28. Waiting for a house, part 3

My trip to Seattle was literally and figuratively a breath of fresh air. I stepped off the plane into a rainy, 50-degree night; I was woefully unprepared, in open Birkenstock sandals and a thin shirt, but I didn’t care. My dear friend Lisa picked me up at the airport and after a quick hug in the rain, we headed off to Rebecca’s house, another dear friend. Even after a grueling and frustrating travel day, I felt rejuvenated. And the week was a perfect mix of work on the remodeling project, relaxing at Rebecca’s house in Woodinville, eating and drinking with friends Carole and Thor, as well as Rebecca’s lovely family. Seattle weather cooperated as well, with lots of pine-scented sunshine. The last day of my stay, Lisa graciously offered the use of her vehicle so I could go to Pike Place Market to gaze at all the Rainier cherries, apricots, peaches, vegetables, and fun stalls for jewelry and scarves and whatnot. I absorbed the atmosphere, I inhaled the smells of coffee, fish, fresh-cut flowers, and the breeze off of Puget Sound. On my way back to the other side of Lake Washington I caught a glimpse of The Mountain; Seattleites will tell you that during certain seasons, sightings of Mount Rainier are as rare as they are awe-inspiring. That view never disappoints.

As I sat on the tarmac waiting for my plane to taxi and take me back to Oklahoma, I felt nestled between the Cascades, the Olympics, Puget Sound and the volcanoes; something clicked in my brain. This place was briefly my home, but even as a visitor, it felt so familiar to me, so comfortable. I couldn’t in a million years afford to live there again, but visiting had awakened in me a longing that I couldn’t quite describe, an awareness of the myriad places in the world that were incredibly beautiful that I could call home. There was endless potential.

My stay in Seattle was punctuated with updates from my husband, who sent me photos of the Capitol, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian. He usually despises cities altogether, but seemed to be really enjoying his stay in Washington DC. Though his trip was mostly for work, he told me how much enjoyed being surrounded by culture, movement, and feeling the pulse of a fast-moving city. And he enjoyed the unique nature of DC, the museums, parks, monuments and architecture. His eyes opened to the idea that he could actually like cities, even if he didn’t love cities.

So, similarly jostled by the two Washingtons out of our quotidian existence, we landed on the same day back on Oklahoman terra firma. After sleeping off our travel-weariness, we awoke to an email from our bank. The appraisal had come in.