Vacation time!

I'm going to leave for my vacation at some point today. John and I are going to drive from here to Coeur D'Alene, ID stopping in Napa, Portland, Seattle, and Spokane. Here's the plan in case you're interested:

Sunday
Wine and cheese class at Artesa Winery and lots of other fun wine tastings throughout Napa. We're hoping to hit ZD Wines, Ceja Vineyards, and Sterling Vineyards. Or we might head up to Sierra Nevada Brewery if we can get to the Sundial Bridge before sundown.

Monday
As we make our way up to Portland, we're going to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory and possibly some sanddunes for sandboarding (not me, I'm injured). In Portland, we have several breweries we hope to visit plus Voodoo Donuts, Powell's Bookstore, and more.

Tuesday and Wednesday
By this time, we'll be in Seattle. I love Seattle so we'll be busy visiting lots of stuff. I've never been to the Space Needle but we're also going to visit my old favorites like the Seattle Public Library, Pike Place Market, and Bleu Bistro. I don't think I can handle the underground tour again, but maybe I'll make John do it on his own. If we venture outside of Seattle we're going to try to make the Boeing Factory Tour.

Thursday
We're going to leave Seattle and head east toward Spokane. Ideally, we'll be there in time to have lunch with my Grandpa. Then, off to Coeur D'Alene Resort for dinner with my Grandma and her side of the family.

Friday
Fun resort activities and/or driving up to Bonners Ferry, ID where my Grandma lives.

Saturday and beyond
John and I don't really have a plan for getting home. We figure we'll take the most direct route and play it by ear.


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I wish I could've gone to Carnival, but I can't fly (hence the roadtrip). I'll try to do lots of mobile blogging to keep you updated.

Politics and donating

Until recently, I never truly got why people would donate money to a particular candidate. What does my money matter? I could never donate enough to really make a difference. Don't they have enough? Etc, etc. (Yet I don't feel that way about voting.) I just donated to the Barack Obama campaign fund. Honestly, I'm concerned about the country but I feel there's little I can do. The whole system seems to have screwed itself into the mess we're in. I hope my money helps.