Can you believe it’s been three weeks since our last tour update? Even though we haven’t posted much, we’ve been traveling a lot. Nearing the end of our book tour, we finally made it across the country to the West Coast. Here’s a recap of our stops in all three west coast states.
We began in Tacoma, Washington at the Tacoma Home & Garden Show on Friday, January 25th. The organizers did a great job promoting our appearance and even secured a local newspaper feature with a funny illustration of us. I think it captures me pretty well; Sherry ends up a bit Courteney Cox-ish. And clearly Burger steals the show.
The show took place at the Tacoma Dome, a large arena that hosts concerts and sporting events. We learned that Lady Gaga had performed there the week before, so we spent a few minutes joking about backstage bathrooms and striking a few Gaga poses.
Inside, the Dome was transformed into vendor booths and garden displays, similar to our visit to the Portland Home & Garden Show last year. I was taken with a water feature that looked convincingly like an outdoor scene despite being inside the industrial space.
One of our favorite areas was “The Vintage Market,” a flea market-style collection of antiques and vintage finds set among the usual home show booths. We loved a vintage classroom map of the United States priced at $50 — the only thing stopping us was figuring out how to get it home.
Sherry fell for a set of powder-blue metal chairs while I ogled a variety of vintage letters. Since we were traveling light with carry-on luggage, we left empty-handed or risked wrecking our budget.
After some press and a private meet-and-greet with Ali and her family, it was time for our presentation and book signing. The organizers even gave us a 10-minute PA announcement to invite people in. It was our first time speaking to an entire dome full of people, so we probably raised our voices more than intended. I remember starting with, “Hello? Is anyone listening?” — smooth, right?
The stage looked great and made us feel more official than usual. We were even miked, which felt a bit surreal.
It was amazing to look out and see so many friendly faces — and a lot of strollers.
After the talk and a short Q&A, we signed books and a few unconventional items: a gold spray-painted rhino and — believe it or not — a plunger. There was a booth nearby giving them away, so it seemed fitting. By the end of the day I think I’d signed three.
Tacoma residents were so thoughtful. Reina and Tina from hello, cupcake sent a dozen personalized cupcakes that were delicious and helped us win brownie points with the home show crew for sharing. It was a little odd inviting people to take a bite of your own face, but Sherry ate Clara and I ate Burger because we missed them.
Sherry also received her first gifted underwear — a laugh-out-loud moment — chosen for the gold lettering and the “Young” reference, along with a cheeky note about her bra situation.
I even received a baby dental exam from little Ruby, who was fascinated by my mouth. Her mom Jennifer later posted about it on her blog, but I wasn’t fazed — how could you be upset with that tiny face?
When the signing wrapped around 4pm — after we’d been there since 9am — I convinced Sherry to try a quirky contraption that looked like a dry hot tub or steam-free sauna. She loved it and had trouble getting out once she experienced it.
The next morning we drove to Portland, a little over two hours away. We rented a car to avoid airport hassles and enjoyed the road trip vibe. In Portland we headed to Rejuvenation for a signing. This was our first visit to the store (we missed it last year), and we loved discovering the architectural salvage section in addition to their production lighting, furniture, and accessories.
We started with a short talk from a small stage by the stairs. If you’re curious what we discussed, you can watch our Austin event video from earlier in the month to get a sense.
Portland attendees greeted us with more personalized cupcakes from Undercover Cupcake — I had the Burger and it was fantastic. We also signed some unusual things, like the inside of a black blazer in honor of Sherry’s book-signing “uniform,” and speech bubbles over our photos inside a book. Sherry wrote an enthusiastic message; I wrote something appropriately obnoxious for accuracy.
These events let us meet readers behind comment-names and reconnect with familiar faces like Katy, who suggested a cheesy 80s-sitcom photo idea. We also heard an engagement story: Veronica’s fiancé rescheduled his original proposal weekend so she could attend the signing and still get engaged — sweet planning.
After the signing we planned to explore Portland, but I accidentally closed the trunk of the rental with the keys inside while chatting — so we spent 90 minutes waiting for roadside assistance instead of sightseeing. At least we’d visited Portland last year and knew a few favorite spots like Pine State Biscuits, Por Qué No, and Salt & Straw.
That night we flew to Northern California, checked into a Palo Alto hotel, and the next morning spent time with my Aunt Liz before the signing. She and her friend Joan came down from San Jose and even made a sign for us.
Friends Jamie and Ashley from Berkeley popped by early and snagged a photo before doors opened. When the signing began, fans who had driven up from Los Angeles wore DIY shirts with a house and heart motif — Sherry wanted one. We met readers who brought thrifted finds, and Tasneem and Asif drove 300 miles from LA on his birthday to bring a white ceramic dog to help us cope with our loss of Burger.
Akiyo made Clara a stuffed penguin dressed in a Burger costume — an instant favorite. Palo Alto also brought our first canine visitors at a signing, which eased the missing-Burger blues.
After the signing we met up with friends Matt and Kristin — long-time blog friends who now live in the Bay Area — and enjoyed lunch at Oren’s Hummus. They even showed us a street with a name that made us smile.
We left early the next morning for the flight home, arriving back on the East Coast at sunset after a very long day. Despite the travel, we’re so glad we spent time on the Pacific Coast meeting readers and visiting three west coast states in a short span. We hope to return to California again — maybe an LA stop will happen someday. If it does, we’d love to meet a celebrity — Matt Damon, anyone?
Psst — if you want to read about some of our previous book tour stops, there’s a roundup you can check out on our site.