A Cowgirl and the Pacific Northwest

Chapter One - A Brand New Day
The cell phone alarm burst to life at the not-so-ripe hour of 4:00 am. Crystal groaned in protest, it can't possibly be that time already. A sleepy, one-eyed look at the wind-chime clock/alarm confirmed that it was, in fact, 4:00 am. "I have a few more minutes" Crystal thought as she weakly tugged at the covers weighed down by an overweight female calico cat. Soon the calico's two-toned brother approached the edge of the bed where Crystal lay. He announced that he was aware the alarm went off and in accordance to the Cat Owner Agreement, Crystal was to feed him immediately upon awaking in the mornings and in the evening upon arrival. 4:16 am. Time to get up lest Crystal miss another flight out of Denver. The bags had been packed the night before, the travel clothes neatly laid out. Crystal got ready, excitement mounting. She pulled her hair into her staple hairdo, a pony tail with a cheery twist on top. "It looks like a hairpiece." Crystal remarked to herself. Soon Crystal and Dane were on their way. Late as usual. Excitement mixed with anxious thoughts as they drove the 56 miles to the Denver International Airport. It was still dark being only 5:30 am but the sky was starting to show signs of light. The inky black was slowly being smeared with the royal blue hues of the coming morning. Sunlight. A sunrise. These things might be left in Denver along with a mascarade of other items. An array of bachelor furniture, a pile of worn tires, best friends, enemies, a good job. It was all becoming part of the past.

DIA is the home of a myriad of airline problems. Gates are always double booked, the concourse train is often out of order, security is inconsistant. Today the train was down. Crystal and Dane exchanged a knowing smile, both thinking about the life they were stepping into and the life they were leaving behind. Once on the plane things weren't much smoother. Several mechanical failures and even the failure of emergency vehicles brought a worrisome cloud over most passengers, but Crystal and Dane were content - what a small thing to fret when there was so much left to do!

Soon after 10:00 am Crystal and Dane stepped off the Thrifty Rental shuttle bus...it was wet. Crystal said as much to Dane with a touch of shock and distaste. The other bus riders chortled in response "Welcome to Seattle!" It was everything people say it is. Overcast, rainy, a sense of quietness all about. The couple loaded the Silver Ford Taurus and headed off to the mall. Dane had accidently spilt Diet Coke all over Crystal's only pair of jeans for the weekend. Crystal, completely unconsolible about the pending trip to the mall, scolded Dane for his carelessness. Dane, knowing the pending trip to the mall scolded himself for his carelessness. The mall yielded two great pairs of jeans, a cute pink top with matching sweater, and a 20 gage nose ring. Crystal was feeling good because she was able to fit in the size she thought she was quite nicely. Dane was happy that the trip was relatively low in cost and quick in nature. Crystal always goes in right for the kill, no time to fool around.

The two crazed their way to downtown Seattle to the infamous Pike Place Market. They walked the market and ate a fast lunch overlooking Puget Sound above the Seattle Aquarium. Then the two muddled their way to Redmond for an impromptu meeting with the VP of Denali, the company that hired Dane to work in Seattle. Once there it was decided to visit the site of the client Dane would be working for. Site being an understatement, Dane and the VP, John, fled to one of the Boeing campuses. Crystal found a place to relax and get a much needed pedicure. Later, the two rejoined at the hotel on the disturbingly quiet and elusive Microsoft Campus. The Microsoft Buildings were many - so many that it Microsoft is listed on the map, like it was a national monument. It practically is.