I unzipped my canvas suitcase on the floral duvet and opened the top drawer of the nightstand.

Inside lay the plush heirloom teddy bear my grandmother had given me when I was six.

Its fur was worn thin at the elbows, and a faded yellow ribbon was sewn around its neck.

I lifted the bear out carefully, wrapped it in a clean cotton sweater, and tucked it into the bottom corner of my bag.

Next, I went to the small writing desk by the window and picked up the framed blueprint of my very first structural engineering project, a steel truss bridge over the Snohomish River.

The dark blue paper sat crisp behind the glass, with my full name, Iris Elizabeth Collins, printed neatly in drafting block letters in the title block in the bottom right corner.