I was born in the beautiful western side of Washington. I grew up in the 253 (Tacoma area) before moving to the 206/425 area (closer to Seattle). I've lived here my entire life, and I hope to live here for the rest of my life. Not only am I surrounded by amazing views of mountains, greenery and water, I also live in a place that has its own unique culture. A culture so unique that anyone who has lived here will recognize really quickly, such as the points below.

1. You "Do the Puyallup" every year... or try to go every year.

2. You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.

Why sit in an air-conditioned room when you can be boating or inner-tubing?

3. You tell non-Washingtonians that you’re from Seattle, when you really live 20 minutes south.

"Where's that?"

"You wouldn't know, but it's near Seattle."

4. You can pronounce “Issaquah”, “Snoqualmie”, and “Puyallup” with no trouble at all.

"How do you pronounce...?"

5. You either own a Subaru Outback or know someone who does.

If you don't know some who owns an Outback, then they own a Prius or some sort of Honda. If you say that you don't know anyone who owns those types of cars, you're lying.

6. You live 30 minutes away from both the city and the mountains.

7. Flannels and rain jackets are a staple in your closet.

8. You own Birkenstocks, Chacos, or Keens, or any sort of combination of the shoes.

Fun fact: I own all three. Cheers to awkward foot tans!

9. Puget Sound or any body of water is really close to home.

10. Umbrellas are for tourists and you see no need to use one.

"I have a rain jacket. I'll be fine."

11. Dressing up for a nice dinner means jeans and your best shirt or blouse.

12. Hiking is a common hobby shared by nearly all of us.

Photo Credit: Isobel Sturges; filter: REI

13. You know it's going to be a good day when the Mountain is out.

14. It doesn't rain as much as people think and you really don't mind.

Photo Credit: Keiko Prijoles

15. Traffic on 405 is awful. Don't even mention the mess that is known as Seattle traffic.

Sob while you sit in a parking lot wishing you had enough people to use the carpool.

16. You know lots of people that work for Boeing, Amazon, and Microsoft.

Bonus points if you know someone who worked for at least two of the companies in their life.

17. Most people don't know how to drive in snow, and freak out when they see that it's snowing.

The sight of snow meant at least a two-hour delay, or even canceling school!

18. Half of June is just rain and the other half is sunny.

19. We love our Seahawks, Mariners, and Sounders with a passion.

20. You wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the world, or in the state.

Photo Credit: Braxton Kendall

Note: Unless otherwise cited, all photos are mine.