Leaving work at 2 or 3am was never that bad in Seattle. To walk outside and see this skyline made every hour worth it. (And of course, the finished products of my efforts.)

I miss Seattle immensely. My job was quite possibly one of the coolest I’ve ever had, and I got to work with brilliant, wonderful people. Being home in DC – freelancing and job searching – has given me some great time to reflect on the experience. Every minute away from home was worth every minute exploring my temporary city. A city that hasn’t quite left my blood.

There are new opportunities on the horizon here, and I am excited to see where they lead. Every step forward is possible because of Seattle. Yes, also because of many, many other things… but Seattle was that last solidifying brick in my foundation.

Seen in Westlake Park. I heard rumors that the Occupy Seattle people were playing chess at one point, and all I could think of was this. Not sure if these people brought this set, or if it just kinda lives there.

I miss Seattle and all of its small bits of weird.

Obviously, this is not me. Just something odd I saw on the beach in Seattle.

I feel like this statement is a recurring theme, but I have so much to blog! I’ve been pre-occupied with moving home, planning a wedding, getting married, finding freelance work and applying for jobs. Y’know, the little things in life.

But starting today, and every day (hopefully) for the next week or two, I’m going to catch up. So many stories, so many photographs to share. I can’t wait.

My internship ended on August 12th. Scott arrived that same day. We proceeded to go on vacation to the Olympic Peninsula. And now we’re home.

There are so many things I need [want] to post from my last few weeks in Seattle. Now that I’m home, I’ll start posting these projects and adventures here. I needed some time to process the entire West Coast experience. It was brilliantly amazing, and I am so thankful to all who helped me learn so much in such a short amount of time.

Seattle, you will always hold a special place in my heart – where it’s 75º and sunny every day.

Sometimes he’s a dog, and sometimes he’s a fire truck. But today, he wanted to be like me.

*love*

The interns piled into a 15-passenger van today for a tour of Seattle led by Dave Boardman, editor of The Seattle Times. A good time was had by all.

I heard a commotion on Sunday afternoon, and saw some people across the street all staring at the intersection a few houses down. In the middle of the street was a loud protest with yellow signs. I didn’t have a picture of the day yet, so I ran to my room, grabbed the camera and my keys, and proceeded to follow the protest for a few blocks for pictures. From what I could tell, it was the Vietnamese community from Seattle-Tacoma area protesting against China. when I got in, I took a look on Google and found out that it was planned in solidarity with rare protests happening in Hanoi. Wild, huh.

This is what I saw coming through the intersection near my house.

This guy spent much of his time shouting into the megaphone. I don’t know exactly what he was saying, but he was emphatic.

A lot of the participants were shielding their faces with their signs from the photographers/videographer.

SPD was there and was very helpful in keeping the protest safe from drivers. The intersections can be nasty in my neck of the woods.

My schedule is a little strange this week, since I am working on Saturday night (but not really working – we get to see the presses as part of the internship). So I joined my favorite Stephanie and her friend (and her friend’s son) on a trip to the Woodland Park Zoo. The weather was nice, and the zoo wasn’t too crowded. And the animals came out to play a bit! A very worth-it visit and day off adventure.

For size comparison, see here.

Um, Steph – that’s not a zoo animal. That’s the baby.

I found myself out and about much later tonight than any other night so far. I’ve now been here a week. Crazy, it feels like it’s been so long, yet it hasn’t been at all. This city is incredibly beautiful.

Alki beach

From the King County Water Taxi fishing pier

A week ago Thursday morning, I left for my summer internship at The Seattle Times. It was not an easy morning. But Seattle is beautiful. And three days in, the internship is off to a good start. So all is well. But I still miss home. And Scott.