So here we are, back again (for the umpteenth time) in a Motel 6. They seem to have become our hotel (or motel?) chain of choice for the sheer reason that they allow pets without an extra fee. Come to any Motel 6 and you're bound to see kitties in the room windows, hear dogs barking as you walk past rooms or owners walking their pets around outside. It really has become the unofficial "pet hotel" I think.
So the last 2 weeks have been awesome. When last I wrote, we were back in Roseburg, OR, where I lived and worked for 4 1/2 months this summer. I got the chance to introduce Adam to my housemates Janice and Art and several other friends I made this summer. Our first day back, Janice held a little dinner party for us so I could see friends one last time before heading back east, and so they could meet Ads. We all had such a great time. The rest of the week was spent touring around the Umpqua Valley to Eugene and to hang out at Art's house. This vegetarian even got the chance to see my first deer processing; I helped separate the deer meat and bag it. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't disgusted at all. I wasn't tempted, but I also wasn't disgusted. I guess I've come a long way since I first moved to Michigan.
After a tearful good-bye to Janice and Art, we travelled to Corvallis to see Anita, the first "Michigan friend" to see Adam since his return from Iraq. She was able to take the afternoon off to take us around downtown Corvallis and Oregon State Univ., then off for sushi for dinner. It was great to see her one last time before leaving the PNW.
Next up was Portland to see Eva-Maria and Alexandra, our next set of "Michigan friends". Since we arrived on Halloween weekend, Eva had us meet up with her friends from "Meet in Portland", a cool social group that meets throughout the city for different social activities and outings. There was a Halloween costume party going on at a club in the city, so Ads and I dressed up in costumes we got at a Goodwill we passed on the highway. He found a grim reaper costume straight away, and I managed to find a beautiful wedding dress (reminds me of my mother's) from the 1970s for $8, and a Bride of Frankenstein wig, so that's what I went as. We had a great time and I took tons of pics of the various costumes we saw at the club. The following day, we took Alexandra to the city and hit the farmer's market, a chocolatier and Powell's bookstore, my new favorite bookstore. We all three of us got lost in there. Later that night, we went to a pretty cool haunted maze complete with ghouls, ghosts and zombies. What a weekend!
Yesterday (Sunday) we left our friends and drove up to the Olympia area to see yet another set of "Michigan friends", Kate and Brad. I don't know how many years it had been since Adam had seen them, but it was great to hang out again. Their kids Ella and Jack were cutie-pies as usual, and we had a nice walk around the neighborhood on a beautiful fall day. They have a great view of Mt. Rainier so we soaked up the sights.
After leaving their place, we drove up to Kirkland, WA, to spend the night. That's about 20 miles outside of Seattle. A good friend of Adam's from the navy, Chris, lives in these parts and met up with us at Pike Place Market this morning. We had a wonderful day walking around the city, buying pumpkin muffins for breakfast, stopping for soothing tea at a little teahouse on this overcast Seattle day, then catching lunch at an Irish pub. After we bid Chris adieu, Ads and I walked around the city a bit more, trying to decide if we could see ourselves living here. I definitely could; I think Adam might still be leaning more toward California's warm weather.
So here we are now, back at the hotel for a little QT with Kika before we head back into the city for dinner. As I remember, restaurants in Seattle close kind of early, so I guess we'd better get going. We're starting the trip back east tomorrow. As much as I'll be happy to be back in our house around our friends and all the familiar trappings of home, I am so bummed to leave the PNW. I am so sold on living out here.
See y'all soon...
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