OTRA: Vansquad

It feels absolutely typical to be posting this three months after the fact and still grin looking at these photos. It feels less typical to look at  a stretch of less than a week of time and feel really fuckin happy I didn't bother taking more. I've been thinking a lot lately about what it means to come from a place, in a lot of different ways and meanings, and I think mostly everyone here knows I write a lot more than I take photos now, but so much of it is still building a setting or creating an image. idk, now I'm thinking about how all but maybe 25 minutes of the past year if I've had a camera in my hand it's been to capture something spontaneous (or right after I've said wait don't move or do that again) and how much of that is set up?? I also have been thinking a lot about who I am now because obviously moving across the country is something that changes you a lot and moving back across the country so far has been this weird feeling of needing to catch up to myself. I have a job and I have more than two friends and I walk and take public transit and have been making my way back to the places I used to go and new ones, and figuring out what part of the train to exit, and seeing people again etc. But the version of me that's in this now feels somehow like a trick, like it's too good to be true. A lot of my worries about moving around and traveling so much was this sense of running from something, which I tried really hard to resist against and thought a lot about in terms of what I wanted (and still want) from place, like, shelter/ that fundamental need of life, taking comfort and needing comfort and having a place to come back to. like, did I only leave to be able to come back? Did I only leave in order to come back?????
This trip to Seattle and Vancouver really solidified this idea in my head of homes like constellations. Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike I said that about my friend Nora's house when I was home in June and it seemed to just stick about everywhere I've been that I've felt this certain way toward. Vansquad is a bunch of friends with a common cause that adventured and felt joy and brokenness together and ate breakfast and nachos and lived a dream for a moment. That's a kind of home I am very lucky to know. 

1. Cara and I drove from Portland to Seattle on July 14. We went to a karaoke bar and the rest of the crew scared us and then we all sat on the couches and sang along to every one direction song we could fit into our time slot. It was magic.

2. July 15 we went from Elaine's house to a little diner for breakfast.

Look at Cara definitely talking shit. Kate had lost her voice singing Taylor Swift last night. Food was very good.

We walked to the Space Needle and surrounding park areas, Cara and Elaine touched the fountain

We prepared for a one direction show.

Pre-show family pic. No camera allowed in the stadium so I left it behind. Peaceeeee

We got home late and exhausted and exhilarated. It was the best show. The best.

3. July 16 we woke up and Cara made us her famous biscuits and gravy and we listened to the girls in the house next to us recapping their night at the same show. What a world.

Elaine's dog Eugene is the sweetest cuddliest dog!! I love her

Jsquared picked us up and I took a vansquad pic and then we were off

To Vancouver:

Our airbnb was beautiful. Jebet visited us and we walked around a bit and ate dinner then came back and were friends.

4. The next morning we scoped out the stadium and walked around and got breakfast at this cafe

Then spent a bit hanging/ getting ready/ watching youtube videos

Again, no photos from the show. It was sooooo good. We had some issues and our lowest point but we made it through and all the better for it. We made friends. We talked shit. We ate nachos. We danced and sang and cried. What a great time. Frickin.

5. We drove back to Seattle and then parted ways for a while, never forget never forgive.

This is Before Cara spilled Cheetos all over my floor and then left them there like the best friend she is to me.