The OTHER Washington

We got back from our trip to Washington two days ago, and I'm still recovering.

Actually, it was a great trip and we had a wonderful time.  But man, was it busy.  After our two very long flights (the extra seat for Jack was a lifesaver; totally worth the money my parents paid for it), we had a two-hour drive to Manzanita, a little town on the coast, where my parents had rented a house.  My sister Elizabeth, her husband Pierre, my niece Julia, and my nephew Alex, were all there waiting for us, along with Roscoe, my parents' dog.  We had dinner and I got a chance to catch up with Elizabeth, who is an aspiring author as well.  We have a lot in common and I wished we'd had more time to catch up, but she and the rest of her family left the next morning for a camping trip (still waiting to hear how that turned out!).

Jack and Roscoe enjoy Sesame Street together.

On Thursday we went to the beach, which was freezing cold, but beautiful.  We had to camp out between some sand dunes because it was really windy, but Jack loved playing in the sand and I collected some lovely black stones (there was no sea glass to be had, unfortunately).

Manzanita beach

That night my mom and dad stayed with Jack so John and I could go to dinner.  We went to an adorable little restaurant in Cannon Beach called Newman's, which had about ten tables and really excellent food.  At the end of the meal, the waitress handed me an envelope with our name on it (my parents had kindly picked up the tab for us), and I opened it and exclaimed, "It's from Chris Harrison!  If we choose to forgo our individual rooms..."

The waitress thought it was funny, anyway.

Adorable house that I want.

On Friday John and I drove in to Portland to return our rental car and grab some lunch.  John, the intrepid Yelper, found a place called PBJ's that serves nothing but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Yum!  I really love Portland - what a great vibe, and just the right size for a city I think.  I would live there in a heartbeat.  Alas, I'm pretty sure there's no embassy in Portland.  Drats.
My parents picked us up at the airport and we grabbed dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Longview.  I was very excited when I saw the sign above the door that promised us a Mexican fiesta with real sand, but alas, that wasn't until the following weekend.  Jack enjoyed his cup of salsa and platter of beans, and I enjoyed a much-needed margarita.

Grandpa and Jack at the park (wearing his awesome Red Dog Photo Blog shirt - thanks Mark!)

Saturday morning we grabbed some breakfast and my mom dropped me off at the Amtrak station.  I got to spend two and a half glorious hours alone on a train, and I'm proud to say I got to page 140 of my book while I was away, thanks to the train rides (and the fact that John sat next to Jack on the plane).  I arrived in Seattle to the smiling faces of some of my best and oldest friends: Shauna, the bride-to-be, Sara, and Kathryn, all Foxfield buddies from junior high through high school and beyond.  We had some time to catch up at Shauna's house and a couple of wineries before we checked into a hotel to get ready for our evening of bachelorette debauchery.

I have never felt older in my life.

We had a really good time, actually, going out to dinner, then making our way to three different clubs.  I didn't drink much, mostly because I'm not twenty-two anymore and also because I knew I had to get up in the morning to catch my train back.  And while I loved seeing my friends, meeting most of the bridesmaids (who I will see again in a few weeks at Shauna's wedding!!), being told by a random guy that Sara, Kathryn, and I "totes" need to dance more, and sharing a hotel room with six drunk girls and a giant inflatable penis, I was sort of relieved to be back with my family.  I just can't party like I used to (and we all know how wild I was back in the day).

Grandma, Jack, and a bronze dog.

When I got back to Kelso we went to my mom's barn so I could meet her new horse, Maestro.  He is absolutely adorable and I hope I get to ride him some day (preferably when I've had more than five hours of sleep).  I even got to say hi to Timmy, my mom's giant-ass warhorse, who was happy enough to see me until I was petting his head and he touched the electric fence with his nose, giving us both a jolt I could have done without.  Neither of us was very happy after that.

"Cooterville," on the way to Manzanita.  I "totes" would have gone in this place with Sarah.

And then, as vacations must, it came to an end.  We left on Monday morning and got home around eleven p.m.  It was a whirlwind, but it was wonderful.  I quite like the other Washington.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa, we had a blast!

Can I have a bronze cocker spaniel?  Pleeeeeease?