The Unreasonable Girl: March 2009

Sunday, March 22, 2009

New Pictures

Elizabeth, Sam, and, me

us again out for Freddo's bday

Freddo being a Beatle...Abbey Road

me and Beast in the Sculpture Park

again

Beast new toy Drake, the dragon

me & Dave in the park

Seattle

Seattle sunset

So this weekend was a great one! Friday night was a full night of relaxation and 24 (the show). Saturday night we celebrated Freddo's birthday with Seattle friends + Sam & Elizabeth. Sam graduated from the MBA program with Davis and Elizabeth is one of her friends who actually lives in Washington. It was a great night! We started at our apartment by playing games and then bar hopped in Belltown. We succeeded in our mission to make Freddo's birthday memorable. Sunday morning we all met back up at CJ's, a breakfast place. After breakfast we went to Freddo's to watch some March Madness and then headed to eat sushi....yum yum! After dinner we headed to Rocky Mtn Fudgery and bought 2 apples to share. We had the pecan bear caramel apple & the cheesecake caramel apple.....& they were delicious!

Our company is leaving out tomorrow :(
We have enjoyed having them and are looking forward to our next visitor.......Ray! He is coming the beginning of April.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Responses

Knoxville v Seattle

PEOPLE	Seattle	Knoxville	United States
Population	582,454	182,337	293,655,400
Pop. Density	6,941	1,964	80
Pop. Change	3.39%	4.86%	5.88%
Median Age	37.7	34.8	37.6
Households	267,007	80,846	108,954,329
Household Size	2.09	2.11	2.6
Male Population	49.99%	47.93%	48.65%
Female Population	50.01%	52.07%	51.35%
Married Population	41.12%	44.03%	58.89%
Single Population	58.88%	55.97%	41.11%

RACE
White	69.26%	78.86%	77.53%
Black	8.09%	16.78%	12.35%
Asian	14.55%	1.88%	3.58%
American Indian	0.97%	0.32%	0.89%
Other	7.46%	2.75%	5.65%
Hispanic	6.19%	1.85%	12.73%
Non-Hispanic	93.50%	98.95%	87.27%

HOUSING	Seattle	Knoxville	United States
Median Home Age	49	40	27
Median Home Cost	$591,000	$181,100	$217,200
Home Appreciation	1.47%	2.56%	9.80%
Homes Owned	45.62%	45.89%	64.07%
Housing Vacant	4.45%	9.80%	14.48%
Homes Rented	50.61%	43.61%	21.45%
Property Tax Rate	$10.83	$9.43	$13.28

CLIMATE	Seattle	Knoxville	United States
Rainfall (in.)	35.9	49.6	36.6
Snowfall (in.)	11	0	25.2
Precipitation Days	155	109	101
Sunny Days	152	204	205
Avg. July High	75.2	88.2	86.5
Avg. Jan. Low	36.7	30.3	20.8
Comfort Index (higher=better)	72	38	44
UV Index	2.6	4.6	4.3
Elevation ft.	13	801	1,062

EDUCATE	Seattle	Knoxville	United States
School Expend.	$6,655	$5,490	$6,058
Pupil/Teacher Ratio	19	0	15.9
Students per Librarian	533	558	907
Students per Counselor	530	657	546
2 yr College Grad.	6.57%	4.92%	8.22%
4 yr College Grad.	30.07%	15.23%	15.16%
Graduate Degrees	17.19%	9.62%	7.16%
High School Grads.	88.50%	78.73%	79.62%

COSTLIV	Seattle	Knoxville	United States
Overall	132	80	100
Grocery	110.9	95.1	100
Health	127	89	100
Housing	183	56	100
Utilities	73	93	100
Transportation	108	91	100
Miscellaneous	100	96	100

RELIGION	Seattle	Knoxville	United States
Percent Religious	37.26%	62.02%	50.03%
Catholic	16.15%	4.02%	21.92%
Protestant	11.74%	51.19%	19.12%
LDS	2.39%	0.40%	1.57%
Baptist	2.03%	32.01%	8.16%
Episcipalian	0.0103054978	0.0131481132	0.0812
Pentacostal	0.0302129952	0.0251942245	0.01891
Lutheran	2.76%	1.21%	2.81%
Methodist	1.24%	8.40%	3.84%
Presbyterian	1.66%	5.74%	1.33%
Other Christian	4.52%	4.96%	4.66%
Jewish	1.87%	0.47%	2.16%
Eastern	0.13%	0.02%	0.05%
Islam	0.47%	0.94%	0.54%

Charlotte v Gulf Shores

PEOPLE	Charlotte	Gulf Shores	United States
Population	630,478	8,814	293,655,400
Pop. Density	2,601	480	80
Pop. Change	16.58%	74.74%	5.88%
Median Age	33.7	48.2	37.6
Households	252,205	4,187	108,954,329
Household Size	2.39	2.08	2.6
Male Population	49.17%	49.10%	48.65%
Female Population	50.83%	50.90%	51.35%
Married Population	53.17%	63.95%	58.89%
Single Population	46.83%	36.05%	41.11%

RACE
White	53.64%	97.68%	77.53%
Black	35.12%	0.28%	12.35%
Asian	4.18%	0.23%	3.58%
American Indian	0.36%	0.41%	0.89%
Other	6.78%	1.65%	5.65%
Hispanic	9.80%	1.38%	12.73%
Non-Hispanic	90.27%	99.46%	87.27%

HOUSING	Charlotte	Gulf Shores	United States
Median Home Age	23	17	27
Median Home Cost	$253,600	$549,000	$217,200
Home Appreciation	2.10%	-0.18%	9.80%
Homes Owned	54.56%	25.49%	64.07%
Housing Vacant	6.36%	64.25%	14.48%
Homes Rented	38.94%	9.88%	21.45%
Property Tax Rate	$10.47	$3.06	$13.28

CLIMATE	Charlotte	Gulf Shores	United States
Rainfall (in.)	44.2	58.9	36.6
Snowfall (in.)	3.9	0	25.2
Precipitation Days	119	84	101
Sunny Days	218	223	205
Avg. July High	88.3	88.9	86.5
Avg. Jan. Low	34.1	46.9	20.8
Comfort Index (higher=better)	35	28	44
UV Index	4.6	5.6	4.3
Elevation ft.	774	10	1,062

EDUCATE	Charlotte	Gulf Shores	United States
School Expend.	$5,961	$4,836	$6,058
Pupil/Teacher Ratio	15	16	15.9
Students per Librarian	685	333	907
Students per Counselor	383	419	546
2 yr College Grad.	6.47%	6.78%	8.22%
4 yr College Grad.	26.04%	19.99%	15.16%
Graduate Degrees	10.40%	9.43%	7.16%
High School Grads.	84.58%	90.90%	79.62%

COSTLIV	Charlotte	Gulf Shores	United States
Overall	91	123	100
Grocery	98.6	94.6	100
Health	103	94	100
Housing	78	170	100
Utilities	90	99	100
Transportation	99	99	100
Miscellaneous	98	99	100

In comparison to N. Myrtle Beach....Gulf Shores is almost the same although a bit higher cost of living.

All this information can be found on bestplaces.net/city

Much Ado About Living

Since we have moved here there has been some discussion about where we will go next. This has been a legitimate discussion considering Davis & I had always planned on moving cities every so many years. Although we have come to realize that we love Seattle. We love the weather, the surroundings, the lakes, the mountains, and the city! In coming to this conclusion I have been trying to convert my family to Seattle lovers as well. & it's not working so well.....

Soooooo, I have decided to compare cities. I have spent quite a bit of time doing research on many cities. Mostly cities we were thinking about living in. Our conclusions have been that we wouldn't mind living in the Reno/Lake Tahoe/San Jose areas, Seattle/Vancouver area, or Savannah/Charleston area.

Here are some of the comparison facts that I have derived from the internet.

Climate:
Seattle v Savannah

CLIMATE	Seattle	Savannah	United States
Rainfall (in.)	35.9	48.8	36.6
Snowfall (in.)	11	0.3	25.2
Precipitation Days	155	110	101
Sunny Days	152	216	205
Avg. July High	75.2	91.5	86.5
Avg. Jan. Low	36.7	38.9	20.8
Comfort Index (higher=better)	72	30	44
UV Index	2.6	5	4.3
Elevation ft.	13	46	1,062

Seattle v South Lake Tahoe

CLIMATE	Seattle	South Lake Tahoe	United States
Rainfall (in.)	35.9	12.2	36.6
Snowfall (in.)	11	63.5	25.2
Precipitation Days	155	46	101
Sunny Days	152	249	205
Avg. July High	75.2	79.2	86.5
Avg. Jan. Low	36.7	16.4	20.8
Comfort Index (higher=better)	72	74	44
UV Index	2.6	4.8	4.3
Elevation ft.	13	6,253	1,062

Housing:
Seattle v Savannah

HOUSING	Seattle	Savannah	United States
Median Home Age	49	43	27
Median Home Cost	$591,000	$214,500	$217,200
Home Appreciation	1.47%	-4.54%	9.80%
Homes Owned	45.62%	44.21%	64.07%
Housing Vacant	4.45%	10.74%	14.48%
Homes Rented	50.61%	44.95%	21.45%
Property Tax Rate	$10.83	$13.87	$13.28

Seattle v South Lake Tahoe

HOUSING	Seattle	South Lake Tahoe	United States
Median Home Age	49	34	27
Median Home Cost	$591,000	$575,000	$217,200
Home Appreciation	1.47%	-2.38%	9.80%
Homes Owned	45.62%	28.95%	64.07%
Housing Vacant	4.45%	33.56%	14.48%
Homes Rented	50.61%	37.98%	21.45%
Property Tax Rate	$10.83	$8.90	$13.28

Education:
Seattle v Savannah

EDUCATE	Seattle	Savannah	United States
School Expend.	$6,655	$5,679	$6,058
Pupil/Teacher Ratio	19	17	15.9
Students per Librarian	533	390	907
Students per Counselor	530	453	546
2 yr College Grad.	6.57%	4.74%	8.22%
4 yr College Grad.	30.07%	13.43%	15.16%
Graduate Degrees	17.19%	6.80%	7.16%
High School Grads.	88.50%	75.71%	79.62%

Seattle v South Lake Tahoe

EDUCATE	Seattle	South Lake Tahoe	United States
School Expend.	$6,655	$5,066	$6,058
Pupil/Teacher Ratio	19	20	15.9
Students per Librarian	533	5559	907
Students per Counselor	530	818	546
2 yr College Grad.	6.57%	7.05%	8.22%
4 yr College Grad.	30.07%	13.84%	15.16%
Graduate Degrees	17.19%	4.78%	7.16%
High School Grads.	88.50%	80.23%	79.62%

Cost of Living:
Seattle v Savannah

COSTLIV	Seattle	Savannah	United States
Overall	132	89	100
Grocery	110.9	107.4	100
Health	127	101	100
Housing	183	66	100
Utilities	73	91	100
Transportation	108	98	100
Miscellaneous	100	102	100

Seattle v South Lake Tahoe

COSTLIV	Seattle	South Lake Tahoe	United States
Overall	132	136	100
Grocery	110.9	119.1	100
Health	127	141	100
Housing	183	178	100
Utilities	73	108	100
Transportation	108	110	100
Miscellaneous	100	102	100

People:
Seattle v Savannah

PEOPLE	Seattle	Savannah	United States
Population	582,454	127,889	293,655,400
Pop. Density	6,941	1,712	80
Pop. Change	3.39%	-2.75%	5.88%
Median Age	37.7	31.7	37.6
Households	267,007	50,593	108,954,329
Household Size	2.09	2.36	2.6
Male Population	49.99%	47.36%	48.65%
Female Population	50.01%	52.64%	51.35%
Married Population	41.12%	43.91%	58.89%
Single Population	58.88%	56.09%	41.11%

RACE
White	69.26%	37.36%	77.53%
Black	8.09%	58.32%	12.35%
Asian	14.55%	1.71%	3.58%
American Indian	0.97%	0.24%	0.89%
Other	7.46%	2.43%	5.65%
Hispanic	6.19%	1.77%	12.73%
Non-Hispanic	93.50%	98.98%	87.27%

Seattle v South Lake Tahoe

PEOPLE	Seattle	South Lake Tahoe	United States
Population	582,454	23,844	293,655,400
Pop. Density	6,941	2,369	80
Pop. Change	3.39%	1.00%	5.88%
Median Age	37.7	34.6	37.6
Households	267,007	9,521	108,954,329
Household Size	2.09	2.51	2.6
Male Population	49.99%	51.61%	48.65%
Female Population	50.01%	48.39%	51.35%
Married Population	41.12%	48.59%	58.89%
Single Population	58.88%	51.41%	41.11%

Monday, March 16, 2009

WA Driver

Most of you know that Davis has had an incredibly hard time trying to obtain a WA driver's license. He took his written part a long time ago....I think in January. After he passed the written part they told him he had to schedule an appointment for the driving part. He schedule an appointment for their first available day which was 3 weeks out. When the date arrived he was out of town....this same process happened 3 times. He finally had a date that was going to work last week because he didn't travel. He took the driving part & FAILED! This is kinda of funny because Davis is like the most law obedient driver I know. He was sooo mad because he had to make yet another appointment, but this time it was for only 2 weeks out so hopefully he will have a license in 2 weeks :)

This past weekend we went snowboarding. It was great snow! We had never boarded in sooo much powder. It was the easiest thing ever & I am pretty sure we both picked up some bad habits! It snowed the entire time we were on the mountain. It was a great day and we fully enjoy being so close to the slopes!

Saturday night we went out with friends. We kicked off the evening at our apartment playing games and then headed to an Irish pub for festivities of St Patty's Day! We enjoyed Irish music & even danced a little. After the pub closed, we went to Beth's which is like a family owned Waffle House with unlimited hash browns...yum yum!

Sunday was a lazy day because Saturday night was a late night although we did manage to fit our 7 mile run in after a long Sunday afternoon nap!

Today is Freddo's birthday! He is our best friend here and of course like all of the rest of them...he is from Michigan.

Happy Birthday Freddo!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

We Won!

So I have never won anything in my life and I guess I still haven't, but what's Davis's is mine so technically I did yesterday. Davis found out yesterday that he won a 52' plasma Samsung TV....yay! He was so excited and although we don't really have room for it now... we are going to keep it for our next move. So for now it is going into our bedroom which will be pretty awesome if you ask me. I love watching TV in bed!!!!

In other news, Beast got a new toy this weekend. I will post pictures sometime soon. We went to breakfast Sunday as usual and on the walk home we stopped in a new dog store. We bought Beast a dragon and named him Drake! He is super cute and Beast absolutely loves him! He also received new samples of dogfood. Right now he is enjoying a bag of lamb & wild rice...yum yum!

Tonight we are going to the movies to see The Watchman. It's dollar popcorn night..my favorite night to go!

Monday, March 2, 2009

New Address

Our new address is:
84 Union St
Apt 305
Seattle, WA 98101

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Busy Weekend.

So this past week was a normal week. Not much exciting happened. It did snow Wednesday night, but not much (which was a good thing because one snow a season is good enough for me!)

We started moving our things Thursday to our new apartment (which we LOVE). Davis and Perry, our maintenance man, moved all of the furniture except for the bed & mattress. That night we I got off of work Davis & I moved the mattress. We slept on the floor Thursday night in our new apartment. We continued moving stuff on Friday and pretty much had everything moved by Friday night. Friday night I cooked dinner and we had Freddo, our good friend, over to eat. Then we played games and went out for a midnight snack (Gorgonzola fries & pizza)! yum yum!

Saturday was Vivian's birthday party. She was born last year (leap year) on Feb 29 so she is a special one. Her party was great. She loved our gift because she loves balls. We got her the Playskool ball popper machine.

Today we slept in & then went to the old apartment for cleaning. We are completely done with the old apartment! (except for the armoire which we left because we are selling it).

Here are some pictures of Vivian & New Apartment