Time to move to West Seattle

So it’s been an eventful time since my last post in January! Lots to tell so I guess I’ll start in the beginning... Alden and I had a wonderful time on his company-sponsored cruise in February. It was great to get out in the sun and away from the Seattle gray for a time. We didn’t get as much adventuring in as we might have hoped for, but the 24 hour buffet with its all-you-can-eat-tray-o-bacon distracted us enough so we didn’t even mind. It was a great opportunity to meet Alden’s co-workers and get to know their families. It was also a lesson in really good HR. They know how to treat their employees! My favorite picture of the cruise was taken by a co-worker while we were snorkeling in Belize. I’ve attached the link since I can’t figure out how to grab the pic itself to post it.

We returned to the beginnings of spring here in Seattle which basically means intermittant windows of really nice weather (like Friday when we set a record high of 79 degrees) punctuating the normal wind, cold and rain. Good thing we had plenty of furniture shopping to do in malls to keep us out of the elements! Happily, the last major pieces of furniture were delivered a couple of weeks ago. We’ve even painted the office a fabulous wasabi green. It is beginning to feel like home... which is good since (drumroll, please) Alden and I are getting married!

We’ve been talking about our future and are so excited to be moving into a more committed space together and celebrating with family and friends. Alden proposed on a cliff overlooking Puget Sound after a Starbucks-coffee-infused walk in the woods. It couldn’t have been more beautiful. I’m honored to be wearing a ring that pays homage to our maternal grandmothers (who share a name) and therefore to our families together. We shared the news with my parents bookending the Easter Vigil and were able to tell Alden’s immediate family all at once as we hosted our first Kroll family function: Easter breakfast. It was a little touch-and-go there for a while with the hash browns, but the fabulous bacon saved the day! After breakfast, we called the Boston clan (Molly was even there) to share the joy and introduce Alden to Eastah, McCarthy style replite with dropped r’s & hoots in the background as the phone was passed around. It’s been an incredible experience so far and I’m so honored to have come this far and have so much to look forward to with Alden at my side.

The next steps for us including basking in the glow of our engagement while moving me, Fern and my accoutrements to West Seattle. We’ll entertain Nate and Jan as our first houseguests at the beginning of May on their visit to the Pacific Northwest. In the interim, I’ll run the Vancouver half marathon again this year and am hoping to break my pr from last May. Ms. Churches, however, has me beat with her upcoming marathon and its tough training time (18 miles this last weekend- yikes!) so I’m looking forward to that race report.

Wishing you all well!