Erin The Great

It all started while I was packing my suitcase early Friday morning. I noticed that I had become one of those girls that now require a million beauty products, none of which are expendable. This was not always the case. I used to be able to pack a week’s worth of stuff in my backpack and call it good… nowadays is an entirely different story. I was going home for the wedding of a good friend so of course the essentials were necessary.

After hauling my bag to work and receiving a bout of razzing from my co-workers for its size, I waited impatiently for the hour that would allow me to leave and venture to the airport ready to start my weekend. I arrived at the airport and then to security. Oy! I know all these precautions are for our own good, but mostly I was just glad that the man with the rubber glove was surprisingly gentle. I don’t fly very often but I’m pretty sure that security has increased since the last time I was in the air. You have to all but strip down to your underwear to enter through the security checkpoint (thank goodness granny panties weren’t an issue). Meanwhile while I was stripping off anything that would set the metal detector off, people with full bottles of gel and hairspray I know for a fact were making it through. So I guess you have the extremes… the ‘Half-assed I’m almost doing my job’ and the ‘Mr. Rubber gloves’ type that stiff you on the happy ending. Of course after you leave security you have to be aware of the rent-a-cops wandering through the airport giving you the ‘eye’, like you’re some crazy delinquent teenager… I’ve got news for you buddy… you’re about 10 years too late! At least I made it back to Oregon safely due in large part to the anal retentiveness of the airlines. I may complain but I am thankful.

After arriving safely in Portland, I made my way down to the drop off/ pick up zone where my friend Jon was waiting to take me back to my home town of Salem. I know I’ve been in Utah to long when Provo starts looking green, and then I come home… and then I see what green REALLY looks like! It’s so unbelievably beautiful here in the Willamette Valley. I don’t know how I don’t make it home more often. Especially when stories just happen being around my friends. Stories like almost getting the cops called on us for ‘casing out a house’ that we had accidentally mistaken for our friends.

After arriving in Salem we were given directions to a house where our friends were at, but our friends had gone to get food and we arrived at a house that was next door to the house we actually needed. We weren’t sure if it was the right house so instead of ringing the door bell and risking the chance of getting shot, we took the ‘looking suspiciously in the window’ approach in dark clothing…. Smart I know but by that point the two of us were ready to kill over from exhaustion. It’s amazing what seems like a good idea when you’re over stressed and dead tired and your friends are over stressed, dead tired and still relatively hung over from the bachelor party the night before. Thank you Salem police for not catching us so we could get frisked in front of a house and be denied yet another happy ending.