Seattle

This photo is on Eli's last day in Seattle - a few hours before we dropped him off at the airport and he climbed into his business class seat and relaxed for 14 hours.  (I am not bitter that he flies business class usually, but I am envious.  I am sure you understand the difference.  And for the record:  if we could fly business class or get cash for the difference in price between business and economy, I would totally take the money.  My children and I are not big people; we are fine in economy.  For now.)

Anyway, the story I want to tell is that when I look at a photo like this that is such an obviously SEATTLE photo, it is with such mixed emotion.  I still love telling people that I am from Seattle, and I still love going there so much and think it's such a nice place (with so many delicious eating options!) that I feel sad (guilty?) that my children aren't from Seattle.  Because they aren't, you know.  They weren't born there and they have never lived there.

Can you see that the life of an expat is somewhat tortured? Especially when one is prone to over-analyzing everything?

This photo is also hard for me to look at because of my face shape and squinting and hair, but the primary emotion is that one about how there are no 'do-overs' in life.  Poor little Tommy and Lizzie will never be from Seattle.

And now I'm signing off to make a list of all the things I'm grateful for in my life (probably just a mental list to be honest), and at the very tippy top of the list is ELI WALTER to whom I have been married NINE years tomorrow.