I've lived in Vancouver, Washington for the past 33 years and have worked for the Federal Government for 32 of those. I'm married (29 yrs) and both my husband, Michael, and I enjoy cooking. Michael owns Paradise Cafe, which serves soups, sandwiches, and salad, but the main thing is the coffee. He also owns Nor'west Coffee and does all his own roasting for the cafe. The coffee bar will be opening soon. It's the best coffee in Vancouver (and maybe Portland, but then I'm sort of prejudice). One of my absolute favorite cookbooks is one called 'Simply Classic' from the Junior League of Seattle. It has some of the best recipes.