Spontaneous Seattle Adventure!!!

Last Wednesday was pretty routine for me. I woke up, checked some things on the computer, and just went through my normal waking up routine. My plans for my day was hopefully to get a haircut from my sister and to have dinner at my parents' house, which I do every Wednesday if I'm not working. 

What I didn't expect to do was to decide at one o'clock in the afternoon to pack my bag and at 3 be on the road to Seattle to see Dan, who was one of Matthew's best friends, one of my biggest supporters through losing Matthew and my favorite hugger.

Yes, I drove over 200 miles for a hug! 

Meet Dan

When I arrived Wednesday night, Dan greeted me with a giant hug and Cuban sandwiches that he'd gotten from his favorite place in town. This tripped off an interesting conversation about all the different foods that I've never tried, which became almost the theme of the entire trip. 

My Seattle firsts include: 
authentic Cuban sandwiches, brownies baked in a jar, fried plantains, real mojitos with mint, the view of Seattle from Kerry Park, my first glimpse of the Troll sculpture, sandwiches from Trinity Deli, visiting Chittenden Locks and watching Salmon go up the fish ladder, the Gum Wall @ Pike Place Market, eating pain au chocolat & mochas while people watching at a french bakery, SUSHI (!!!), taking pictures of the "Center of the Universe" & the Rocket in Fremont, visiting Gasworks park and watching the Seaplanes taking off & landing, tasting my first Red Mill buger & onion rings (seriously, I'm forever ruined.), and drinking sidecars in a Speakeasy. 

I think what was so much fun about this trip, besides spending time with Dan and our other friend Rose, was that I got to see and taste a lot of the city, but I really got to see Dan's version of Seattle as a local. He knew all the great places to eat, how to get around town and took us to his favorite places. He's also into photography, so he showed me a thing or two, which was really fun. 

Yup, I took lots of pictures. Are ya ready for them? 

leaving Oregon headed to Seattle!!!

smiley face mochas should be the way everyone starts their day

Lunch @ Shilshole Marina

Shilshole

Gum Wall @ Pike Place Market

The Gum Wall @ Pike Place Market

The Gum Wall @ Pike Place Market

fish throwers

Dan's not too sure about the newest addition to the waterfront yet

Dan offered to take my picture

after several photos where he really was just playing my camera this is the face he got

self shot!!!

Hammering Man outside the Seattle Art Museum

Ferry with the Olympic Mountains in the background

Dan took this picture from the waterfront

The Rocket @ Fremont

Center of the Universe @ Fremont

Conveyer belt sushi!

TROLL!!!

looking down Troll Ave

Gasworks Park

Seaplane coming in to land

Overloaded yet? 

I had so much fun I really didn't want to leave! Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. At least there was someone who was really happy to have me home. 

The Plan Or Non-Plan...

Now that Matthew's celebration of life is over, the questions have started... 
 

"So what are you going to do now?" 
 

The answer... I have no idea. 
 

To give you all a little history, Matthew and I started dating when I was 18 years old. I have always had someone else to think about when trying to make plans for my life. I've had someone to bounce my crazy ideas off of, and make them become a reality, if in fact they weren't really that crazy. I've always had someone to check in with, someone that I know will worry if I come home later then I planned. 
 

I have to keep reminding myself that I'm in charge of myself, my life and that I get to do whatever (within reason) that I want. 
 

So I've started making plans, so here is my plan for the next year/ year and a half: 

• go spend some time in Seattle with Dan (check)

• restart the tradition of spending Halloween with my very dear friends, Jess & Trevor (check)

• get my sisters tattoo with Jen and Denise

• hike with my dog, Luna... as much as I can

•  help with & attend Tillman and Heather's wedding in December

•  *fingers crossed* a girls trip to Las Vegas to celebrate my 30th birthday 

• go kayaking with Tim & Leah 

• proudly be the maid of honor for Brandy Jeanne & Raymond at their wedding

•  next year on my wedding anniversary, I'm getting the tattoo that Matthew and I designed to get together

•  take as many pictures as I can & have fun playing with my new camera

• craft/create as much as I want

• spend as much time with my family & friends as I want 

• to learn how to be myself without him

I have some other plans in the works, but I'm not quite ready to share them with the world just yet. I'm still going to live with my in-laws for now, because I think with all the rapid changes in the last few months that it will be better for everyone. I know I'll move eventually, and I'll probably be moving out of town, but I'm not making any of those decisions just yet.

I'm trying to open my life to possibilities because I don't want to miss an amazing opportunity if it happens to come my way.

 I do want to add that I appreciate everyone's kind words, thoughts and prayers over the last couple weeks. There has been such a huge outpouring of love from so many people, and it's truly humbling to know the effect that both Matthew and myself have had in the world. I'm still planning on doing some long overdue posts about our wedding and our amazing honeymoon trip, but I'm doing everything in my own time. But in the mean time, thank you.

A Beautifully Written Tribute To A Great Man

I wanted to share with all of my readers the beautiful obituary that Matthew's best friend, Dan wrote. I was going to post it earlier, but life has a funny way of keeping me really busy lately.  

Matthew Aaron Compton

May 27, 1982 - October 7, 2012

KEIZER - Matthew Aaron Compton passed away quickly and comfortably after a long battle with Cancer. He was surrounded by a subset of his many friends and family who honored him in his final moments as he wished.

Matt attended Whiteaker Middle School, McNary High School, and served four years in the U.S. Coast Guard at the National Motor Lifeboat School. Matt also earned a degree at WyoTech College chasing one of the many passions he had; precision, high-performance metalwork and custom fabrication.

Matt married the love of his life, Bethany, in 2012. They met in Math class at McNary and enjoyed many adventures together since. Up or down, thick or thin, and no matter the physical distance imposed upon them during their journey, they never left each others side.

Among the infinite things Matt was: a man to help build an impossible contraption with, a best friend in good times and bad, a man to share a campfire in the wilderness under the stars, a man who knew the right way to do something and had the fortitude to see it through properly; Matt was a true Renaissance man.

Matt is survived a large and loving family, including his wife Bethany, his mother Jenny, his father Bruce, his step-mother Lori, his step-father Mark, many step-brothers and step-sisters, as well as in-laws. Matt always regarded everyone within his family with love regardless of how they got there. Matt is also missed by his dog, Luna.

Matt was an amazing light in the universe; always a force for Good, a loyal and humble companion who always knew just what those around him needed. Matt's song came to an end far too soon, but his energy and the ripples he made amongst those who knew him will be carried always. May he Rest in Peace.

It All Started With A Picture...

If you missed this post here then this blog post won't make a whole lot of sense. 



The night that my Matthew passed away, I gathered in the garage of my parents house with a few of my siblings and close friends. We poured a shot in Matthew's honor and toasted him a time or two. 

One of his good friends Brad and I were talking, and he said he thought things were not right when people started posting pictures, before another good friend called to tell him the news.

I had no idea what he was talking about.

Apparently on Facebook, some of Matthew's oldest friends started posting and sharing pictures of him on Facebook. It started with one, then another, then another... 

When I got home in the early hours of the morning I got on Facebook and saw a beautiful thing. Pictures of Matthew that I'd never seen before. Pictures of him when he was young, happy and cancer free. So I posted a status saying that I was loving all the pictures being posted and that I would love it if anyone had a picture to share if they would post it and tag me. 

I wasn't exactly prepared for what happened next. 

courtesy of Tillman Bennett

courtesy of Tillman Bennett

courtesy of Tillman Bennett

  

courtesy of Derek Gerwig

courtesy of Derek Gerwig

courtesy of Terra Prange

 courtesy of Terra Prange

courtesy of Tillman Bennett

courtesy of Tillman Bennett

courtesy of Seana Kansier

courtesy of Seana Kansier

courtesy of Seana Kansier

 courtesy of Seana Kansier

courtesy of Brandy Jeanne

courtesy of Brandy Jeanne

 courtesy of Brad Beverly

courtesy of Kim Fraizer

courtesy of Christine Breckenridge

courtesy of Christine Breckenridge

courtesy of Christine Breckenridge

courtesy of Christine Breckenridge

courtesy of Melissa Garner

courtesy of Melissa Garner

courtesy of Melissa Garner

courtesy of Melissa Garner

courtesy of Melissa Garner

courtesy of Tillman Bennett

courtesy of Tony Carillo

courtesy of Cheri Kincaid

courtesy of Rosemary Pohlenz

courtesy of Rosemary Pohlenz

courtesy of Traci Cook

Everyone started sharing pictures! 

It was wonderful to see the captions that people posted with them, and the comments. It's so evident how much he was loved and how much he will be missed. Every picture that was posted felt like a hug from the person that posted it and it made my heart smile.

I'd like to thank everyone that reads this blog for all of their support. It means so much to me that my family and I are in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you!