maybe,...

The VERA project?

Youth Center ? aka Childhaven / casey family ctr / orion center / PSKS?

Children's Hospital?

Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind? / wtbbl.org?

Hey Griffin,

Ok,
Protestant is a hard one - (for me especially). Episc & Baptists; you can always get them music and make them happy ;). I take issue with the protestants' Sola Scriptura doctrine especially (as much as Catholics were wrong to sell salvation, protestantism hasn't really righted all the wrongs that the 5 Pillars are supposed to)- Sola Scripture is, roughly, the idea that holy books are to be the law of the religion, and interpretations are suspect. Yet Sola Fide, the other prime protesant rule, says faith alone saves you - not works. Sola Fide doesn't reconcile if you a) believe the bible is the only law or literal law, - and b) read Matthew 25:31 through about 46 to see that Doing Good Works is absolutely essential to performing the essence of 'good' and getting the fastpass to the Disneyland Heaven Adventure.

Sorry, I digress, sorry... Gift! yes, well:

Every pastor needs vestments. They are damn expensive and ,well, what good pastor is secretly a stock broker, right?? (A good alb alone runs about 100 bucks!) So vestments, or a gift certificate for Kaufers.com at the bare minimum are good. You could also get a liturgical book, like 'Pastoral Care of the Sick' (depressing but perhaps useful if she somehow doesn't already have one).
But then you're in danger of just getting a gift for the sake of getting a gift. Give your sis something for HER, from the heart, and everybody wins.

A thought: being as she's working the VA (damn hard job to do btw, send her kudos for that choice alone), a selection of warrior's prayers might be fitting... or even something like a piece of art with proper soldiers-in-mind inspiring words.

The soldiers of old (I mean, like, Crusades-era old) used to inscribe Loricas on their shields - little songs/prayers/chants to recite before battle. Soldiers recovering in VA hospitals are in many ways 'battling' still, each day they try and heal: A lorica-inscribed shield for her office, (or even a customized plexi/clear clipboard? to take on rounds?) with a lorica printed on it would be a thoughtful way to go, if I were in your shoes.

St Patric's Lorica was/is particularly well known as a soldier's incantation. http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/patrick.htm

Note; some pastors will frown on it, as incantations are, to some eyes, spells/enchantments... To them I say: prayers are as well. So are Hymns. And no woman or man of the cloth should have shame in singing hymns. And besides, The Lorica of St Patrick was made into a hymn, conveniently enough.

But go from the heart. It doesn't have to be a present catering to her profession/calling. It can just be something for Your Sis.

Sand Point (and surrounding areas up to and including Wedgwood) is the dog friendliest, nature/greenspace loving, well-educated/bookwormy, non-noisy, somewhat transit-hookedup neighborhood with occasional 2BD rents under 1500. But it's hardly what most city dwellers would ever think to label 'urban'.
Urban in seattle is either downtown, a neighborhood nextdoor to the downtown core, or within one of the tiny 30+ Urban Villages as defined here:
http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/cms/groups/pan/@pan/documents/web_informational/dpds_008063.pdf

IMO, and generalizing a bit: the yellow-green areas are what anyone from other american cities would call "urban city"... the pink zones are lower density, but tend to have the 'great neighborhood culture' you referenced in your Q. The white areas are going to bore you to tears, and the grey areas are boring as well as polluted and/or noisy.

Cross-ref that map with this one - all of seattle's dog parks:
http://www.seattle.gov/council/Bagshaw/dogparks/dogparks.htm

FWIW : this webpage should be your friend for figuring out the neighborhoods better:
http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Research/Population_Demographics/Census_2000_Data/Data_Maps_for_Locally_Defined_Areas/DPDS_007017.asp

Like?
If you mean movies that explore unconventional relationships and have happy endings; Harold & Maude or Lars and the Real Girl
If you mean movies that explore relationships with fawked up people acting out via a relationship - Benny & Joon perhaps?
If you mean movies exploring BDSM & BDSM love, however dark it may get - Quills, Story of O& Blue Velvet
If you mean a story where sexy lovers try/work very hard to destroy one or one another, 9 1/2 weeks, Leaving Las Vegas or certain parts of Fight Club could qualify.
If you mean an office story with sex, Personal Services might turn you on.
Enjoy!

Just a fraction of a mile South of the canal is Pomodoro on Eastlake... and their food is the YUM.

Otherwise, OCHO (ballard) is the place for you- it's just not a perfect place for a large group, like Pomo is.

Potato is my go-to soak-it-up item, but I'm not sure it would play well in chili. Add some Great Northern & perhaps black beans to bulk it up / dilute it in a relative sense. Then cheddar cheese it like crazy (bonus: many kids love cheddar!): (Geni's got the shroomworthy science of WHY that works perfectly well)

1st: Before cruising homes and getting house-smitten, get all your finances in a row: Get a letter in writing that specifies that you are both pre-qualified and pre-approved for 'x' amount. Ask your broker and/or realtor about all the final costs and what the "high end" of those costs would be. Budget for everything coming in on the high end (perhaps use the spare change to decorate ;) ) Don't forget to keep 3 or 4 months worth of mortgage payments in the bank as 'padding'.

Has your family made your wishlist / list of dealbreakers?

Picking:
Avoiding a lemon, IMO, is all about instinct and Inspection: Hire an inspector who is willing to give references. Then, check those refs. Better yet, ask a friend for a ref for an inspector.
As far as instinct, that comes down to the walk thru: if the house smells like death and feels cursed by the demon of bad decor, go ahead and take a pass. Tell your realtor: "nope, sorry - bad vibe". If she/he doesn't respect this, it's time for a new realtor.
If the list of "things we'll have to do right when we move in" involves hiring 2 contractors or goes longer than 5 items, then it's probably more trouble than it's worth.

One last note: if you are 2 adults and a baby, get enough bedrooms that you are covered if it becomes 2 adults and a kid and 'Ooops one more'.

Kudos for avoiding the variable rate traps. Good luck!!

Chiming in with another "Yes they 'can'. No they shouldn't. Ever"
Stupid evil corporations don't care what is actually good for babies - they care about making profits. Period. Remember: Fred Flintstone was selling kids Winston cigarettes.

Babies/youngin's shouldn't have soda pop at all. Nor juice for that matter. Nutritionally, they NEED neither. Yes, even fresh squeezed juice. I've asked.

Also: The carbonated gas can complicate their already-hard-to-bear gas issues. More and more docs are seeing gas as the cause of baby colick.

Emily's spot on: breastmilk FTW!

Those shiny brass deck screws. Robertson head if you can get them.

I vote for DIY: get a decent chunk of rope from the hardware store, a used tire from a car shop, and tie that assembly onto the big tree just north and a little east of the outdoor stage at Volunteer park.