in which she wonders to the edge of the world.

I'm leaving on a jet-plane early tomorrow morning for a vacation with my bro. I am so far past excited that I'm annoying myself. I am ecstatic. I am exhilarated. I am also ... finally packed.

I'm not sure if I've ever told you how hard I procrastinate when it comes to packing, but dagnabit I DO. Quick trip. Long trip. It doesn't seem to matter.

While I was packing, Biscuit kept dropping toys into my open suitcase. My dog knows how to lay on the guilt. It is truly pitiful. While I'll miss my sweet furball, I'm leaving her in capable hands. My parents will be loving on Biscuit while I'm gone and they are experts at spoiling my dog rotten. My mom even makes homemade dog treats for her. Biscuit is pretty much Queen of the World at this point. ;)

I cannot even articulate how grateful I am for this adventure.

My brother, Chase {whom I commonly refer to as The Rogue Accountant} and I have talked about seeing the Pacific Northwest for as long as I can remember. Our infatuation with this region began with the movie Goonies. We're real classy and cultured that way.

Are you a Goonie too? I loved Goonies for the adventure and the funnies (and it is still so very funny). But I also thought Astoria was gorgeous. The view from the Walsh porch gives me shivers. Also, the Goonies also had a pirate ship within bike-riding distance.

You better believe our trip includes Astoria. (Pause for Quote: "Walsh. You're looking at the richest people in Astoria.") Someone actually lives in the Goonie House though, so I'm guessing sitting on the porch would be awkward. But maybe they won't throw things at me if I just take a picture?

(If I do the truffle shuffle will they let me in, you think?)

(How many people do you think stand outside this house and do the truffle shuffle every year?)

Besides the Goonie House, we're checking out Portland and Seattle and a few fun little towns by the sea. The Rogue Accountant is also obsessed with National Parks and the Oregon/Washington Coast has more than a few he's been aching to explore. We'll be driving and hiking(ish) and road-tripping for several days. Lots to see. Lots.

And I'm so excited. Jumpy-claps-excited. Squealy-excited.

I need the ocean and the rainclouds. I need a road that I don't know; a road that leads to places I've never been before. There are at least 50 things on my Road Trip List but they're just ideas. I'm determined not to spend this trip looking down at a list or a guidebook. I'm not even taking my Mac which oh my word may drive me insane.

"How am I supposed to write?!" I said to Chase, when he suggested it would be dumb to lug around the laptop.

"How about ... with a pen?" was his response.

So I'm going old school with a pen and my Moleskine journal. I got a new one just for this trip.

Empty journals make my heart spin. No lines. No limits.

I feel like my heart set out a day early; like it's already there telling me to hurry up.

To step westward. I've been thinking of that poem since we started planning this trip (admission: I totally had to look up the author). William Wordsworth wrote it:

Stepping westward seems to be

a kind of heavenly destiny.

He writes about adventure like it's a constant thing, not just a planned thing. He writes about glowing skies and chance and shelter. He ends by talking about an "endless way." I think that's some good perspective.

This week my endless way includes stepping westward. And my heavenly destiny? The GoonieHouse! ;) And the Cascades and Cannon Beach and Forks (...more on that) and a million other moments. The best moments are always the unplanned ones, right? I want a billion of those. For now, there are four I'm hoping for:

I want to drink my weight in coffee.

I want to walk beside the ocean, because whenever I do that my heart pounds as loud as the waves. I love that feeling.

I want to take a thousand pictures that I can never explain the same as I saw them.

I want make one perfect memory; something so good that all I have to do is think about it, and my heart feels full.

I'm grateful for a chance to fly away for awhile. And I must admit I'm excited about flying with my brother. He's a pretty incredible guy. Nefarious. Somewhat villainous. But awesome. :)

I wish I could take you all with me. Like, rent a giant bus and off we go. Wouldn't that be fun? We could name it Doris, like they did in Almost Famous.

Since I can't rent a bus, I have another idea. If you feel like flying with us ....

Chase and I have set up a tumblr just for road-tripping purposes.

The initial idea was to keep our parents informed of our whereabouts and (most of our) shenanigans. We'll be uploading pictures and quotes and musings and so on. I'll also keep you informed as to what we're listening to, because nobody can put a soundtrack together like my brother. (Though I still say my iPod is more adventurous. Today's shuffle included Bon Iver, a song from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and N'SYNC.)

If you feel like following along, you can find us at Sibling Revelry.

I almost called it Stepping Westward, like the poem. But that would have given it in air of artsy- smart. It will not be that. Which leads me to this: ...

Disclaimers:

1.) Chase is posting, not just me. The kid is hilarious. He is also very much a brother. So the tumblr will have a PG rating. At least.

2.) I will hopefully be updating the tumblr via my phone and Ye Olde iPad but sometimes technology gets the better of me. So updates may not come as often as I'd like.

I'm not sure if any of you are in Portland or Seattle but if you are, or if you've ever been, I would love to hear about some must-do stuffs in your neck of the woods!

Here's my question to you: if you could fly away right now, to absolutely anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Step lively, my lovelies :) See you next week!