Baby Blue Collar

Fire Off 101 North & Camarillo Springs Road

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 18:55:00 +0000

Today on our way to Santa Barbara, we saw a wildfire off the side of the US 101 North. We could see the smoke for about 5 miles before the actual fire. There were many emergency vehicles that passed on the shoulder before we could actually see the fire.

When we actually got close to the fire, we could see the fire fighters working the line and a helicopter coming in to drop water. It's great to know we have fire fighters out there protecting us.

Today I am Thankful for. . . Home Depot

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 06:05:00 +0000

Though my trips to Home Depot have been less and less over the last year, I still love walking though their doors. Whether it is looking at new tools, getting ideas for home renovations or checking out the lawn mowers with Aaron, a trip to Home Depot always inspires me to do more than what I have time to complete.

Even more exciting right now is that they are in the midst of upgrading our Home Depot to a Super Store! The idea is that they are combining everything that you love about Home Depot with everything you miss from their old Expo Design Centers. Sounds good to me. Right now, it looks like a lot of open concrete space and they covered over the sign that I got a sneak peak of in the pic above.

Today I am Thankful for. . . My Brother Dustin

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 05:42:00 +0000

It's been a while since I spent time with my little brother, Dustin. He's not so little any more. In fact, I am sure that if we got into a wrestling match he could take me any time he'd like. When I lived back in Salt Lake, he and I spent a lot of time together. We'd have movie and dinner nights out. I'd cook a big pot of spaghetti and he'd come over. We'd catch football games together at the University of Utah. I'd even sneak him into the dorms when I lived on campus so he could see what it was like.

A few weeks ago, Dustin was admitted to the hospital due to a really bad infection. After 3 surgeries and a week of recovery, he is back. I am sorry that I couldn't be with him during this life challenge. The last week, we have talked several times because he found out he was diabetic while in the hospital. In this I can at least help him because I have been through it. Mostly, I try to give encouragement and help him with strategies to overcome the things he misses. It feels good to be a Big Brother. I am happy that Aaron is going to have this experience with a little sister coming.

Most of all, I feel thankful for my brother. He is a great friend. I can't wait to see him again.

Today I am Thankful for. . . Little Surprises

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 06:03:00 +0000

Many of you who know me know that I love surprises. I never had a surprise birthday party until I met Jenny. She planned one for me the year we were married and I loved it. I don't go looking for gifts during the holidays or before my birthday. Surprises are ok by me.

Now that we are pregnant again, we went into the doctors for the big ultrasound that would tell us the gender of the baby. Well wouldn't you know it that the first time was a NO GO! This baby was holding out for more suspense and a bigger reveal. We had already decided that we would find out as soon as we could. This time there would be a twist.

Our neighbor, Kristy, told us that we should have a party and she would make us cupcakes with pink in the middle if it was a girl and blue in the middle if it was a boy. Jen took a card with her to the doctor's office this last visit and gave it to the ultrasound tech who wrote the gender of the baby in the card and sealed it. We were so excited. It was a great way to share the wonderful experience with our family and friends.

Kristy created these fun, gender neutral cupcakes for the party. She said she had a really difficult time keeping the secret in the few days between getting the news and the party. Our neighbors tried being very persuasive to get the secret before the party.

Guests at the party were asked to pick the plate color as a vote for what gender they thought the new baby would be. Blue for a boy and pink for a girl. In our immediate family, it was 2 votes for a girl and 1 for a boy.

Jen, Aaron and I got cupcakes first. You couldn't tell the secret inside by just looking at them. You had to break into the cupcake and see the secret in the creamy center. 3, 2, 1 and . . .

Yeah. It's pretty exciting. Jen started crying. Aaron and I started chanting, "We're having a GIRL!" Everyone had a great evening. Thanks to Kristy for preparing our little secret and keeping the secret. And thank you to Lisa, Mom and Dad for all of their help in getting everything ready for the party. We appreciate you all!

I am thankful for surprises both small and large for the excitement that they bring into my life!

Today I am Thankful for. . . Having a Job

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 03:30:00 +0000

The last few years have been tough on people. A lot of companies have gone out of business, some have reduced in size and others are just plain cutting costs to stay competitive. The result of this depressed economy was the unemployment of millions of Americans creating one of the worst unemployment rates in American history.

Last year I found myself on the receiving end of this correction in the economy when I was laid off from a company that I had worked at for over 10 years. We knew it was coming and the leadership of our organization did everything they could to try and prevent it. When they couldn't stop it from happening, they did what they could to help people in the organization find jobs. It wasn't easy to see this coming and not be able to do anything about it. In fact, I really felt that there was a good chance that at the end I would be counted as one of the unemployed.

Fast forward a year and a half later and I am one of the lucky ones that got a job. I am thankful for the good fortune that I have had. I have a good job doing what I love that supports my family.

Today I am Thankful for. . . Coming Home

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 04:37:00 +0000

Business travel is not for the faint of heart. In the last 2 days I have had a total of 8 hours of sleep, spent 7 hours driving to Lake Havasu, spent 16 hours in meetings and more than 8 hours in airports and on planes. There may have been a time when I could be a road warrior, but not now. I am a softie. I MISS MY FAMILY! I don't sleep well! I worry about how they are doing!

But tonight, I GO HOME! I get to enjoy the company of my wife and give her a kiss. Hug and talk about the adventures of the day with Aaron. Pet the dogs and wait for it, wait for it, wait for it. . .

SLEEP IN MY OWN BED!

I only wish that we could go back to the days of family members meeting us at the airplane gate. I wish I could see Aaron run down the jetway to hug me and all the sooner to be with my wife because tonight I could use her driving me home. Just kidding! Honey did you hear that I am coming home. See you in a few hours.

Today I am Thankful for. . . the Utah Utes Football Team

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 04:03:00 +0000

While this hasn't been there best year, it also hasn't been their worst. This is their inaugural year in the PAC-12 and for that they are paying their dues, but Kyle Whittingham has kept them bowl eligible yet again. This year they have defeated all of their non-conference foes and recently had some success within the conference as well. They had wins agains Oregon State, Arizona and UCLA.

I think that they may be finding their stride. This could bode well for ending out the season on a high note. I think it just took the offense some time to get comfortable with Norm Chow's pro-style offense. The defense continues to shine as usual.

As for me and my family, we are Utah Fan-atics! Go Utes!!!

Today I am Thankful for. . . a Warm Fireplace and Rainy Days

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:51:00 +0000

Two of my favorite things that are happening a lot during this time of the year. I enjoy waking up to a cold house with the sound of rain. There is something both relaxing and soothing about this. Add to that turning on a fire and cuddling up on the couch with coffee and a book, and life is perfectly great at that moment. In fact, our family calls these jammie days, since we don't usually get out of our jammies on days like this.

Today I am Thankful for. . . my Jenny

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 03:38:00 +0000

When Jen and I talk of our lives, use BS- no that's not what she thinks comes out of my mouth (before Shane), AS (after Shane), BJ - minds out of the gutter (before Jenny) and AJ (after Jenny). The one thing we always come back to is that we hardly remember what our lives were like before finding each other. You've heard the story - we met on eHarmony. Both of us were close to giving up on finding someone.

I found her though and I am never letting go! Have you ever found a person that completes your sentences? How about someone who is thinking exactly what you are at the same time? Oh yeah and how about being able to order for you and get it right? Yeah, I didn't think so. More importantly, do you know someone who makes you a better person everyday? Well, I do and her name is Jennifer Kristine Heiss Keener. I'll love her until the end of forever!

Today I am Thankful for. . . Theater

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 03:20:00 +0000

I learned to appreciate theater starting in the 6th grade. I was lucky enough to attend a play at Pioneer Memorial Theater Company in Salt Lake City. I think we saw Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. I was fortunate enough to learn the power of acting and theater and appreciate live performances. I have seen a lot of great plays and musicals since that first one in 1981.

Now I am able to share that love of live performances with Jen and Aaron. For our birthdays this year, we received tickets to the Discovery Series at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The thoughtful gift was from Scott, Wendy and Gwen and Mom and Dad. Thank you all! So far we have seen Muckheap, the story of Jack and the Bean Stock, and Magic School Bus. Aaron loves the shows, he even got to meet the performers from Muckheap after the show.

Today I am Thankful for. . . Books

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 03:19:00 +0000

I love that picking up a book can take me away to a land as vivid as real life but only imagined in my dreams, show me what life was like in the past, excite my senses, teach me a new skill or just take my mind off of my troubles. I also love that reading books is fun for the whole family, Aaron loves to be read to at night or may just pull a book off of his shelf and look at it on his own. Jenny gets consumed by everything that she reads. Once she starts, I or Aaron are hard pressed to get her to put it down and rejoin us in the real world.

I usually have a couple of books going at any one time. Right now, here is what has tickled my fancy. What are you reading?

Today I am Thankful for. . . Beautiful Sunrises

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:00:00 +0000

There is nothing quite as powerful as a beautiful sunrise. It sets the tone for the day. Inspires you to spend more time in observance of the Lords power and all that nature has to offer. It can make you think of colors in ways you never have before

The other day on the way into work, I took this picture of an amazing sunrise. It made me stop and think how lucky we are to be on this planet.

As the dawn gets ready to arrive, I think being thankful for nature's call of,

"Good Morning World! It's me and I want you to stop what you are doing and LOOK AT ME!"

Is just what is needed!

Today I am Thankful for. . . Music

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:18:00 +0000

Music makes me happy! Growing up, my parents spent more time listening to music in the house than watching tv. Mostly, it was rock music from the 60's and 70's. I remember a lot of Fleetwood Mac, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Rolling Stones and more. I enjoy music when I drive, when I am working in the yard or running. I even enjoy music while working.

I always wanted to play an instrument in school, I never had the chance because we moved around too much. I did learn to play the recorder while in Mrs. Page's class in 4th grade. I sang in choir in junior high, but wasn't good enough to continue that in high school. The love of music has been with me my whole life.

It makes me so happy that Aaron has such a strong love of music. Since his first drum when he was 1 year old, to the guitars and ukeleles at 2 and 3 and the keyboard at Christmas, he has always LOVED music. Tonight during the CMAs, Aaron was a one man band tearing it up in the living room. Starting with a drum solo on the ottoman and then guitar performance for the chorus and then singing while playing the piano, he loves music and performing for us.

This love of music makes me both HAPPY and THANKFUL! To know that he will have the chance to pursue this musical interest, it makes me feel great. Now Aaron loves to perform live, but no recording please. I was able to sneak a recording of him singing "Burning Ring of Fire" in the shower. Isn't that the best place in the house to sing? I hope you enjoy it!

Today I am Thankful for. . . COFFEE!

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 07:02:00 +0000

Yes, it is in all caps. Yes, I do love coffee that much. Yes, I am in good company because I know that millions of people around the world agree with me and can't get by without their morning cup of joe.

My favorite you ask. For just plain 'ol coffee, there is NOTHING like the coffee at Richard Walker's in San Diego. They get a special blend of beans from Boyd's Coffee that you can't buy anywhere else. More importantly, I know the secret for the hook up on getting this sweet coffee blend. Don't think I am sharing though because that is not a thing to share.

As for other coffee drinks, I love a sugar free caramel machiatto or latte, iced or hot. Just give my coffee and no one get's hurt.

Who else reading the blog is a coffee fan and what is your favorite place to get coffee?

Today I am Thankful for. . . Better Living Through Pharmaceuticals

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 06:36:00 +0000

I am not one to be big on taking medicine just because of a little ache or pain. No this isn't a post about how great Vicodin or Oxycontin are. Tonight I am thankful for the little things like calamine lotion and Benadryl.

I had been itching all day at work. I came home and it seemed to be worse. So I took off my shirt and there I was all covered in hives.. The worse part was that it seemed like taking the shirt off only made it worse. So Doctor Aaron and Nurse Jenny ordered me into a shower and then covered the itchy spots with calamine lotion. Then for good measure and hoping to knock down the itchies, I was given Benadryl.

As I write this post, I am feeling less itchy, this is a major improvement, and very tired, this is not so good. However, I know that pharmaceuticals helped to keep me from the sure oblivion of obsessive itching. I know that there are many more drugs to be thankful for, but as of now calamine lotion and Benadryl are my friends. Tonight, through half closed eyelids and a very cloudy brain, I am thankful for all that modern medicine is doing for me.

Today I am Thankful for. . . Lobster Fishing

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 07:46:00 +0000

I discovered this fun pastime a few years ago on a fishing trip with my brother-in-law to Catalina Island. We spent the night on an inflatable raft dropping traps in the dark cold night. We'd come back an hour later and look to see if we caught anything. We ended up catching 2 lobster that night. That same night, a good friend was lobster fishing off the pier in San Clemente.

We both had such a good time that we began a family tradition of spending weekend nights hanging out on San Clemente Pier. We even spent New Year's Eve there one year. Our families grow closer together and we bring others along for the trip. As with other fishing traditions, we don't always bring home the lobster, but we always have fun. Every year, we look forward to gettting the lobster hoops out and buying that first round of bait.

I am so thankful for the fun that lobster fishing has brought to my family and friends. People are always interested when we tell them about it. In fact this year on opening night, we brought out friends from our neighborhood on Saratoga Street to share the fun of lobster fishing. Life is good!

Today I am Thankful for. . . Our Dogs

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:48:00 +0000

They add something special to our lives. I even saw a recent blog post about buying a pet that equated it to buying love, well for dogs it may hold true anyway.

Before Jen and I were together, we both treated out dogs like our kids. They went everywhere with us. We bought them treats all of the time. Ringo even used to sleep in the bed (one day you'll have to ask Jen why that stopped). Libby loved playing on the bed while we made it. Like a child playing with her parents.

Now we do have a human child, but there is nothing like cuddling with one of the dogs. Ringo, the Beagle, is really a big snuggle bug who puts up with all of Aaron's harassment and boyhood adventures. Libby, the shih-tzu, is my herald. Jen always knows when I am coming down the hallway because she leads the way.

My life is richer because of our pets.

Today I am Thankful for. . . Photographs

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 07:15:00 +0000

You know the saying,

"A picture is worth 1000 words."

I think a picture is a gateway back in time. Many visual cues in pictures can help make the memory come to life an take you back to the moment. Frequently, I even found myself smelling the scents that I remember from the time.

So rather than spend a lot of time with words today. I am going to let pictures tell the story.

Today I am Thankful for. . . Firefighters

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 06:26:00 +0000

We thought for sure we were coming back to nothing

You know the obvious reasons for this. Firefighters help people in times of crisis wherever and whenever they are needed. They put themselves in harms way to protect people, animals and properties all for the greater good of our world. Did you know that firefighting was one of the most satisfying but also dangerous jobs around?

The less obvious reason for being thankful for firefighters is that I live in Southern California, Home of Santa Ana winds and drought. More specifically, I live in an area on the edge of a national forest that is known for high fire danger. In 2008, we had to evacuate first from our campground at Featherly Regional Park and then from our home after sparks from a fire in Corona jumped all the way to Anaheim and Yorba Linda.

Being evacuated from our home was traumatic to say the least. As we were driving out of our neighborhood we saw cars heading the wrong direction on the freeway, pieces of emergency equipment that we never knew existed and traffic was jammed. It took two days to get back into our home. Even then, we saw fire crews around the area for days making sure there were no hot spots. Fires can be so random and this one surely was. It would engulf one home and then jump across the street to another.

Firefighters were true heros during that time. I have the highest respect for them. I am thankful for the sacrifices they make.

Today I am Thankful for. . . eHarmony

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 05:43:00 +0000

The photo I used for my eHarmony profile

There was a time about 10 years ago when I thought I would live my life a single man. I had family around me that I loved and a career in the hotel world that allowed me to travel and explore. No matter how hard I tried there was an empty spot inside of me. I wasn't good at meeting people on my own so dating was out.

The 21st century brought online dating services into the main stream. I dipped my toes into those waters when I moved back to Utah in 2002. Unfortunately, it never got that far. When I moved to California in 2004 and started my life a new, I decided to sign up for eHarmony. The rest as they say is history.

At first the In February 2005, I was matched with Jennifer Heiss. A short time later, on April 9, we had our first date. Breakfast at Mimi's Cafe in Irvine, CA. Lucky me, I thought we should meet again. On July 5 that same year, I proposed to the love of my life. On March 4, 2006, we were married!

If it wouldn't have been for a piece of computer software that saw just how great Jen and I could be together, we may never have met. Thank you eHarmony! Jenny is everything to me. We finish each other's sentences. Love spending time together. Have a wonderful son and another child on the way. In fact, I can hardly remember what my life was like before her.

eHarmony will always have a special place in my heart.

Today I am Thankful for. . . A Life Filled with Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:49:00 +0000

Crossing the Capilano Bridge - 2008

If you have been around me you know that my life has been filled with adventure.
I went to at least 10 different elementary schools. I caught the computer bug when I was young and would go to school at 6 am two days a week to learn how to program in basic. I was editor of my high school newspaper, the West High School Red & Black. I was lucky enough to debate for the University of Utah Forensics team. I've lived in 6 different states. Met Jennifer, my wife on eHarmony. Restored the interior of our motorhome. Traveled to places like Vancouver, Acapulco, Puerto Rico and Hawaii. Those are just a handful of the adventures that have made me the person I am.

Now I am lucky enough to have a familly to share those adventures with me. I can't count the number of times we have been on road trips only to find ourselves saying,

"It's an adventure,"

while trying to get unlost. Life is one great adventure. The Chinese have a curse. . . May You Live in Interesting Times! I don't think interesting times are all that bad. They have made me what I am. They make us all what we are. Each night before Aaron goes to bed, Jen tells Aaron. . .

Sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite. I'll see you in the morning and we'll have another great adventure.

The Adventures are what life is all about!

Mystery Solved

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:42:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, Aaron brought me an empty bag of Wheat Thins from his bedroom and said the dogs had eaten them. My first question, not asked of course, was how had Aaron gotten to the bag of crackers in the first place? Second question was just how many crackers had the dogs scarfed down. I never quite got the straight answer on that one.

Fast forward a couple of weeks. I was cleaning up Aaron's room and guess what I found...

Yeah, those are the crackers. When I asked Aaron about them, he got the biggest grin on his face. "Thanks for finding my crackers Dad!" I guess the dogs didn't really get the crackers after all. It was a little boy who didn't want to lose something he loved.

Camping in Ventura

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 05:25:00 +0000

We love a good camping trip. In the summer, we like to go head north and get out of the summer heat. This year, we couldn't take a long trip so we had an extended weekend in Ventura. So we met up with the Parents at a beautiful and fun campground or rather resort, the Ventura Beach R. V. Resort. This was the first time we were taking a camping trip with a family of 4. Yes we found out in July that we are pregnant and expecting a new baby in March.

It was a beautiful weekend filled with great cool weather and good times. Unlike many of the campgrounds we have visited, this place was more like a resort. They had live bands playing at night on the weekend, a really nice pool and bicycle rentals for 1, 2, 4 or 8, although I think the bikes that could ride 4 or more were really called surreys.

Additionally, this place was crawling with kids, mostly older. However, Aaron is able to find a friend anywhere. He met a little boy named Eric. He was Armenian and had been traveling with his grandparents. He had a great time riding bikes and scooters. They had a great playground also. Eric's family was very nice. They brought over some amazing food one night of the trip. I only wish we had thought to get the recipe because. I loved it!

Ventura is a neat litlle town. It is actually San Buenaventura, and was founded at the 9th California mission. Their downtown area was very quaint and had a lot of neat shops, but our main mission was seeking out their Farmers' Market. We've found that there is nothing like eating the fresh fruits and veggies of the area that we are staying in. It's a family ritual when camping that we seek out the local farmer's market. The Ventura Farmers' Market is held every Saturday from 8:30 to 12:00 pm. We found some amazing fresh cauliflower, corn, yellow and red raspberries and asparagus. It was such a treat. The corn we found was the best we have had all year long.

After a time in the sun and walking around the Farmers' Market, we were parched. I had spotted a neat little candy and soda pop store called, Rocket Fizz, while we were looking for a parking spot. This neat candy store in Ventura had a lot of retro candy and soda pop. They had more flavors of soda in one spot than I have ever seen before, not to mention a lot of candy from my childhood. We stopped and got a few sodas before heading back to the campground.

That afternoon at the campground, we decided to rent one of the surreys - Thanks Nana & Papa. It was fun to ride around the campground as was a much better experience than our surrey ride in San Diego with the Armstrongs. That night we were planning on our ritual steak dinner and campfire. S'mores are always on the agenda and Papa makes the best marshmellow roasting coals out there. Eric and Aaron had a lot of fun roasting their marshmellows and so did I. Take a look at my oh so perfect s'more.

Overall, this was one great trip. Jen and I enjoyed the ride back home together listening to the radio while Aaron road home with Nana and Papa. Unbeknownst to us, So Cal was experiencing a heatwave and as we came down into the valley it was over 100 degrees.

I wish we could have turned back around and camped some more!

All Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 06:26:00 +0000

Remember when you were little and you were excited for Christmas to come in JANUARY. How about asking when summer vacation would start before SEPTEMBER was over. As you get older, you tend to want things NOT to come. You dread your next BIRTHDAY and getting older. You don't want the end of the MONTH to come because it just means that you need to pay bills.

Maybe it's just that as you get older, you learn not to rush a good thing. Or maybe we just get jaded and don't count on anything good happening to us. I am not sure what changes our outlook as we get older, but I do know that I am excited.

Let me give you a few hints as to what I am excited about. . .

It's taken Jen & I 2 1/2 years to make it happen
It's more fun to practice
Once it happens it takes 40 weeks to see the results
It's the answer to, "Are you still trying?"

Yes. Jen is finally pregnant again and we are having a baby. The new addition to the family is due October 10, 2011. Aaron is happy to be getting a "brother", but we are hoping for a little girl. We go in to hear the heartbeat on February 17th.

Considering how much of a handful Aaron can be, people keep asking if we are sure that we want to do this again. Rest assured we are. We have felt our family is short by a person and we are very excited to welcome a new Keener to the world.

Check here for more updates. Oh and donations are now being taken for the Shane and Jennifer Keener retirement fund. I just realized, I will be over 60 before my kids are out of the nest. Who am I kidding, I don't know that either of us really want to have an empty nest.

It's Not Goodbye

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Keener) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 06:19:00 +0000

Life has a way of throwing us curve balls or serving opportunities up on a silver platter. Sometimes, the opportunity is hidden behind a curtain and other times it is sitting in the middle of the intersection waiting for you to run into it.

Look at me. For a long time I kept moving around, but every time I'd head back home to my family in Utah. Moved to Northern California for 2 years back to Utah for 2. Moved to Florida for 1 year back to Utah for 4. This last time, things changed. I changed.

I sit here writing this knowing that two family members close to us are about to head out on the journey of a lifetime. Jen's cousin, Chant, and his wife, Casey, are making the big move away from home for the first time.

Here's some advice from a guy who has struck out on his own a few times:

Enjoy this time together. You have a chance to focus on building your relationship and your memories
Explore the area like you are a tourist. You'll be surprised how many people live in or near Seattle, but they have never been to the Space Needle or Pike Place Market.
Don't settle on moving into the first place you look at. Take some time to get to know the neighborhoods and find a place that fits your personality.
Life's one big adventure. Have no regrets in what you do.

I wish you both luck in your new adventure. I am sure that you will have the time of your life.