#i'm in seattle on an impromptu trip

[bluemoonrabbit]

Alright, I think it's time to admit to myself that I don't like to travel. The pressure to do stuff and see a place while having almost unlimited options and no skill at deciding what I want to do day by day means I kinda just shut down.

[nessituran]

location: urban harvest

featuring: @deanharlan

In preparation for the impromptu sleepover she was planning later that night for her and her two best friends, Nesli thought she'd stop by Urban Harvest on her way back home. Which home for her these days, consisted of a cute cottage-style room she'd booked at Twelve Oaks Bed and Breakfast just a few miles south of the quaint grocer market. Being that her arrival home was unplanned and indefinite, to say the least, she was constantly making trips into town to gather comfort necessities she couldn't seem to find anywhere else. Even on the road.

She already managed to stock her shopping basket with two bottles of wine, her favorite halal snacks, a new bottle of shampoo and was going through a hoard of magazines when a girlish shriek practically lit the atmosphere and startled her out of her skin.

A young girl, who looked to be no more than thirteen started jumping up and down excitedly along with her two best friends as they chanted 'Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod' from the end of the aisle. The sight of them together, happy, young and innocent reminded Nesli of simpler times. Of her, Georgie, and Michelle walking to Bell's Grocery every summer and sneaking popsicles from the coolers. The gripping memory was enough to distract her from their persistent fangirling which only grew louder as the object of their praise drew closer. At first, Nesli had no idea what had spurred their dramatic outburst. Until it all became more crystal clear after she spotted a familiar head of blond hair and blue jeans. The same kind that had always belonged to one special man, who had a habit of bringing to life the butterflies in her stomach. Only this time, the butterflies felt more like bees. Stinging at her heart with each passing second her eyes lingered on his back in shock.

It was one thing to see him in her dreams late at night, or in her breakfast earlier that morning but it was a whole other to see him there in the flesh. When the last time she checked (which she'd admittedly done only an hour ago) there was no new signs of his whereabouts.

What was he doing here? Curious as she was of the answer, hearing the young girls call him by his name before bartering for his autograph, only reminded her she wasn't ready to find out. When it came to her fight or flight response - she chose flight once again. In an effort to get away before he could recognize her himself, Nesli turned on her heel. Albeit, too quickly, and ended up tripping over her own shoelace. The only thing that prevented her from kissing the floor was another shopper's cart which steadied her fall and she'd grabbed onto as they loudly questioned whether or not she was okay.

"I'm fine, really. Thank you." Cursing her clumsiness and their nosiness, Nesli didn't even have to look back to check whether or not Dean had clued in and noticed her. She could already feel the heat of his smoldering stare burning holes into her shoulderblades. While she could still run, she decided against it at this point. It only felt more wrong when he was able to watch her do it. Thus, she waited until the girls got what they wanted before she approached him red-faced and looking guilty than ever, like a kid who'd just gotten caught with their hands in a cookie jar. "Hi." Although a short word, it felt heavy when spoken out loud. "What--- You're here. In Georgia. Aren't you supposed to be in Seattle doing that interview?" Just because she left him without saying goodbye two weeks ago, didn't mean she didn't kept tabs on him or she didn't still have access to their shared calendar.

[thedaveandkimmershow]

At some point I realized we'd slept our last night at the apartment. I wasn't actually expecting that until tonight, so...

How did I know?

It's when I realized we had packed our pillows to go to the house. That's how.

Apparently.

Of course the most striking thing about our day was how physically tired we still were from yesterday. Muscles... aching.

Now the day before yesterday was when we rented a cargo van and made two of the three trips between the apartment and house we needed to make. Leaving one more trip in the morning: the living room and bed room furniture, a stationary bike, and a mattress.

In preparation for the morning's last part of loading the cargo van, keeping in mind we had to return it by 11, we're up first thing at 7.

Okay 730 for sure.

Then we jump in the shower—

Okay not just then. Call it an hour of regaining consciousness and coaxing, trying to convince our muscles we're dead serious this is another moving day, so...

Eight thirty Kimmer jumps in the shower then I'm in the shower after her and, because these are hot showers and they really ease our muscle's misgivings about the day, she's ready by 845, I'm ready by 9. Not bad, if you think about it.

We spend 9-10 packing the cargo van then drive off to the house around 10:15, arrive at the house around 10:45 where we unload then sweep out the cargo van at which point it's 11 and I head up the street to pump into its gas tank the amount of fuel I blew through in the last 24 hours. Fortunately, the rental agreement has a chart that does the math for me. 😊

By the time I'm checking the van back in at U-Haul, I'm 17 minutes late but within the grace period so that's good. Kimmer picks me up in the minivan and we hit Trader Joe's for food, and we hit Walmart Neighborhood Market for cleaning supplies, and we hit Value Village next door for curtains that can serve as blackout curtains which we didn't find but we did find bedsheets with really cool and colorful designs. So yeah. We got a little distracted there toward the end.

12:30-ish we're back at the house, leaving for the apartment at one. Actually, I didn't realize we were going back to Seattle, I thought we were stopping in at Public Storage and then back to the house... so we had to swing back to the house to grab my rucksack because it's basically my mobile office at this point with my workstation down during the move.

1:30 we're back at the apartment, continuing to deconstruct and load out our apartment into the minivan, lining up what remains in boxes against the walls in the living room.

There's also cleaning happening on the fly.

Around 6, Linzy stops by bearing a coupla blackberry hard ciders that we share as a family in the living room.

6:45 we're back at the house unloading, arranging, and figuring out on the spot what's going to storage, even temporarily, to get them out of our way.

8:10 we take that stuff to storage using both our cars which takes about fifteen minutes.

8:45 we're on the road again.

We're not done for the day... but we do have it in mind, had it in mind, that we wanted dinner at Pub70. It just hasn't been in the cards for us the previous nights. That's Pub70 on Pier 70, by the way, on the waterfront. The Seattle waterfront.

Now, before we leave Public Storage in Lynnwood, Kimmer does a quick think about cars for tonight and tomorrow. Right now, we've got both cars in play. We only need one for our impromptu dinner in Seattle. However. I'm working in Seattle the next day after which I'm back at the apartment for more packing and cleaning. Kimmer also's coming back to the apartment for more packing and cleaning. Plus, before this night's over we're taking our cat, Dinker, back to the house with us.

There's some logistics in front of us, is my point.

So, from Lynnwood, we drive down to Seattle, drop off/park the minivan at the apartment and continue together to Pub70 after which we return to the apartment, pick up Dinker and Dinker's stuff, and drive back to the house leaving the minivan in Seattle where, the next morning, Kimmer will return to load it, drive it back to the house, while I, after work, take a light rail and a walk to the apartment where there's a car waiting for me as well.

It's a clever plan, especially since Kimmer's already stone cold exhausted.

That goes for both of us, actually. We get to Pub70 around 915 thoroughly wiped out, still managing to enjoy dinner which is a fried chicken burger for me and some kind of grilled salad-y burger for Kimmer. Plus the nitro brews. Guinness for me. Irish Death for her.

Our server was great, by the way. She and Kimmer bonded over food allergies, Epipens, and Prednisone.

Go figure.

We left a little after 10:30, arrived at the apartment ten minutes to eleven, left with our cat and his stuff fifteen minutes later, and we're back at the house by 11:30.

For a second there we thought about bringing one of our monitors back to the house to watch a little something before going to bed but who were we kidding?

We were going right to bed.

Which. We. Did.

Thank God.

☺️

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

Please tell me which is the lie. I can’t figure it out because all of them sound believable. Is it the tooth thing?

The tooth situation actually is very real 😂 I for the life of me can't remember what he did to get me that mad and at that point he was about 14 to my 4. I also had a biting problem when I was irritated, so, I chomped on his head so hard I lost a tooth and he had a bite mark in his very shaved head at the time. I just vaguely remember my mom lecturing the both of us now and the rabbit I was biting on as I sulked with a bloody mouth.

I have not traveled extensively, the furtherest out I have been is towards Seattle on a impromptu spring vacation trip with a friend with the last of our money for a week. I'm very much a homebody and prefer quiet outings. I also use up all of my social energy for out of town trips, and it is surprisingly little in everyday if it is not with my close friends who are similar in that regard. I have my habits I guess, and I am not too keen on shaking it up unless it is extensively planned months before.