This weekend my mom and I went to Vancouver. It was just a "girls' weekend away" and we had a great time. I think we shopped til we dropped (I hate that term) and our feet were absolutely killing us! I can tell you I won't be taking those shoes with me to Europe!

I was luckily able to buy a few things for my trip! It feels more real now. I bought the backpack I'd been eyeing for the past month or two. I haven't been able to find it around Victoria - at only $139 at the Backpacker's Shop on Broadway, the Outbound Tallaroo (65L) was a great deal for a really good bag. It had all the bits and pieces I wanted, including a 20L daypack.

I was also able to find a great pair of pants, a tanktop, a "travel purse" (by Gravis) and an adapter for good prices.

Oh, and I bought a 2nd pair of these great khaki shorts at Old Navy. Here's something that confuses me. Please, someone explain it. I bought a pair a few weeks ago and really like them, so I wanted to buy a 2nd pair. Turns out they were on sale so I took the 1st ones in to get the price adjustment when purchasing a new pair. I got to the desk and the girl said that I could only get a price adjustment on my original ones up to 7 days after purchase, although I can return them up to 90 days. I said fine, I'm going to return them and rebuy them. If looks could kill! She was pretty ticked. But seriously, what's the point of that? Wouldn't people just return the item and repurchase it at the sale price? Oh well.

Anyway, the whole weekend made my up-coming trip seem so much more real. I feel sad that I'm leaving a city that I love, sad that I'm leaving my family and that my mom and I didn't do more of these little weekend trips together... As of tomorrow it's just 8 weeks until the big day. I'm not scared or anything - I just wonder if maybe this is the right decision? I mean, I know it is and I know I'll regret it if I don't go... but I'm sure everyone has these little tickling doubts.

I just better not come home halfway through because I'm too chicken shit to stay over there all year - now that would be embarrassing.