September 30, 1998
Salt Lake City Airport, Utah
2:15 PM, MDT
Here I am, on my way back home. I spent most of this last week just a bit north of Seattle, Washington, and half a day in Vancouver, British Columbia. I had a nice trip really, though just the day before I left, I told Jev that I wasn't looking forward to it. I think that was mostly nerves though, and they went away once I was on my way.
I left Kansas City last Thursday afternoon, after the long, long drive to the airport, and we got into Salt Lake City around dusk. I had time to freshen up, grab a bite to eat after the pitiful lunch we had at a gas station diner (ugh!), then call Jev before boarding the second leg of my flight.
Seattle was covered in fog and rain clouds, and that made me a bit edgy as we landed, but I guess the flight crew is used to the conditions. It was close to ten by my internal clock, and I was glad to see Julie waiting at the end of the jetway. She walked my legs off, leading us down to baggage claim, then out to the parking structure, where she left me at the elevator and brought the car around.
There was practically no traffic on the road up to Everett, and Julie pointed out the sights, while I chuckled over travelling the same freeways I grew up with down in Southern California (the same numbers, anyway). We made it home and up to her apartment, where I curled up on the sofa and her cat, Squeaky, gave me the once-over.
Squeaky is an interesting guy; he's a blue-eyed, long-haired grey and black tabby. His name comes from the fact that he can't seem to meow very well, and he usually winds up sounding like a squeaky hinge. He's a sweetie, once he warms up to you, and he kept me company when Julie had to work, Friday and Monday.
Jev called, not twenty minutes after we got in from the airport. He'd gone to a movie with some friends, and decided to try giving me a call before he headed off to visit with one more friend, since he wasn't sleepy yet.
After I got off the phone with Jev, Julie and I talked, watched a bit of TV, and then she sent me to bed in her room. I loved it! Her bed is nice and big (queen size, I think), soft, and had lots of pillows and blankets. She had the electric blanket turned on low, so it was nice and warm when I climbed under the covers. Yum!!
I slept wonderfully, and woke up in time to say goodbye to Julie before she left for work at 7. I called mom on one of my prepaid cards, then spent a lazy day watching movies from Julie's collection, and working on some cross-stitch. Not the one I should have been working on, mind you. I'd worked a bit on Julie's stitched gift the previous day on the drive to the airport, but I'd also started the gorgeous one Delina got me for my birthday the evening before. That was what I'd decided to stitch on, since I thought I'd have plenty of time to finish the other. As I said, I thought I had the time...
I called Jev after seven that evening (his time), and we talked for a while; he called me back after my calling card ran out. He'd ended up staying up all night, then set his alarm wrong and slept through his classes (9 & 10 AM). Ooops. But no harm done, or so he thinks. We probably talked twenty or thirty minutes, then I stitched more, until Julie got home and we went out to dinner. We rented a couple movies, "My Giant" and "City of Angels", and watched those, and I called the people who were supposed to give me a ride up to Vancouver.
Apparently, plans had changed a bit, and instead of the groom's mom bringing me up, his brother was going to do that. So we made arrangements, and Julie gave him directions on how to get to her apartment, and I went to bed after we finished our two movies.
Saturday morning was cool, but sunny, and I was up and dressed and ready to go in plenty of time. Ben's brother and his cousin showed up about half an hour after I was expecting them, and I grabbed my duffel bag and the wedding gift, and headed down to their car. It was only when I asked them when we'd be back the next day that I found out I wouldn't be staying the night in Vancouver after all. I should have clarified that point the night before on the phone, I suppose. As it was, I was suddenly out $70 or so on the room I'd booked for the night. Not a nice thing to have happen, what with my limited income, but I decided not to let it ruin my trip.
It seemed like it took us forever to get up to Vancouver... Ben's brother had never been up there before, as far as I could tell, and we spent a lot more time trying to find the place than we might have, if he'd had a better idea of where he was going. But he was driving, and so I kept my mouth shut. I forgot and put Julie's cross stitch in my bag that wound up in the trunk, so I didn't get to work on it at all, and I basically just tried to tune out and ignore the heavy metal music that my companions favored. I survived, barely, and we got to the wedding in one piece.
The bride was a bit late, but Ben was there, and I got a chance to meet some of his family. I was sitting about five feet from the justice of the peace, and when she repeatedly mispronounced Ben's last name, it was all I could do to keep from giggling. I'm rather glad the bride was facing away from me... she's always good at making me laugh online, and I imagined she'd be just as good in person.
After the ceremony and the signing and the pictures, I sat at the "net nut" table, with the bride and groom and their online friends. I knew a few more of the people, from various appearances on IRC, and everyone just chitchatted. I was a bit quiet, as usual, but I enjoyed myself... and the food.... MMmmmmm... Ben's a goooood cook!
Of course his brother, being barely in his twenties, didn't want to stick around, and wanted to get back home before the music and dancing and all got started, so I said my goodbyes (and got in a few group pictures), and we were off. The boys wanted to stop at the mall, and we did, but it was closed, thankfully. I just wanted to get back to Julie's and into comfy clothes, and spend some more time with her.
It took us a little longer to get back home than it should have... after we crossed the border back into the states, Tim got onto the freeway in the wrong direction, and we spent about 20 minutes going north, back up toward BC. I pointed out that we were on the northbound side when I finally realized it (between being in unfamiliar territory, and it being completely dark out, I wasn't a very good navigator), and we got off the freeway and back on in the right direction. Of course I'd thought of my cross stitch on the way back, but it was too dark to work on it anyway. *sigh*
I was pretty well tuckered out when I got back to Julie's, and I don't really remember what we did that evening... probably just visited a bit, and I think that was the night I showed her my photo albums, and let her pick what she wanted from the portraits Sam and I had done.
Sunday, my half brother and his girlfriend were coming over for dinner, as well as Julie's current boyfriend. We went out for a quick breakfast (taco bell), and she drove me around and showed me the sights... a bay where she'd go with co-workers for parties (there was a lighthouse there), and by the Boeing facilities, where I saw all the new 777's ready to be delivered to their new owners, and just here and there and everywhere. Then we hit the grocery store for the fixings for chicken enchiladas, and went home and got those ready to bake. I had fun helping her in the kitchen, and she said it made it a lot easier, having a second pair of hands to prepare the tortillas for rolling.
Josh and his girlfriend Heather showed up, and David (Julie's boyfriend at the time), and we all talked and had dinner, and then watched TV. The "grown ups" laughed, when we kids stopped on some old Brady Bunch reruns... it was the three-parter where they all go to Hawaii, and one of the boys finds this 'cursed' figurine. I thought it was funny that we all had the same tastes. Eventually, it was time for everyone to go, and it really surprised me when Josh hugged me goodbye. He's kinda quiet, like I am, and I wish we'd had more time to get to know each other.
Monday, Julie had to work again, and I stitched my fingers off, trying to get her present done for her birthday, the next day. But I'd waited too long, and I got close, but still had quite a bit of backstitching to do. She'd hoped to have the whole day off, but there was a construction bid they were hoping to get, so she went in until about one or so, then came back home and had lunch with me... grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, my favorite on a rainy day (which it was). That evening, we went over to Heather's parents' house (they're good friends with Julie), and Heather and Josh came over as well, and had a birthday dinner for her, and presents... she got two of the Planet of the Apes movies on video, and so they put that in and we watched it... and I stitched on my gift to her, hoping to get it done in time.
Tuesday (yesterday) was Julie's birthday, and she'd taken the day off, and we went down to Seattle to see the Space Needle, and the Public Market, and just look around and have fun. We got some fish and flowers at the market, and on the way back, we stopped at one of her friends' to visit. Her friend makes these great laser-cut cards and stencils, and when she took us back to her workshop to show me what she did, she loaded me up with qutie a few of them, as a gift. I thought that was so sweet of her...
She also took us into her little music studio. Her boyfriend/husband (I can't remember if they were married yet or not; didn't meet him) is very into music, and they have their own little recording studio with all the mixing equipment and some keyboards and stuff, and she queued up a piece that she'd done and played it for us to hear. I was really impressed... she's a very talented lady!
We headed back home after that, not wanting the fish to spoil, and we had a regular feast for dinner... crab legs, tuna and salmon steaks, fresh asparagus (also from the market)... mmmmm.... oh, and then chocolate silk pie, which was left over from dessert the night before.
After dinner, we watched part of another of the Planet of the Apes movies, but it was getting late, and we had to get up early so she could go in to work for a couple hours before we headed to the airport. I got my bags packed up again, then had one more night of sleep in her wonderful bed.
This morning, I got up pretty early, and we were out the door by about 7. We stayed at her office until 9:15, then headed the rest of the way to the airport (her job is in Redmond... but not Microsoft.... Heather does work there though). We got in with just a little bit of time to spare, and I was off again, heading back home. Now I'm here in Salt Lake City again, waiting for my final flight to get me the rest of the way back to Missouri. I wish now that my trip had been longer, but I'll be glad to get back home and back to my computer and netmeeting and Jev.
