Seattle

Part of my 40th birthday celebration included a trip to a very special city for me and my man

Seattle

 

It's the city where God called me to take a risk and leave behind my newly purchased home in Southern California, my dream job with college students in Malibu, and a great community of friends.

It's the city where God radically changed my life through the bold words of a

boss who "had my back."

It's the city where God overwhelmed me with His great love and provision for me by gifting me Becky Riggers as a friend and constant source of Mariners' games, information, directions and laughter.

 

It's the city where God brought beauty from the ashes of a broken heart.

It's the city where God called me to marry Roger Newquist.

And it's the city of the most amazing food on the planet! 

Starting with mini doughnuts!!!

 

At Pike Place Market there is a little stand called

Daily Dozen

and they crank out mini doughnuts all day long.  When you order them, they literally pull them out of the fryer, coat them with the topping of your choice, and throw them in a brown bag for you.

It really is one of the most amazing things I've ever eaten!

When Roger asked me to marry him, it meant that I'd have to leave Seattle and move to California with my new husband.  He promised that we'd return to Seattle each year.   Well... this was his first time back since our wedding 9 years ago!

There is something profoundly different about this city.

We spent our time up there trying to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes Seattle so extraordinary and the people so lovely.

There is a genuine happiness up there.  A relaxed, peaceful, focus on what is most important - way of life.  People enjoy God's creation, incredible food, genuine friendships and little pleasures.

It's like pure oxygen up there - you just can't get enough and it makes you feel so alive!

I don't think we fully cracked the code, but we settled on the fact that people focus more on what is most important in a moment, rather than trying to make an impression in a moment.  They value who they are with, more than what that person is thinking of them. 

They aren't distracted with the superficial.

It was a phenomenal trip.