Farewell, Seattle!

Well, my month-long stay in Seattle is almost at an end. The time really flew by (doesn't it always?) but I'm feeling alright about how much socializing I managed to fit in. Having spent my college years about 800 miles away from home, my family has gotten used to me being gone most of the time. On this trip I tried to visit as many relatives and friends as possible in my limited time, and I covered most of those bases. However, there's always something else that could have been done and I inevitably end up feeling like I forgot someone or something. But I just have to let these things go, as I can't do everything and this is supposed to be my summer vacation! I really appreciated being able to see my grandparents. I feel very lucky to have them. I also made a new friend, a one-year old puppy named Thor who I took on walks a few times a week.

He's huge and extremely cute, which made him very popular on the Burke-Gilman trail. I missed dogs and it was fun to go outside and enjoy the sunshine with a bouncy new puppy. I also spent some quality time with my friends from high school and college who live in the area. We've all grown into such different people, which is weird when you start thinking about the future and how everyone will end up. I don't think anyone has got it "all figured out" just yet, which is great because neither do I! I've noticed a lot of changes around the city since last year, mainly with new buildings and businesses opening everywhere. It looks like Seattle is experiencing a bit of growth right now, which is a good thing in this economy. The weather could have been better (it was unseasonably cold this summer- July is usually perfect but there were precious few sunny days). It has been improving recently, of course, in my last week here. Tonight I'll be celebrating with some friends on Capitol Hill at an impromptu bon voyage party. And next Wednesday I'm flying down to sunny San Francisco, California (my other home) to spend a couple of weeks exploring my old haunts with my amazing friends. After that, it's back to Sofia to kick off another school year!