I’m really bummed that vacation is over.  I feel like I’ve been gone a while, but still am not ready to be back.  I liked Portland so much and I had only just gotten there!  Until I can write a full post about the trip, here are a couple of standout stories:

• In Portland on Thursday, I met a new friend at the Japanese and International Rose Test Gardens and we went to Dwaraka to have Indian for lunch.  She wanted to find a necklace for her sister, so we walked into a quirky, fun-looking shop across the street…not realizing it was a head shop.
• That night, I got a cab to have dinner with a friend at Pok Pok and the cabbie spent the entire time telling me why Portland isn’t as cool as it used to be because it’s so big now and blah blah blah.  I smell a conspiracy!
• Saturday, I flew to Dallas-Fort Worth for my connection back to Washington National.  My 8 p.m. flight got delayed several times, so I decided to use my one-day American Airlines Admirals Club pass to go unwind.  (The Club in Terminal C looks like it should be a museum.  I’m pretty sure I only saw a small portion of it!) Bartender Thomas and I struck up a conversation and he kept pouring drinks as we talked.  A fellow passenger from my flight eventually told me that the plane would be leaving at 9:20 p.m., and Thomas kindly escorted me to the gate…except that by the time we got there, my flight had already left.  So I wandered back to the Club and had my flight changed to first thing this morning and was told that last call would be happening soon (as though I needed any more drinks…), so I found Thomas at the bar and after closing up for the night, he escorted me to the SkyTrain to get me to a hotel, where he gave me a hug as he sent me off.  I’m not even sure if he ever got my name…

More to come!

I write this just having bought a bunch of new clothes at Target (most of which will be returned now that I’ve tried them on…), thinking they could be comfortable not only as pajamas, but in a pinch, as real clothes that could be worn on a plane without looking super out of place.  Genius, right?  (Although honestly, I may want a second opinion just because…well, fashion has never really been my thing.)

But I have larger concerns than what I’ll wear:  My AirBNB reservation in Seattle cancelled on me yesterday without even giving a reason (thanks guys!).  I leave a week from tomorrow!  A friend offered to let me stay at his place, but he lives half an hour outside town (and that’s with no traffic–trust me, after living in the DC area, you learn to take these things into consideration). So finding new accommodations is what I’ll be focusing on this weekend.  Well, that and laundry.

I am thinking about taking a combination body wash/shampoo, but unless I put it in a smaller bottle, it could be confiscated by the TSA.  I don’t like checking bags, but the suitcase I was planning on taking is a little too wide to be considered a carryon according to the airline I’ll be flying with.  I may risk it and see, but I’m not sure how forgiving they’ll be.

Let me know any places I need to check out in Seattle and Portland!  I welcome your advice!  And by all means, tell me about your trips this summer!  I have a bunch of friends who are either in Europe or who have just come back, and I am envious of all of them…