Day -1: All the Driving

Even though I moved back to Fox yesterday, today was quite a bit busier. I realized last night that, despite my best efforts, I had forgotten my caddy full of toiletries. Knowing that I had to go to the airport today, I considered waiting until Tuesday to go home to fetch it. After a bit more thinking though, I decided that shaving and brushing my teeth would be good things to do before my first day of school. Thus, I was stuck going today.

At 10 AM this morning I left Fox to head back to Salem. The pavement was dry, but on either side of the interstate the fields and trees were frosted white. It was a pretty drive with not much traffic, so I wasn't too irritated. When I got home, I gathered my forgotten items and scoured the rest of the house for anything else I might need, second-guessing myself as I went. While there, I got a text from my dad asking me to check on the dog and make sure his water wasn't iced over. I went outside to look and his water bucket was totally frozen over with a solid lid of ice. I needed something to break through the ice. I scanned the backyard and spotted a cast-metal garden gnome. I picked up the gnome and CHUK! CHUK! CHUK! used his pointy hat to bust up the ice. Poor gnome. He took one for the team.

Driving So Far: 2 hours, 80.4 miles

By noon, I was back at Fox and the Bon wasn't open yet so I borrowed some bacon off of Alex's plate at our apartment. Shortly after 1, Savannah, Alex, and I headed out to PDX. This took a long time but didn't make me as crazy as driving alone. Yay friends! :) At the airport, I pulled into the "Wait for a Call" parking lot and pulled out my phone. Megan was there early and waiting for us! Alex sighed in relief because he was already bored and didn't want to sit around. We spun around and successfully picked up Megan. Another hour later, we were back at Fox. The gang is assembling! :D

Total Driving: 4 hours, 172.4 miles

On the way back to school, Megan joked that we would have ham for our first dinner back because that was the last thing we had before break. We did.

Things I Learned Today:

• Driving is better with friends. The radio and Mika help too.
• Birding while driving is dangerous and passengers don't appreciate it. 

Tomorrow I begin my penultimate semester at George Fox University... Ack!