our first week in seattle

hello from seattle! I've been writing this post in my head for the last week, but I have not had time to sit down and formally write it. but i'm here now! i'm writing this from our (mostly) unpacked condo. it's been a whirlwind past week. i thought that would end once we got here ;) the kids, thatcher's mom, and i flew out on june 5th. we've been settling in and exploring our new city since then and it's been a blast! it definitely still feels like we are on vacation, living in someone else's place, but that's to be expected when we've never lived anywhere else! i feel like i have so much to update on, so it's coming at you in subject-form :) 

where we're living: 

we are renting a ground floor condo of a 3 unit building in the ballard neighborhood of seattle. it's 2 bedrooms (the kids are sharing) and 2 bathrooms and less than 1000 sq. feet. while it's smaller than our house in minneapolis, we actually gained a bathroom, and the kitchen is way more updated and has better storage and counter space than our last one, so it doesn't feel like we have downgraded at all. here are a few pictures of our place. i will definitely post more of the inside when we are a little more settled. it has also been sunny and warm every day, which has been amazing.

the view from our front door (left) and the private patio out front (right) 

the kitchen table has been my remote office this week

exploring our neighborhood:

ballard has so many amenities within a short walking distance. it's so fun to be able to walk just a couple blocks to the grocery store, coffee shop, bakery, playground, library, splash pad, etc. i'm pretty sure we've gone to the grocery store every day. we need to get back to meal planing again. we've met the other people who live in our building, as well as a couple neighbors. everyone is really nice! there are a ton of kids in the neighborhood as well. i love watching all the people who walk down our street each day. it's a very residential neighborhood, but bustling (because there are tons of condos, townhouses,etc)! i love the feel! 

the ballard locks are nearby as well. it's so cool to see the boats pass through. look how close we are: 

the best discovery of the week was the playground and community center that is one block over from our place. i even signed azalea up for a one week preschool (frozen-themed!) "camp" this summer, and tues/thurs preschool class in the fall. it's going to be so nice and convenient! 

other areas we have visited: 

we did a lot of exploring while thatcher's mom was here. we visited queen anne, fremont, green lake, downtown/pike's market, golden gardens beach, and more. here are a few pictures: 

visitors:

we had our fist minneapolis visitors on our first full day here. our friends ian, joanna, and their daughter kyla were on a pre-planned trip to the pacific northwest and we got to have lunch with them before they headed back home! I think azalea was a little confused why her friend kyla was here, but she hasn't asked about it since. ha!

our anniversary:

tuesday the 9th was our 8th wedding anniversary. we were so lucky that his mom was here in town, so we could go out for a nice dinner, just the two of us. we used a gift card for a place that our old neighbors got us as a going away present. and then we walked around capitol hill and got some dessert. it was a great night. i never would have guessed a few months ago we'd be spending our anniversary living in a new city. life is crazy like that! but i'm so proud of us for following our dreams. 

whew! that's a lot of recapping and pictures. but now you know what we've been up to :) thatcher's mom has gone back to minneapolis. it was so nice to have her help and company all last week. now we're settling into our new life with just the 4 of us! i'm sure i'll have much more to share in the coming days.