swimmingly

You know what we're good at? Getting stuck in random places.

When we were coming back from Utah after Christmas, it was the picturesque town of La Grande, Oregon - way up in the wily wildlands of Eastern Oregon. The story you never heard involved a Holiday Inn (regarded to be the best hotel in town, "Even better than The Sandman Motel, because The Sandman allows pets and if you're not into pets then eww" -La Grande Holiday Inn Night Manager Cindy), Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Chip instructing a woman the next morning how to make a waffle on a make-your-own-waffle-maker ("you need to flip it over or the timer will never start").

This week it's Portland, Oregon. What is it about Oregon?, you ask. Well, it goes something like this: The Whimsy promised The Chip that she and The Alice would travel with The Chip at least once per month when he goes away for business and The Whimsy hasn't been so good on keeping that particular promise and she vowed to be better about it in 2009. And The Chip was coming down here to Portland this week. So The Alice and The Whimsy packed up and here we are. We were supposed to be here Tuesday through Friday. Until the skies opened up and rained down The Rain to End All Rains (since 2007 at least) and The Powers That Be saw fit to CLOSE I-5, the one and only real north-south highway between Portland and Seattle. It's closed due to flooding. The whole freeway is sort of underwater. LIKE THAT WOULD STOP US! But unless we decide to run through the police barricades, it would appear that we are Portland-ers for the time beling. (Best estimates are saying Monday...)

I need to learn my lesson and stop packing Just Enough. Whenever I pack Just Enough there is some kind of Pee Emergency (involving Alice, not me - unless you count the times she has peed ON me, and then I guess the pee involves both of us); or else we get stuck in a city for an Undisclosed Period of Time due to massive flooding - you know, the usual things. I bought some detergent today (because there's a TARGET across the street from our hotel - and seriously, how lucky am I?). I will be washing everyone's three outfits tomorrow so as to extend our clothing options for another few days. Luckily even though I only packed Just Enough, I did have the foresight to pack Just Enough things in all the same colors - so at least we can mix and match.

Don't feel sorry for us. We're safe. We're together. Our hotel room has TWO rooms - which means that we can actually keep the light on and watch TV even after Alice has gone down for the night. There's a Target across the street. And Chip's company is footing the hotel bill. Also - and this is mighty important - the sweet sweet (and very good friend) Wandering Nana is looking in on the cats. Guess how she'll be getting into the house? WE HAD TO OVERNIGHT OUR GARAGE OPENER TO HER. How's that for some nice problem-solving, eh? We originally left enough crunchies and water out for the cats to comfortably last until Friday, but seeing as how we'll be gone longer than that, another solution was in order. Wandering Nana to the rescue. We owe her BIG, yo.

Happy weekend, y'all.