#relatives came into town this week and had one forced upon them by the rental place

[camryemerald]

thinking about how utterly stupid and redundant the chevrolet suburban is. like what valid use-case does it even serve?

hauling goods? nope, panel vans and pickup trucks do it better for a fraction of the starting price

hauling passengers? nope, minivans are a hell of a lot better at that (though, conveniently, chevy doesn't offer any), and smaller crossovers do the job fine as well

passengers and goods? putting aside the fact you could easily load the same things into a suburban that you could put in a minivan, getting both van and truck would still probably cost less for the same comfort features

low income families who want both? hard nope, it starts at $60k

it's painfully obvious the only reason chevy still makes the thing is so self-absorbed rich people can destroy our roads for their own egos and chevy can profit from it

[jordan202]

My Boys: Beneath the Surface - Chapter 7

Previous Chapters are HERE

Thanks @jia911 for proofreading!

Anon(s) who stayed up late, this one goes especially to you. May your sleep deprivation be worth it!

My Boys: Beneath the Surface – Chapter 7  

Amelia finished helping Megan with her dress while she looked around in search of Lucas’ shoes.

“Ugh, I knew it,” The twelve year old frowned as he picked up the pair from his mother’s hand. “I’ve spent twenty minutes looking for these and you found them in three seconds. How is that even possible?”

“Theory says,” Thomas barged into the conversation, “that if a mom can’t find it, then it’s lost forever.”

“Which is no excuse to leave your things scattered around,” Amelia gave her oldest sons a censoring look before smiling back at Megan, who looked adorable in a light blue dress. “Okay, is everyone ready?”

As the weekend finally arrived, a lot of the guests to the wedding had come to town and they were having one last dinner party before the ceremony the following day. Amelia couldn’t contain her excitement about the prospect of finally seeing Addison. Rushing down the stairs pretty much at the same time she put on her high heels, Amelia gathered all the kids in the foyer before they left the house to her sister’s.

“Is it wrong that I don’t want to go back?” The neurosurgeon smiled at her husband while they made their way to Nancy’s house. The wedding was pretty much the last event before they went home.

“Not wrong, just really surprising,” Owen glanced at her with an amused smile. Judging by his wife’s resistance towards her family through the entire week, he had assumed Amelia would want to go back as soon as possible.

“Why?” Amelia let out a chuckle in response.

“I just…,” Owen tried to make a good choice of words. “I supposed you preferred to be at a safe distance from your relatives.”

“I do,” Amelia confirmed with a head nod just as they were approaching the house with the big group. “I meant I will miss the rental house, the summer, the pool…”

“Oh,” Owen nodded his head in playful disapproval and smiled as they stepped up to ring the door bell.

That evening, Nancy’s house had more guests than it did the previous weekend. Amelia saw some of her cousins and before Owen could notice, he was engulfed in a wave of introductions and small talk.

The trauma surgeon couldn’t help losing his smile when he noticed William Hartley approaching his wife and whispering something in her ear. Amelia laughed at him and dismissed what he was saying with a wave of her hand, making Owen wonder if the guy had just paid his wife a compliment.

“Are you usually this obvious with your emotions or does this happen only when my sister is involved?”

Owen heard the amused voice asking him a question and turned around to find the cheerful expression of Liz Shepherd.

“I’m sorry,” She kept on grinning like she was completely at ease. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t,” Owen lied with a forced smile.

Liz kept on widely grinning at him and then Owen couldn’t hide just how uncomfortable he really was.

“Don’t worry,” Amelia’s sister finally broke the silence, after she’d had her share of fun. “He is not a threat.”

“I never considered him to be,” Owen arrogantly replied with self confidence, even though his jaw was clenched a little too hard.

Liz didn’t bother replying but Owen noticed the way she smiled at him before taking a sip from her cup, with an expression that looked almost like pride.

“So, Amy has been saying to me that I should go to Seattle more often,” Amelia’s sister said in a tone that made Owen feel like he was being tested.

“You should,” He promptly replied. “I’m always telling Amelia she should invite you all more often. Or take up on your invitations to come here.”

“Really?” Liz raised her eyebrows and then looked at Owen like she knew something he didn’t. “You really do like my sister, don’t you?”

Even though he found the question strange, especially because he and Liz were practically strangers, Owen decided to be honest.

“More than I could ever explain,” He said somberly, finishing his drink with his eyes still fixated on the woman they talked about.

“Good,” Liz approved of Owen’s fierce reply with a head nod. “It’s good to see that she turned her life around and is now in a good place,” The Shepherd sibling turned her head from Amelia back to her husband. “You seem like a nice guy with a clean record. I’m not sure how it is between you and Amy, but judging by how she spoke of you, I assumed you were close and get along well.”

“Yes?” Owen slightly frowned, confused about the purpose of that conversation.

“I guess what I am trying to say is,” Liz awkwardly explained herself, “I’m happy you love Amelia the way she is. I know she has a lot of baggage and most people would be scared away the minute they knew about her troubled past.”

Owen knew Liz meant well, but he couldn’t help getting a bit angry at her words. He was very defensive of Amelia and couldn’t control it. Everyone in the Shepherd family seemed to judge her for the choices she’d made in the past. The way they would keep bringing things that had happened years before was a bit exhausting and he started to wonder if that was why Amelia didn’t share more with them. But it wouldn’t make sense because now, in her current life, his wife had nothing to be ashamed of.

“It is me who is happy that Amelia took me with all my baggage,” Owen dryly replied, looking deeply into Liz’s eyes so she could see he meant it. “Your sister is the strongest person I have ever met and it doesn’t scare me that she’s been through things,” He explained, trying to soften his voice a bit. “It actually attracts me that she has overcome them many times over. She might have taken some blows but she’s still standing. That is way more relevant.”

Liz frowned, taken by surprise by the new perspective.

“You know what,” She sheepishly admitted, looking at Owen with renewed admiration. “You are absolutely right.”

Owen answered to her confession with a smile, unable to control his thoughts. Amelia didn’t talk much about her family but judging by what he’d been told by his wife, they didn’t know a lot of what had happened to their youngest sister, especially the details about the darkest days of her life while she still lived in Los Angeles.

He once again looked at her and heard Amelia’s contaminating laughter when she obviously teased William about something. Owen realized that whereas his wife was looking at the neurologist with a fraternal smile, his gaze upon her seemed to be nothing but innocent.

Or maybe he was just overreacting, Owen thought to himself. After hearing about Amelia’s past and plans with William, of course his reading of every situation would become biased. Excusing himself, he told Liz he would check on the kids, feeling better already just to envision his children’s company.

.

“You’ve been awfully quiet tonight,” Amelia playfully scolded her husband. They’d made it back from Nancy’s house a couple of hours before and during the entire time they’d helped the kids with their bedtime routines, Owen had barely said more than a few words.

“More like thoughtful,” He corrected her, stopping what he was doing to look at her.

Amelia realized how serious and stiff he looked, in contrast to the relaxed serenity he’d had for most of the past week. Owen really did look like he was dwelling with his own thoughts and as he hesitated to start a conversation, Amelia turned her back and opened the chest drawers, hoping to discourage him, because she wasn’t sure the topic he was about to bring up would be pleasant.

“I talked to Liz today,” Owen declared, thinking that was a good way to start. He knew a conversation about Amelia’s family was long overdue and she couldn’t keep postponing it much longer.

“Yeah?” Amelia tried to sound indifferent, taking advantage of the fact that he couldn’t see her face. She hoped not to sound too interested because she really didn’t want to talk about what Owen obviously did, at the same time she was curious to find out what he could have possibly discussed with her sister.

“She said you invited her to visit us,” Owen shared, noticing how defensive his wife was getting. He finished untying his wrist watch and walked around the bed, approaching her but keeping a distance. “She seemed happy about it.”

“That’s good,” Amelia evasively replied.

“Well?” Owen raised his eyebrows, feeling like a school teacher reprimanding a student who’d been caught cheating.

Amelia drowned in the uncomfortable silence that followed. Knowing she was caught between the chest drawer and Owen, the neurosurgeon swiftly turned around, making eye contact with him for a fraction of a second before breaking it.

“I did. I meant it,” She added, trying to distract him as she made an escape.

When Amelia thought she could safely let out the breath she’d been holding, Owen’s hand captured her arm as he gently but firmly spun her around.

“Amelia?” Owen insisted, raising his eyebrows with authority.

“What?” She snapped, raising her hands in a typical defensive manner. “What do you want me to say? I can’t guess what’s on your mind,” Amelia hissed, deflecting her anger on him.

“You know damn well what’s on my mind,” Owen replied with a determinate, low voice.

Amelia hated how patronized she was feeling. Flashbacks of the majority of conversations she’d had with her mother and sisters all her life ran on her mind and she saw herself once again being cornered by someone she loved, familiarly feeling like a big disappointment.

“What do you want me to say?” Amelia exploded, trying her hardest to contain her raised voice. “You complained that we don’t see my family often enough, so we came here… Then you complained some more about it, so I invited Liz over… What more do you want from me?”

Owen closed his eyes and let out a slow breath, knowing this discussion would be one of the difficult ones. Amelia was being totally unreasonable and twisting facts because she was hoping to, once again, avoid that conversation.

“Why is it so hard for you to talk about your family?” He raised his eyebrows, trying to control his anger at her childish attitude. “Whenever I ask you questions, you either shrug it off, come up with a joke or tell me to forget about it…” Owen listed, knowing he was pressuring her and that she hated it. “Why?” He insisted, taking one step in her direction and deeply staring into her eyes. “Why, Amelia?”

Silence followed but instead of looking away, his wife proudly sustained his gaze, angrily breathing out through her nose. Owen could see how worked up she was and even though he didn’t like putting her in that position, he hoped it would make her talk.

“Amelia?” He insisted, not daring to break eye contact.

More silence followed and Owen lost his patience at her stubbornness.

“You are god damn unbelievable,” He chided, nodding his head in disapproval. “You spend years telling me one thing, then we come up here and nothing is what it should look like and you don’t even have the decency to explain to me why your description does not match reality.”

“What do you know?” Amelia defensively asked, fuming with anger. He had no right to judge her or jump to conclusions after only a few days with the Shepherds.

“Nothing!” Owen raised his voice, opening his palm up in the air as he leaned over in her direction. “That’s exactly my point. I know nothing. Because you won’t tell me.”

“Owen, listen…”

“No, you listen,” He took a step in her direction and stood close to her body, in a very intimidating maner. “You told me your family was unsupportive, that they didn’t come to our wedding because they didn’t care…”

“They didn’t care!” Amelia interrupted him, feeling her heart breaking all over again. Inviting her sisters and mother to her wedding had been one last attempt at making peace with her past and yet they had completely shut that door with their refusal to show up.

“You spent the past decade telling me how awful they were to you, but they have expressed nothing but concern and sorrow for the fact that you’ve been distant from them… I am just trying to understand, Amelia.”

“You think that one week defines it all?” Amelia attacked him, feeling betrayed by the one person whose support meant everything to her. “You think that in one week, you can make up your mind about how they feel about me, or how they treated me or the things I’ve been told all my life?” She angrily snapped, hating to feel herself tear up. Anger was mixing with hurt and Amelia knew better than anyone how dangerous that combination could be.

Owen felt the weight of her words and stayed in silence, trying to understand. He noticed how affected by the entire situation she was and that vision only added to his frustration.

“I’m… I’m just…” He struggled with words, hating that Amelia was feeling like he wasn’t on her side. “I am just trying to understand, Amelia,” Owen repeated, calming down for her sake. “I don’t understand and I am trying to. All I am asking is for you to explain it to me. I’m not saying I don’t believe you…”

“You are!” Amelia interrupted him, pulling away when he tried to reach out for her hand. “That’s exactly what you are telling me!”

“Don’t,” Owen used a tone of command that set her off even more. “Amelia, damn it, why do you have to make this so hard?!”

“It’s you who started it,” She exploded, carelessly yelling at him. “You know what?” She gave up, a look of hurt clear on her face. “Take my family’s side. You’d fit right in,” Amelia declared with despise. “You’re already very good at making everything my fault when all I ever did was basically make sure I minded my own business.”

With those words, Amelia turned around again and entered the bathroom, on purpose slamming the door to let out her anger.

Owen stayed put and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down at the same time he wondered how things could have gotten that much worse.

.

When Amelia finally calmed down enough to leave the bathroom, she found out Owen wasn’t in bed like she’d originally imagined. Too angry and upset at him to go figure out his whereabouts, she went to bed by herself, aggressively  pulling the covers and turning off the lights in an attempt to force herself to sleep.

The next morning, when Amelia woke up, Owen wasn’t there either. With mixed emotions, she realized he probably hadn’t come to bed the night before. At the same time that hurt Amelia, for it was very rare that they fought badly enough to sleep in separate rooms, she was glad he hadn’t come. The neurosurgeon couldn’t help feeling backstabbed at the way he’d jumped to conclusions about her family, obviously not taking her words for it.

At the same time Amelia imagined that superficially it really must have been hard to understand, she was also upset that Owen demanded to know more. The more she thought about it, the more Amelia wondered if her anger was really directed at him or her inability to talk about the subject. She tended to avoid those topics in her mind, even more so ever since she’d gone to Seattle and built a life for herself there, keeping that part of her past compartmentalized somewhere deep inside her memories.

Amelia had gone through something similar a few times before and she knew that avoiding feeling pain could very well backfire in the worst possible way, but she had hoped with all her heart that the long years of being told, directly or not, how much of a failure she was would simply not matter anymore after she’d proved her worth. Amelia acknowledged the life she had at the moment was everything she’d ever dreamed of and yet it made her angry at herself because right now, feeling the weight of her past on her shoulders invariably made her question if her present really was enough to make her fulfilled.

Without much time left to lose with those alarming realizations, Amelia went downstairs, not at all looking forward to the long day that was about to start. It was Saturday and Nancy’s wedding was finally happening. Telling herself to cheer up because at least she’d get to see Addison, Amelia prepared the kids’ breakfasts and then went upstairs to sort out their clothes for the ceremony.

Nancy and her husband to be had decided on a simple ceremony in their own backyard. Luckily, it was a warm, sunny day and because both adults were getting married for the second time, they’d chosen something simple, with a quick formality to exchange vows and rings, followed by a lively reception with a buffet in their backyard.

Through the entire morning, Owen kept quiet too and Amelia didn’t blame him. She hated being at odds with her husband but at the moment, she really didn’t feel like talking yet. It took them long enough to dress up all the kids and get ready to leave with the big group and she felt lucky to have the busy routine to distract her.

Soon enough, Amelia found Addison there. Her friend look tired and Amelia knew she’d probably taken a night flight from Los Angeles. Somehow Amelia felt that no matter how much time she spent with Addison, it would never be enough to properly catch up.

“Is that William Hartley?” Addison asked while she and Amelia kicked back on a table at the far end of the backyard. The neurosurgeon noticed as her friend squinted to get a better view of the man under the strong summer sun.

“The one and only,” Amelia replied with lack of enthusiasm, bending over the table to get an appetizer.

“He looks hot,” Addison decided with a dirty smile.

“You can have him,” Amelia added with a sigh of indifference.

Addison glanced sideways at the woman she considered a little sister and studied her conspicuously. Amelia seemed a bit off, almost irritable and her short, impatient answers hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Alright, spill it,” Addison demanded with an authoritative but warm voice.

“What?” Amelia stared back at her with impatience.

“What’s going on?” Addison kindly asked.

Amelia let out a heavy sigh. Her eyes focused on Thomas and Lucas, who were running around the table chasing after a dog before she confessed.

“Owen and I got into a huge fight last night.”

“Yeah?” Addison slightly turned her chair right beside Amelia while they both observed the guests and the buffet waiters passing around. “Why?”

Amelia let out a heavy sigh while she finally gathered the strength to talk.

“Owen has been on my back asking me why we don’t see my family more often, firing questions as if accusing me of not doing right by them,” Amelia shook her head in distress, too overwhelmed to believe it. “I mean, it’s like he is on their side,” She spoke, infuriated and hurt. “It’s that same old implication that it’s my fault that we don’t see them.”

“That you don’t see them,” Addison inquired with humbleness, “Or that you don’t want to see them?”

Amelia turned her head to the side, looking for an explanation in Addison’s eyes.

“Is there a difference?”

“Of course there is,” Addison spoke like it was obvious. “You’re clearly uncomfortable being close to them. You have always been,” The obstetrician said with certainty. “Amelia, ever since I married your brother you’d go to our house whenever you could. You’d spend every free weekend with us in Manhattan,” She paused, waiting to see if there’d be a reaction from the youngest woman. “Even though you had three big sisters, you’d share everything with me,” She concluded, looking at Amelia with something that resembled genuine concern and longing. “I never said anything because I loved it. I loved it that I felt needed and cherished like a big sister. And I loved you,” Addison added, knowing she was walking into dangerous territory. “And even though we never really talked about it, not even after all these years, you know as well as I do why you did it.”

“What?” Amelia asked, feeling an uncomfortable lump on her throat. Even though what Addison was saying was touching and very true, she wasn’t sure she wished to carry on with that conversation.

“Amelia…” Addison struggled, thinking of the best way to phrase it. “You never felt comfortable around your sisters. You never felt like they supported you,” The obstetrician added. “I know you felt all your life like you weren’t one of them and it only got worse after you crashed Derek’s car.” Addison said with conviction. “I see how hard you’ve worked, especially after that, to prove you’re one of them and now,” She hesitated, hoping what she would say wouldn’t come off as horrible as it sounded in her head. “Now, even though you are, even though you got it all, for some reason you still feel like you are a misfit.”

Amelia felt a constriction on her throat and forced herself to hold back her tears. She looked away, too embarrassed to be read like a book. Addison was pointing out things that Amelia herself hadn’t yet fully concluded and it hurt to realize all of those things.

“Don’t be mad at Owen for not understanding,” Addison finalized, determined to end the subject there because she didn’t want to add more pain and frustration to the situation, and she especially didn’t want to fight her adored friend. “Not when you don’t understand it yourself.”

Amelia stayed in silence, processing Addison’s words and the truth they contained. All her friend had said was true. Growing up, especially after her father had died, Amelia had always felt like she didn’t belong there.

One day, on an average morning, she’d woken up blissfully happy and then watched her father get killed right in front of her eyes. From that day forward, everything had been different. The once happy, loud family conversations had given room to quiet whispers; the so long awaited family dinners had turned into torturing minutes of utter silence. Back then, Amelia had had a lot of questions, but very few answers. Whenever she’d ask anyone about anything, or tried to understand what was going on and why her world had suddenly turned upside down when she’d been only five years old, her mother and siblings would shut her out, supposedly to protect her.

Slowly, Amelia’s curiosity had evolved into anguish and then into insecurity. The vulnerability that had accompanied her ever since her father had died became increasingly stronger right around her adolescence, making Amelia search outside her home for all the things she’d never had. The cheerful, repressed child had evolved into a rebellious, willful teenager, who’d test anyone and anything around her just to get the limits she’d always needed but never been given.

Addison had been one of the few people Amelia had felt she could actually talk to without being judged, called inappropriate, or even being accused of trying to draw attention. Everything Amelia had done and tried while growing up had been severely frowned upon by her mother and siblings, who’d distinctively told her many times over just how wrong Amelia always was.

“I’m working on it,” Amelia admitted after several minutes of silence.

“I know,” Addison quietly added, reaching out a hand and holding her friend’s on her lap.

Immersed in total silence, Amelia nodded in gratitude for Addison’s always reliable support. They sat beside each for long minutes, watching the kids running. Amelia’s eyes met Owen’s figure and she felt her heart swelling inside her chest when she realized how much the traumas of her past still affected her present. The notion devastated her and wondering what she could do to make it all better, Amelia kept staring at her husband, watching as he politely exchanged words with her mother while holding Megan in his arms. Carolyn was obviously saying something nice because the little girl kept a smile on her face all along. At the sight of her smiling daughter, Amelia warmed up, for once realizing that life had a bigger purpose than all of that.

“I just can’t get over how much I love that kid,” Addison let out a chuckle. “I mean, just look at him.”

Amelia turned her eyes at the direction her friend was pointing and she noticed Lucas charmingly talking to his aunt Kathleen just a few meters away from them. Addison had noticed how the twelve year old had lost his formal jacket and tie long before, rolling up the sleeves to his white button up shirt in a very casual and laidback manner.

“He is a real piece of work,” Amelia smiled through her sadness. “I have no idea what he’s saying to Kate but I am sure he is up to no good.”

“He flirts like a natural,” Addison added with good humor, making Amelia crack up.

“Well, you’d know about that, wouldn’t you?” The neurosurgeon provoked. “Maybe that’s the gift you passed onto Lucas when you baptized him.”

“Maybe,” Addison laughed, too well aware to contradict that.

The two women kept staring at the boy for the following seconds and only when Lucas finally convinced his aunt to apparently talk one of the waiters into getting some dessert samples from the kitchen, Amelia turned her eyes to look at Addison.

“You know, Addie, I don’t think I’ve ever said this but,” The neurosurgeon said emotionally, too caught up with what was on her mind to realize that her sister distractedly came in their direction after talking to Lucas. As Amelia had processed everything her friend had said just minutes before, it had become very clear that her brother’s ex wife was one of the few people Amelia could count on throughout her whole life, from her childhood days to all the journey she’d gone through in Los Angeles. “You were always meant to be my firstborn’s godmother. And you know I’m not talking about Luke.”

“Amelia,” Addison tilted her head as she looked back, deeply touched.

“No, I mean it,” Amelia reinforced, feeling grateful for Addison’s undying loyalty. “In my heart you were. Whenever in the world he is right now, I know he knows it too and I am so deeply grateful that my baby has you there to visit his grave site more often than I can.”

“What baby?”

The words spoken by the familiar voice caught Amelia by surprised and she only had time to turn her head up to meet the gaze of her sister when Kathleen frowned heavily, obviously alarmed. Amelia could barely process anything else when her sister’s voice resonated again, startling her.

“Amelia, if not Lucas, then what firstborn? What baby are you talking about?”

–

[withabackpackandcamera]

February 17th, 2017

Day 29: Goodbye Stockholm, Hello Lofoten Islands!

What a short Stockholm stay! It's been awhile since I've traveled at such a fast pace and I forgot how tiring it can be to rush through every inch of a city when you're tight on time. Because I've been situated in Reykjavik for a few weeks, I was able to take my time looking around the city without feeling rushed. Plus, when I did go around to see things, most things were outside of the city and required a car or bus, both of which expended less physical energy than speed walking. Oh well, I guess I did bring it upon myself. When I first decided that I would go to Scandinavia, I was planning on just visiting Norway. But because I found a cheap WOW Air flight to Oslo for $65 and because I probably won't be in this area again for awhile, I decided to just slip Stockholm into my itinerary and make the most of what I could in two days. Which, I dare say, I did.

And as I make my journey to Leknes Airport in North Norway, here are my quick thoughts on my short time in Stockholm:

- Stockholm is a large European city with diversity, history, good public transportation, and lots of food and shopping. - If I remember my previous Europe experiences clearly, Stockholm felt like a smaller, calmer, quieter, friendlier, and cleaner Paris mixed with some Prague-ness. - Stockholm is a city filled with art. From the ridiculous art installations in the subway system to sculpted figures seen on the side of buildings to random art pieces placed around the city, there is plenty of art and creativity to enjoy. - Traditional meatballs are so yummy. - McDonald's and Joe and the Juice are widespread throughout the city. - There are many parks and museums to see in the city. - Sweden has a different cold from Iceland, with less wind involved.

With those thoughts down, to my day!

Today, I got to the airport relatively early via Flygbussarna, the bus service to the airport. So, I decided to check if Arlanda had a lounge and surely they did! So into the lounge I went for my first official airport lounge experience! And man, feeling like I'm rich is nice! Breakfast today was cereal, cookies, pate, turkey, cheese, and bread with Nutella and OJ on the side. A great find, especially for someone who is cash-strapped and in need of being fed and saving money!

A short visit to the lounge and before I knew it, it was time to take three different flights to the Lofoten Islands in Northern Norway with layovers in Oslo and Bodø. The first two flights were fine. However, the last leg of the trip was a bit scary and nausea-inducing. With a single fixed-winged plane as our plane of choice for the 25 minute flight, turbulence from the strong storm outside was in full force. At multiple points in the flight, the plane dropped, turned, and shook in ways that had my imagination thinking the wrong things. But after 25 minutes of nerve-wracking turbulence, we finally arrived safely at Leknes Airport. Whew, we made it, despite initially landing on one wheel because the wind blew the plane sideways enough to affect the landing.

As we were getting off the plane, I realized that most of the passengers were American and that most of the passengers were photographers, or just had nice bags of camera equipment. Interesting to see that but it was not surprising once I got onto the archipelago and noticed that the only tourists in Lofoten were photographers.

Anyhow, after getting into the airport, I got my rental car, which was changed to a Toyota Auris Stationwagon from a VW Golf (sweet!), and I was on my way as the snow storm kicked it up a notch. The drive on the E10 was snowy and windy but beautiful (from what I could actually see). The roads wound through the fjords and eventually took me to Å, Norway, the last road-accessible town at the southern end of the Lofoten archipelago. Once I got there, I had a hard time checking into my hostel because the reception guy wasn’t around. Eventually, he came back and showed me to my room, a room with two beds at the end of the hostel hall that I would be sharing with a roommate. I later met my roommate, Kevin, who was an Englishman and a photographer here primarily for photography.

As the night approached, the weather didn’t look like it was going to get any better. But I decided to take a short trip out to Reine, the beautiful town next door, to see if I could get any photos. But with the snow and difficult photography conditions, I snapped a couple of shots and returned to the hostel. Once I was back, the weather continued to worsen, with tons of wind, tons of snow, and lots of building-shaking. With that kind of weather, I was ready to raise the white flag for the night and just chill and figure out my trip for the next couple of days, since I hadn’t done much planning. However, that was when the first of three Italian guys came in asking for a hair dryer in broken English. And who knew that that would be the turning point of my trip!

Later that evening, the three Italians, brothers Andrea and Luca and friend Luca came in and started up a conversation. We talked for a while about everything, from travel to the politics in Europe and the United States, our perspectives and views on our countries, and about school and work. Once the conversation started to die down around 23:00 or so, they decided that they really wanted to do something despite the weather and were itching to go out and search for the auroras. At that point, I was like… Uh, really?? It’s storming outside. And cold. And late. And I’m tired… But of course, knowing me, I decided, what the heck, I’ll just join for fun and just hang out because it would be time better spent than sitting on my bed.

The initial half hour of searching wasn’t too fruitful. Clouds were everywhere and the wind was blowing pretty hard. The only thing we had going for us was that the snow had stopped for a little bit. We drove randomly around until we found a dark place to stop along the coast and decided to leave the car and attempt to find the northern lights in the small patches of clear sky we would see from time to time. At first, nothing. Then, I noticed some wispy, different-colored clouds in the distance. That’s gotta be it, I thought to myself, since I had seen similar wispy clouds in Reykjavik. And with my camera, bam! THE NORTHERN LIGHTS! It was really subtle at this point in the night, but the fact that we could see anything at all was astonishing!

So, with that little bit of hope instilled within us, we continued driving and searching. Shortly after witnessing the first bit of auroras, we stopped and looked to the sky again. And the Lights were becoming more and more apparent through and between the cloud cover! Then they became stronger and stronger! Excitement overcame us all because who would’ve thought that tonight of all nights would be a night of auroras! Especially since we were the only ones crazy enough to go out and search for them tonight! And wow, the Northern Lights were crazy amazing!! Even though it was cloudy the entire night! And even though the weather changed every 10 minutes from a calm winter night to wind gales, hail, and snowstorms! The lights were so intense tonight that we could see them dancing around and above the clouds in the night sky! And we saw strong streaks of it everywhere, sometimes lighting up to a very visible green before disappearing into the darkness! WOW! I couldn’t believe I was seeing such a spectacular sight! And imagine what it would’ve been like had there been no clouds tonight!

And for almost 4 hours, we drove around the area and stopped for photos as we saw the Lights. At some points, the auroras were coming down in slightly different colors than the green I had been seeing! It was jaw-breakingly unbelievable! So this is what it's supposed to look like!!! And this is what I’m supposed to take a photo of! And, the funniest thing that night was that the Italians actually weren’t sure how they would capture the Northern Lights on their camera and phones. So, I stepped back and did some photography teaching so that they could capture some good photos of the Lights to provide proof that they saw what they had come up to Lofoten to see! And they learned quickly and got some awesome shots of the Lights!

What an adventure with the Italians! What a night!

5 Things I Learned Today:

1. Airport Lounge access is quite nice. A nice, comfy, relaxing space to sit in without being bothered. Food and drinks are free, saving a ton of money. It feels nice to be pampered! And this must be what it feels like to be rich!

2. Single fixed-winged airplanes are small and as a result, can feel a TON of turbulence. So much that sometimes, you pray and hope for the best.

3. “Rorbuer/Rorbu” is a word you see all over the Lofoten archipelago. They are traditional Norwegian fishing huts (most of the time red, but can be yellow and other colors too) used by fishermen and are the beautiful huts you see all over Lofoten.

4. Lofoten is similar and different in many ways when compared to the Westfjords. I think Lofoten is prettier because of the sharper peaks and shallower fjords that allow for much prettier photos to be taken!

5. When you see intense Northern Lights, they are absolutely stunning. And when they are dancing, the are absolutely amazing! And never count out the Lights in bad weather. Because if wind blows hard enough and pushes the clouds out of way quickly, you can get intermittently clear skies and auroras in between the clouds!

[cathrynstreich]

Reading the Market Trends…and Responding

At first glance, Bob Eidson’s path in the real estate business may look a little circuitous. But upon closer inspection, it was exactly the route needed to bring him to where he stands today, ahead of the curve on one the industry’s most up-and-coming opportunities: the investment property/Airbnb model. Here, Eidson shares how his frontline experience in the recession-era mortgage space readied him for real estate success back in his hometown of Lexington, Ky., where he tapped into his passion for creating urban infill development and read the signs on where the market was headed next. 

Maria Patterson: Your background in real estate is very varied, but let’s start at the beginning. How did you first get started? Bob Eidson: I bought my first two properties when I was 19. After school and military service, I started as a young analyst with a West Coast hedge fund that specialized in complex real estate debt assets. Those guys understood the collateral better than anyone I’ve ever known. I then joined a group out of business school where the emphasis was placed on avoiding foreclosure and keeping people in their homes. We partnered with the California Association of REALTORS® and Prospect Mortgage, and started training REALTORS® in short sales. And on the nights/weekends, I was volunteering with Los Angeles Neighborhood Housing Services to help counsel those facing imminent foreclosure. Those two experiences opened the door for me to then jump into the largest opportunity to make a significant impact to millions of homeowners: join Bank of America and grow their short sale business 100 times.

MP: That’s when the industry was trying to wrap their minds around HAMP/HAFA, right? BE: Correct. Bank of America wanted to massively increase their short sale business, so I joined a Corporate Strategy group tasked with increasing short sales 100 times. Bank of America had acquired Merrill Lynch & Countrywide, and had the nation’s largest portfolio (about 13 million mortgages). I spent two years on the strategy side coming up with the people, processes and technology for how to go from being the worst bank at doing short sales to being the best. Bank of America went from last place to first place in the HAFA (Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives) short sale program. Last I checked, they still held that first-place position.

MP: So what led you back to Kentucky? BE: Bank of America right-sized its portfolio, so I left and got into commercial real estate and development. I moved back to Kentucky, where I had ownership in a bar and the Bourbon Review (a publication covering the world of Bourbon and American whiskey). I immediately started two real estate funds for urban infill redevelopment in tier-two and tier-three markets in the Southeast, Emerge Property & Emerge Development. We focused more on downtown core redevelopment opportunities. All of our developments offered affordable housing as well as market-rate housing. I was looking for opportunities where we thought predominantly millennial and service-based employees wanted to live, in and near the core of a downtown. These are places with high walkability scores. Further, we looked for locations that were close to or adjacent to a greenway transit corridor.

MP: Why was it important for you to develop in these types of walkable communities? BE: You have to interpret the trends and embrace them. I happen to believe that people want a lot more development around transit routes. While working for Bank of America, I moved to Uptown Dallas, and the Katy Trail opened the month I moved there. I watched this trail become a vein of energy for all walks of life and all socioeconomic backgrounds. So when I moved back to Kentucky, I wanted to develop our real estate based on similar opportunities. We believe that the future is brighter if we get people out of gated communities and living amongst each other in or near walkable areas.

Shipping containers are recycled as multifamily housing units.

MP: I understand you’ve made some innovative use of shipping containers… BE: Yes, we have completed six construction projects using old shipping containers. We just finished a multifamily concept for Emerge Development. This marks our third year of doing a project with shipping containers, and the knowledge curve has been steep! Our most recent project features four bedrooms in each of four shipping containers. The building has a stick-built core, which synthesized our evolution in thinking about shipping containers. We realized penetrations were costly, so this project features some floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor, which will offer a stunning view of Lexington’s skyline. Further, the roof makes the structure look like a futuristic race car in a 3D view. Almost everyone grew up with Legos, so the use of them is so intuitive. One thing we’ve learned the hard way is that a little container goes a long way!

MP: Speaking of staying ahead of trend, tell us about your foray into the Airbnb market. BE: A year or so ago, a REALTOR® told us we might want to look into Airbnb. We were building affordable, rental and luxury townhomes with which we could serve multiple segments of the Airbnb market. We put one of our properties up on the site, and within the first 24 hours, we completely booked a 12-plex—12 one-bedroom apartments.

Within a week, we had 60 dates booked and we could never have imagined all the use-case scenarios. Right away, someone booked for all of October, November and December while they were renovating their home. We had a traveling nurse who came to town every other week to work four days in a row, and booked those dates for six months in advance. Corporations are using them purely as a place for people to bring clients to for entertaining as a third corporate space. We have an Airbnb that’s being rented to six guys who work for a FinTech start-up. They congregate here at random intervals; one is in Cincinnati, one is in Chattanooga, and one in Louisiana. None of them live here, but they come and go as needed.

MP: What implications does the Airbnb model have for the rental market? BE: I love this question! I think the 12-month lease will go away 10 years from now, as there will continue to be more specialty situations. The duration of median stay will extend. We’re at a tipping point where we’re all using something like Airbnb, whether it’s Uber/Lyft/Turo—everything makes sense to go to that peer-to-peer platform. Also, the shortage of time for everyone is becoming more acute, and the days of filling out clunky paperwork are ending. Everything needs to be seamless. There will be a further aggregation of the labor economy and the housing economy, and those will start to work in parallel.

MP: Do you see any other parallels between Airbnb and the rideshare ecosystem? BE: It’s funny, I just gave a keynote speech on this. The legacy hospitality business was different from the legacy cab business; the service standards were quite high, in a relative sense. When Uber/Lyft came along, the customer experience was 1,000 times better than what it was before. Think about it: Hasn’t your worst Uber/Lyft been better than your best cab ride? Now, compare the contrast with Airbnb and the legacy hospitality business. I think Uber/Lyft were such a force multiplier, in terms of value perception, that people switched almost overnight. With Airbnb, there are still people who prefer to use credit card points, or their favorite corporate hotel brand, when they’re booking travel. The adoption curve has been steep, nonetheless. I see the legacy hospitality business losing marketshare to Airbnb, slowly, over the next 10 years.

MP: How does your connection to the bourbon business tie in to your real estate business? BE: The frontier of our tourism economy is experiences. Half of the Airbnb guests are coming here for bourbon. I understand what the bourbon consumer, tourist and traveler wants. We’re listening and doing focus groups and the applications are all hyperlocal. That is part of the cool factor with Airbnb. Our most successful Airbnb unit is simply called “Bourbon, Bourbon, Bourbon!”

Look at the big-box hotels. All the trends are toward delivering a local theme…and they’re doing a mediocre job at it. People want to stay like a local. No one says, “I want to stay in some agnostic hotel and eat at a restaurant in a strip mall.” People want to stay at a hip place and go to a hipster coffee joint or a funky burger place. Localism is driving consumer preference and there’s a massive opportunity for disruptors to find authentic ways to do that. Airbnb is such an efficient marketplace for expressing creativity, and the best operators are able infuse the localism with good service.

MP: So what advice would you give for real estate professionals wanting to tap into the Airbnb movement? BE: Understand what your area is known for. It’s the age-old adage “Play to your strengths.” For us, it’s also University of Kentucky athletics, the equestrian industry and Keeneland, and, lastly, medical tourism. Lexington has excellent hospitals and people come from all over Kentucky for healthcare reasons. Nurses come for employment and patients come for treatment. I bought a townhome close to a hospital as a place that patients could rent as an Airbnb.

You also have to find people that understand hospitality and service—you have to start there. You have to be ready to answer questions within 5-10 minutes, even if the question is “Do you have any Q-Tips?”; and messaging through the Airbnb app is critical. Responsiveness 24/7 is a must—and you need someone who is going to walk each unit before a new guest checks in.

You also need to build to scale. I started with one unit and that went great, so I added another unit, and grew from there and needed additional scales, like three subcontractors to do the cleanings, or “turns” as their known amongst Airbnb operators. We used to manage 5-6 units; now we’re managing 68 of our own Airbnb units across five geographic locations, and we manage another 115 Airbnb units for other people, as well.

MP: Can you give us some numbers, for the analytical readers out there? BE: Yeah, sure can. We had 80 percent occupancy in the third quarter. That was an all-time high for us, and we won’t do that every quarter. But it’s averaged 67 percent for the trailing 12 calendar months. In the beginning, when I was modeling the likely revenue scenarios, I never imagined occupancy numbers over 50 percent.

MP: OK, but what about the expenses? Don’t you have at least double the operating expenses? BE: The increased OpEx (operating expenses) we have seen is 93 percent. In some cases, you can actually reduce some OpEx categories. We compared utility bills of the same building that was previously a short-term rental to what the current utility usage has been during its time in service as a short-term rental—we reduced utility expenses by 8 percent year-over-year. So with nearly a 200-percent increase in revenue, and about a 100-percent increase in OpEx, you have effectively doubled your profit. Now every sub-market performs a little differently, but we see similar numbers across our portfolio, which spans five different markets. 

MP: So what should someone do if they’re thinking seriously about converting a unit, or buying a unit, for the short-term rental market? BE: For the average person reading this thinking, “I don’t have time to change sheets or answer questions at all hours of the night,” I would say the following: Get in the game! Soon! There are best-in-class management companies emerging in this space at the local and national level. We are exploring a relationship with Evolve, which is one of the nation’s fastest-growing short-term rental management companies. Further, there are some super-intuitive “bolt-on” technology solutions to help automate much of this. We use TurnoverBnB.com to help coordinate turns with independent contractors. We also use Smartbnb to automate our messaging. Guests receive check-in/check-out instructions, and greetings on their second day of a stay with an offer to provide some local guidance on places to eat/shop. If guests ask a question about traveling with a pet, then Smartbnb has some AI features that will copy/paste information about your pet policy to the guest in the form of a direct message through Airbnb.

Take my advice: Get in the game. Rent out a spare bedroom, or your lake house or beach condo. Don’t get a value photographer, by the way—getting a professional photographer with experience in vacation rentals or other staging applications is recommended. They can optimize the light and really help you to promote what makes your property unique. It’s all about authenticity.

For more information, please visit www.linkedin.com/in/successhacker/.

Maria Patterson is RISMedia’s executive editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at maria@rismedia.com. For the latest real estate news and trends, bookmark RISMedia.com.

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