A few weeks ago, my friend Sarah sent me pictures of her kids. I sat in the coffee drive-thru in near tears because it’s been over a year since I’ve seen them – the longest in like 6 years, at least. Last year they moved to the other side of the state and it’s just never worked out to visit them.
I’d already made plans with my friend Mei-Ling to drive to Seattle to watch The Bachelorette with her, so I sent Justen a text pleading for him to be okay with me tacking a trip to Spokane to see them onto the end of that Seattle trip. God bless Justen Martian, he said absolutely.
Seattle
The weekend before, he helped me get my oil changed and clean out my car, so Monday I hit the road armed with my favorite 90s boy band Spotify playlist and the cleanest car I’ve had in 2 years, no joke.
Mei-Ling is honestly one of my favorite people in the world. We share a deep love of much of the same music, in this “not many people understand this” kind of love way. When I got to her apartment, we ordered thai food. I watched her bake stuff in an apron (I made sure she wore an apron).
Then we watched the dumpster fire that is The Bachelorette. and her cat Susan kept my computer warm.. and that’s literally the only picture I took from being in Seattle.
Spokane
I made it to Spokane on Tuesday evening after a minor setback (losing my credit card), but was so excited to see some of my favorite kids IN THE WORLD. Ellen signed this promotional camp postcard she was featured on.
The next morning, we hung out and played Sleeping Queens and Candy Land (I won 3 times in a row before Ellen finally overthrew me as Candy Land champ).
I snuck away for a little bit to meet my friend Sophia (who happens to be their cousin!) for a quick coffee date. We tend to have monthly hours long convos so it was so good to actually be with her.
That night, we went to a band concert at their church. While we waited, we started playing 4 way rock paper scissors with a couple kids from their church. What is 4 way rock paper scissors, you ask? A headache. Everyone freezes their choices and then get points for how many things they trump. I played with them 3 times before I was SO OVER keeping track of the scores in my head.
Hannah asked me to go to the bathroom with her and we snapped what is probably my favorite picture of us #may30 girls. Five years ago, I got one of the best presents in the world when she was born on my birthday. The following year her cousin (who is a good friend of mine) had a baby on May 30. So we’re #may30 birthday buddies.
It was such a quick trip, the next morning was my last day! Sometimes it’s REALLY HARD to have people you love SO SO SO MUCH live far away. I wished there was a tesseract as in A Wrinkle in Time, the fifth dimension, a portal between point A and point B. Or as the book says,
We went to Hello Sugar, which is a made to order donut shop. The cutest little donuts with wonderful flavors topped with a dusting of EDIBLE GLITTER. Ellen knew I’d be so into it, and she was 100% right. They were also into it…
We then walked around the Spokane Riverfront. I’ve been to Spokane with their cousin YEARS (like 10+) ago, but I hardly remember any of it. It’s such a cool city! I texted Justen and told him there’s so much we didn’t get to see, and that he’d probably enjoy a few days there, too.
After parting ways 🙁 I got in my car and began the 5.5 hour drive home. I made it a few hours into a city called Pasco. I thought, “hey.. I’m going to stretch my legs and walk around a Goodwill.”
Something to note: Â I’ve donated all but 3 of my purses. 2 are really small (they require a smaller wallet) and the one I’ve been using on the regular I HATE. Last week, a tube of lipstick exploded all over it, so I got rid of it and have just been walking around carrying my stuff (0/10 do not recommend). So I walk into this Goodwill, carrying my phone, wallet and keys. And I found one great thing.. then another.. then another, and then suddenly my arm was cramping and I looked like this:
I made my way to the register, and behind the counter I spied with my little eyes… a really beautiful purse. I asked to see it and knew the treasure I’d spotted. I found a brand new Kate Spade purse, priced at $40 (original price $350). That’s not even the most magic part about it. It perfectly matched my Kate Spade wallet. The material is different, but the color is exact.
They actually had two tote bags of the same color, brand new, for $60. But alas, I had lost my credit card, I was 3.5 hours from home, and my weekly Poshmark payout wouldn’t hit until the next morning. So I gladly paid for my pile of clothes and my brand new Kate Spade purse.
I got in my car, so excited I almost cried, filled up with gas and coffee and then blasted happy music the rest of the drive home.
It was the perfect ending to a perfect few days. I arrived home just in time to shower, sit on the couch for awhile, and go to bed.
Today after work, Justen and I are headed BACK to Seattle for a little weekend getaway. Mostly to see the Mission to the Moon exhibit at the Museum of Flight. After being away for 4 days, I’m happy to go anywhere with Justen because it turns out that home isn’t a place so much as a person. <3
