Hot Dogs and Nostalgic nuggets

Those of you who know me well, know that everything has a reason, connection or purpose in my life - however tenuous, random or illogical!

So when I came outside yesterday to find Fergus in this position....
hot, bothered, lethargic and oddly reluctant to take a walk my synapses began to make allsorts of bizarre connections; he's depressed, he's bored, etc etc.
Consequently, I made a mental note to myself that if the weather today was more amenable, we would head out for a 'real' walk, and somewhere different.

Even though it was still very humid this morning, I kept my promise and Ferg and I headed out for a walk around Greenlake.
Walking is a little challenging for me at the moment because just in the last week someone who shall remain nameless but is about the size of an aubergine right now, has decided to stage a sit-in on my sciatic nerve.  Thankfully Sir Fergus is a sniffing/peeing machine so his frequent stops give me time to stretch!

I always feel a sense of familiarity when I walk Greenlake. It was my second home a few years back and for a year I pretty much walked, ran or biked it every day.  Today I got to thinking about that, the first time I walked the Lake and how much my life has changed since then.

It was August 9th, 2004 - the day I arrived in Seattle to start my Fulbright Exchange.  I had been dropped off at Heidi's apartment (now mine for the year) by a colleague from school, and after unpacking my suitcase, needed some fresh air.  I wandered down the hill, through the bunny field and honestly thought I had hit the jackpot.  I'm not really sure what I expected of Seattle - but probably had a vision in my mind of the typical American urban landscape, with blocks and malls and drive-thrus - so was absolutely floored when I came across a watery oasis right on my doorstep.  I remember I didn't make it all the way round on that first day - I wasn't quite sure how far it was and was worried I wouldn't be able to find my way back to the apartment!

As fate would have it - it's probably fortunate that I didn't spend any longer there as I meant I was able to navigate successfully back home with enough time to fire up my computer and attempt to connect to the Internet.  Yet again - fate was in the hands of my less than prolific IT skills and I was forced to call upon the services of the local tech-whizz.

I have to point out that, contrary to popular belief - I did not cross the pond in search of a mate.  Far from it.  In fact if anyone has seen the movie The Holiday - let's just say I share more than just a name with Kate Winslet and her character.  No, I applied to Fulbright because I was getting a little restless in my job - although I loved it and didn't want to leave permanently, I was getting a little too complacent in my comfortable single life in Warwick and felt the need to challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone for a short period.  Admittedly - Fulbright made it pretty easy - by brokering a 'life swap' for a give period of time - but I think fate had yet another hand in my particular situation as it matched me up with probably the perfect partner in Heidi. And of course with Heidi, came her wonderful family, extended family and friends.

So back to August 9th, 2004.  I had unpacked, walked part of the Lake, called IT 911 - someone called Mike Hoyt - and poured myself a Bud Light (yes but that's another story).
When I opened the door around 30 minutes later - all I really remember was the smile.  Of course, he fixed my Internet connection too and politely drank a Bud Light (in hindsight I was lucky he didn't make for the hills right there and then - given my apparent bad taste in beer).
Never in a million years did I think that almost exactly 7 years later, I would be walking round the Lake again, this time with a four-legged friend, and now married to the techno-whizz, and  expecting his baby in a few short months!
I wonder what the next 7 years will bring?!