May 28, 2012

10 Words for Home

My fellow Washingtonian and our Listmaster has tasked us with listing 10 Words That Describe Home. I wonder if any of hers and mine will be the same?

I live in Western Washington, about 40 miles north of Seattle, straight up I-5, in a bedroom community called Marysville.

I guess it's a small town, but it has grown a lot in just the 9 years we've been here, and it's growing still. We now have our own Costco, Taget, Olive Garden and Mark's favorite new addition, Cabela's.

We like it here. It's very family-oriented with lots of nice people. It's not perfect, but where is? I was born in the next city south, Everett, in the same hospital as my son (new building). You may remember that I lived in Lake Tahoe from 12-19. I consider that home too. But I live back in Washington now, so here is where I will talk about.

1. Wet - it rains spits steadily 10 months of the year.

First day of school, day after Labor Day. Mother Nature just knows.

2. Clean - all that water.

3. Green - once the sun comes out and combines with the water. Also, lots of crunchy folks here.

Snapped these photos on Saturday when we took a drive with my dad north along Chuckanut Drive, into Bellingham, stopping at this lookout in Mt. Vernon on the way home. See how green?

4. Coffee - Seattle is Starbucks headquarters and Marysville has no less than seven stores, not to mention a myriad of corner coffee huts.

5. Volcanoes - Washington boast TWO mountain ranges, the Olympics and the Cascades, many of which are volcanoes. Anyone remember the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980? I had just turned 6, slept through it and was greeted by a blanket of ash outside my front door.


6. Strawberries - My house sits on land that used to be strawberry fields. The annual Marysville Strawberry Festival is held every June. I love living in a town that still has old fashioned parades and carnivals.


7. Community - I don't know if it's just us, but we have managed to meet some of the kindest people here. From our personal friendships to Girl Scouts, our kids' teachers, various health care professionals and Mark's co-workers at Home Depot. It's very cool.

About my actual house....

8. Condo - our dwelling is zoned as a condo to justify the tiny lots, but it is a fully separate house. We have barely enough room to turn around in our "backyard". Just enough for a BBQ and a small garden, which Mark has recently begun purchasing supplies for.


9. Cozy - our house is just big enough for the 4 of us, not too big, not to small. Sure, more space would be nice, but like my mom always says, "the bigger the house, the more there is to clean!"


10. Ours - before two years ago I didn't think we'd ever buy a house. I was used to renting and was really comfortable with it. Now I'm so glad we took the plunge.




PS: I have taken over my BFF's blog, Mom Rocks Mealtime, for this week and next. I would love it if you went and checked out my first post!

17 comments:

  1. Marysville is such a nice town! I didn't realize you lived so close to me! We live in Sultan, but I moved to Monroe when I was 8. My husband is from Duvall :) I loved reading your list :)

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  2. You make it sound so inviting.(without the volcanos, cool and all but...)

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    1. Yeah, I realized when I was done, that my post sounds a lot like a brochure for trying to convince people to move here. And the volcanoes? Mostly dormant. But if a couple of them were to blow, bad things would happen!

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  3. It looks beautiful - and wet - in your area of the country :)

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  4. You are same as us. Never thought we would own, but so glad we decided to buy. No place like home. My son flipped when he saw the volcano shot. He is obsessed with them. Just like I am about coffee and apple gadgets :)

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    1. Well I suppose Little J lives in the right place then!

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  5. I love your pictures and what you wrote about your home. It feels so comfortable and a good place to be in - your house and your area!

    I drive my daughter down to Bellingham a few times a year when she catches a plane to visit her dad in Vegas. It is green there! Always a good opportunity to go to Target, my favourite store (until it finally comes to Canada next year - YAY!)

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    1. You don't have Target in Canada? How can that be??

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  6. So cool that you did the area in Washington where you live! I love that you noted how green it is and that there's lots of crunchy people there as well - haha! I was one of them when I lived in Tacoma! I remember Mt St Helens although I never saw any ash, I do remember my mom keeping paper masks in the car for a while just in case, to cover our nose and mouth. I have a small house too and I agree, the bigger the house the more there is to clean :) Great list!

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  7. I say that too! "The bigger the house, the more there is to clean." Your mother is a wise woman. :)

    And you live in a beautiful, albeit damp part of the country! Ellen

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    1. And yet, sometimes the governor declares a drought. I don't get it.

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  8. The wet made me laugh. But you are right. All that wet does make it beautiful. Glad you live in such a place that you care for and one that cares for you.

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    1. The wet often doesn't make us laugh! Like right now, in May/June, we're very sick of the wet!

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  9. Looks like an absolutely beautiful place to live!

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  10. Such a great place to live! Thanks for sharing!

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