Hello?

"Where are you? Hello? Where did you go? Is anyone here? Hello?!!!!"

Have you ever been in your yard, house or anywhere, for that matter, only to turn around and find the people you thought were with you are...gone? Simply nowhere to be found?

You search for them in obvious places, like the bathroom, or under a pile of blankets...you know, in case they are hiding in the pile, waiting to jump out and scare you. But they're not. Nor are they in the kitchen making you sandwich. They've just seemingly disappeared.

Fortunately, in most cases, the missing person isn't missing at all. They've usually just stepped out the back door for a sec, popped behind some shrubbery to relocate a sprinkler, stepped into the closet to get something buried deep within or ran down to the basement when your back was turned.

No matter where they've run off to, the person left behind (haha, no pun intended) suffers a few moments of sheer terror, thinking thoughts such as this:

"The rapture has happened and I didn't make it!! Ohhhh no!!"

But oh, what sweet relief washes over you as soon as you find the missing someone, right?

I have a very distinct memory of this happening to me as a child. Mom and I had been outside. She then told me she was going inside. I went in a few minutes later but could not find mother anywhere. Not even in the
basement!

...Panic. Stress. Fear. Sweaty armpits. What should I gather to keep safe, fed and warm? Where is the big box of matches? I should find them immediately and put them in a waterproof bag...

Oh. She was just STILL OUTSIDE. Behind some shrubbery, relocating a sprinkler. THE NERVE!

Something similar happens in my own home more frequently now that we live in a house with more than one level. Well, really, now that we live in a space where you can't see in every room by simply walking through the front door.

We've lived in some small spaces...including an RV. But I digress...

A few months ago, I went outside to put on our new license plates. I yelled my intention upstairs and then headed out. Ten or so minutes later I see Justin stick his head outside, then throw his hands up in relieved exasperation. "I thought for sure the rapture happened, I've been looking for you all over the house!"

Apparently he hadn't heard me declare my aforementioned intention.

Then there's last night. As I headed upstairs, I asked Justin to bring Rolin up in five minutes. Instead of getting ready to feed Rolin, I started looking for something in the back of our closet, so when Justin looked in our room he didn't see me. (This makes our closet sound big...it's not.) I wasn't in Rolin's room, the bathroom or the guest room. I'd seemingly disappeared!


...Panic. Stress. Fear. Sweaty armpits. What should I gather to keep safe, fed and warm? Where is the big box of matches? I should find them immediately and put them in a waterproof bag...

He checked all the rooms again and thankfully spotted me in our room just as he started to tell Rolin he thought the two of them had been left behind.

Sweet relief!

Is the rapture anyone else's first assumption? I think it's hysterical that it's the first conclusion Justin and I jump to when we can't find each other in our own home.

Adios, amigo!

We parted with a good friend last month.

A friend that had seen Team Thompson through many adventures, countless movies, laughs, tears, good news, late night snacks, lazy weekends and panic attacks. This friend was also hospitable to strangers and friends alike, and stuck by our side through the five times we've moved in the last five years.

Though strings of insults were thrown its way, particularly around tax-return season or any time we moved, this friend remained a constant in our lives.

You could say this friend has been there through sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer.

This friend was our couch.

Our OLD couch, that is.

Old Couchy in San Jose

WE GOT A NEW COUCH!

The crew loading a few of the boxes into Justin's work rig. 

Old Couchy was a truly heavy beast, complete with a hide-a-bed. We have reason to believe it had invisible lead bricks sewn into its cushions. Justin absolutely despised that couch, but, really, only when we had to move it.

I inherited Old Couchy from friends Sarah and Eric when I lived with Tara & Ami in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. Eric and Justin moved it into my old apartment, destroying only one and a half exit signs and scraping the stairway walls along the way. Upon setting it down, Justin proclaimed, "When you move out, this thing is staying here!"

Luckily Joe was in town when we decided to get the new couch.

Then Justin and I got married a while later and, upon reviewing our finances, decided to move the couch into our new apartment in Lake Forest Park. My dad and bro Joe helped with that move. Upon setting it down in the new place, Justin proclaimed, "When we move out, this thing is staying here!"

OK, one of the main reasons we got the new couch was because Joe was in town.

Then we learned we were moving to California. Old Couchy stayed in LFP while we lived in my parents' RV in CA while waiting out our LFP lease to be up and trying to save money for a new place in CA. After getting all our ducks in a row and finding an apartment in Mountain View, CA, we reviewed our finances and decided to bring Old Couchy to CA. My bro Joe also helped with that move, both out of the apartment in WA and into our new home in CA. Old Couchy smashed only one finger along the way. Upon setting the couch down in CA, Justin proclaimed, "When we move out, this thing is staying here!"

It takes a lot of muscle and stamina to move Old Couchy.

From Mountain View we moved to San Jose where our rent was a bit higher. Upon reviewing our finances, we decided to bring Old Couchy with us to the South Bay. We had a crew of friends help with that move, but still, upon setting down the couch, Justin proclaimed, "When we move out, this thing is staying here!"

Not exactly sure what to do with the old while bringing in the new, we moved the beast out on to the porch.

Soon after we got settled into our place in San Jose, we received our tax return. Upon reviewing our finances, we decided to see about getting a new couch. It was also the weekend Justin's brother came to visit. We spent the better part of Saturday testing out new couches....leather couches, microfiber couches, couches with ottomans, couches in the shape of an L.

We came home with new TV instead.

In no time at all, the neighbors expressed interest, and Old Couchy had a new home. 

As you know, we recently moved again...this time back to WA. A professional crew of movers packed up and transported our belongings this time, so while Old Couchy skirted ridicule during this latest move, Justin still looked at the couch with hatred that burns with the heat of a thousand suns. When it came time to arrange the living room, Justin proclaimed, "This is the last time I want to move this couch!"

So he began plotting. Plotting ways to convince me it was time to part with Old Couchy. "We'll have more visitors now so we'll need more places to sit." "See how it dips down in the middle?" "See how it slides so easily on the wood floor?" "Don't you think a darker colored couch with a different fabric would make for easier baby barf clean up?" "You hate this couch, too, don't you? DON'T YOU?!"

The weekend Joe my bro came to town, and after MUCH discussion as to whether or not it was the right time, we went to Coscto and purchased a new couch.

New couch!

We weren't sure what we'd do with Old Couchy, but as Joe and Justin moved the beast out to the porch -- not without much moaning, groaning and calling of names -- the neighbors walked by.

The neighbors are now the proud new owners of Old Couchy.

I'll miss Old Couchy. As I said, it's seen Team Thompson through a lot of adventures, but change is good.
And so is a new place to rest our weary rears.

You ain't seen nothin' like it

Condo for rent! Condo for rent!

Available January 1, this one bedroom/one bath condo unit in Lake Forest Park (approx. 760 sq ft) features a full kitchen with stainless steel appliances, (fridge, oven and dishwasher), one large bedroom, living room and full bath (tub/shower + 2 sinks). The unit also includes an electric fireplace, dining area, washer/dryer, separate storage space and one reserved covered parking spot (additional parking available for $25).

There is a closet in the living room, one in the bedroom and 2 shelves for storage space above the washer/dryer. The unit was recently remodeled by the owners.

Residents are allowed rooftop access – a good spot for lounging or a bbq – with views of Lake Washington and Mt. Rainier. The living room also provides a partial view of Lake Washington.

Details:
$900/month.
Available January 1, 2009.
Water, sewer, garbage included.
Cable/internet ready.
1 mile from Lake Forest Park Towne Centre (includes Third Place Books, Albertsons, Starbucks).