhoda in the Ergo on my person, while carrying around her car seat. Also, I didn't have to check any bags. Maybe that's less efficient and more crazy, but whatever. I've got this routine down. May I also note that no one in the airport offered to help me with my luggage... I guess I looked like I had too much of a handle on things. ("I got it, I got it!"... anyone?)

This photo is included so that I can get some reassurance that this jellyfish looks less like a jellyfish and more like a set of Fallopian tubes?

Come on Seattle, stop being so pretty!

Come on Rhoda, stop looking like an adult!

Rhoda hanging out on the time out bed in our apartment/hotel. Related: we have a bi-weekly cleaning service! I'm not mad about it.

Rhoda and an unconsenting pig. 

I'd really love you to hear Rhoda say "Space Needle." I don't even know how to repeat it but it's funny every time.

Summer time = melon time; maybe also time to find a new hat that actually fits Rhoda's melon, if you catch my drift.

Rhoda and a statue's bum.

Five girls at a tiny table.

Rhoda hates carousels. Sorry for ruining your weekend, kid.

There we are!

Rhoda ran a fever for a couple of days and wouldn't eat anything until a few days later when she discovered homemade lemon cupcakes at her buddy Sage's birthday party.

My buddy and me.

Phoebe lives only 3ish hours away now so she came up for a visit with 3/4 of her kids last week! Rhoda still points at the chairs at our dining room table and says "Phoebe's chair. Aggie's chair. Sully's chair." Time for another visit!

Rhoda and her new friend Luca, whom she affectionately calls Booga.