The Pacific Northwest. We’ve been on vacation since Saturday, May 2, enjoying family, the outdoors, and food. We started in Washougal, WA, headed to Portland, then Bend, and now we’re in Seattle. It’s back to Portland tomorrow before heading back home to NC early Tuesday morning. There’s not much better than being mostly off the hook responsibility-wise and enjoying amazing scenery and food with loved ones.
DogVacay. The last time Tonks came home from being boarded at the vet, she had barked so much that her bark was hoarse. In preparation for our current trip, we needed to find a different solution. Through the DogVacay website, which is essentially airbnb for dogs, we found a dog sitter, who is taking care of Tonks in her home. So the pup is living like a queen, sleeping on their couch, and getting taken out for potty breaks every hour. The dog sitter texts me photos and updates multiple times a day, and it’s the next-best thing to having Tonks with us.
Libraries. I have access to four local library catalogs (city, city, county, university), and I still use one in our former home city electronically. With all the possible places to get books for free, I can now usually get away without buying any. Because I belong to three book clubs (one in real life, two virtual) and listen to a lot of audiobooks on my bus commute, not buying books is crucial. I especially love Overdrive, the app that downloads mp3 audiobooks from the library to my phone and lets me keep them for three weeks.
ReChaco. I sent in a pair of well-loved ZX/1 Chaco sandals that I wore pretty much every day from March-October for the past four years. After re-webbing and a new sole, I effectively have a new pair. I paid for the revitalizing, but I like that I did, rather that just throwing the old ones out. I also asked for a color webbing that wasn’t pictured as available online, and I got it! Plus, it took only nine days from sending them in to getting them back.
Inviting Joy 