Oregon - The Story, Part 2

If you missed Part 1 of Aubrie's and my adventure to Oregon a couple of weeks ago, you can read it here.

When we finally arrived at our destination, I was a little concerned about finding our suitcase since we had missed our connection earlier. Thankfully, I was able to track down an employee even though the whole airport appeared to be closed and shut down for the night and the nice employee went into a back room and found it for us. I was so glad because we had church the next day and who knows what we would have worn if we had had to wait another day for our stuff.

Grandma fed us some soup and then after a little chatting, we went right to bed. I don't think I could have kept my eyes open much longer. Grandma had left presents under our pillows which was very sweet. She gave me some nice stationary and cards and gave Aubrie a children's Bible which she loved! Since she is reading now, she had so much fun working her way through each story and I had fun listening to her. My grandma was so happy that she loved her Bible so much.

There are so many details and stories about our time with my Grandma, but I will try and just summarize what we did each day so this doesn't get too long.

Sunday we woke up early and went to church. It was two hours earlier in Eugene than it is back home but it was also daylights savings time that night. So, I really felt confused about the time. I absolutely loved my grandma's church! It was the biggest church I've ever been in and also the most beautiful, warm, and friendly. I loved the service and Aubrie wasn't the least bit nervous about going off for two different hours of Sunday school in a brand new place. She had a blast and made friends. After church, my grandma took us out for lunch at an Old Country Buffet type place. We had a great time but I do remember a moment when I was picking out a cupcake for dessert and a man leaned over and said to me, "It'll go right to your stomach." I had to laugh. If I were really overweight and super sensitive, I might have been really hurt or irritated by that but I just laughed and said, "Oh, I work out enough. I think it'll be okay."

After lunch, Aubrie played in a kids play area since the restaurant was part of a mall. I honestly can't remember what else we did that day but I know I tried to soak up every moment since it was going to be a short visit.

Monday, we met up with a girl about my age and her little boy who was 2 at Chuck E. Cheese. She is really sweet and cleans my grandma's house a few times a month. She had left a box in our bedroom with all sorts of fun kid stuff - a veggie tales movie, crayons, paper, stickers, and directions to different fun places in Eugene. We appreciated it so much and decided it would be fun to meet up with her at Chuck E. Cheese. We had a great time and then went over to the food court at the mall afterwards for lunch. Later that evening, we had my cousin, Chuck over for dinner and then watched a fun dvd about bears. Aubrie loved Chuck and he was so good about entertaining her and playing with her.

Tuesday, we did some shopping. Aubrie picked out a birthday present and for my upcoming birthday in April, my Grandma paid for me to have a manicure and then she bought me an Oregon sweatshirt that I love and would wear every day if I could. We rested and did some more talking in the afternoon and then that evening we went over to Chuck's house for dinner. Oh, and I forgot to mention that we went on a walk pretty much every day. The weather was nice and Aubrie and I really admired all the flowers! Especially since we don't see flowers until June where we live!

We had so much fun at Chuck's house and I spent a lot of time looking through a box of old photos, letters, and momentos that Chuck had out. I read letters that family members wrote to each other a loooong time ago and loved seeing the pictures. I am a history nut and enjoyed piecing together a lot of my family history that I didn't know before. My grandma told me all about the family business my grandpa had operated and it was all so interesting. Pretty soon, it was time to go and try to get some sleep before waking up super early again to fly home. Yup, we only had about three and a half days with my Grandma but it was totally worth it. We had to be back in time for Sam to get back to work after his days off.

Wednesday, we flew home without incident or missing any connections. It felt like a breeze after what the trip out there had been like. We had a connection in Salt Lake City and Minneapolis. Now, the great story of the day was when we had just landed in Minneapolis, I turned on my phone and checked my voice mail. I had a message from my mom saying, "We're in Minneapolis waiting for our next plane to Boston and I wonder if your connection is in Minneapolis too? Oh well, I think it was in Chicago," and I almost flew out of my seat. My parents were in Minneapolis the same time we were?! Just to explain, I knew my parents were flying to Boston that day for a funeral (they live in western Montana) but I hadn't known their exact flight details. I only see them a couple of times a year since they live so far away so this was pretty fun to unexpectedly be in the same place at the same time. I called my mom back right away and after about a half hour of talking on our phones and trying to find each other (The Minneapolis airport is HUGE), we met up! It was great! We only had about a half hour together, but we had a great time talking and my dad followed Aubrie everywhere taking pictures of her like a proud grandpa. Soon, they had to leave to catch their flight and Aubrie and I went to find something to eat before waiting at our final gate.

We got home in one piece and while we were waiting for our suitcase, I met a nice lady who had noticed Aubrie reading her children's Bible on the plane and we had a very nice conversation. She was a Christian and had homeschooled her kids so it was great to meet her.

It was soooo wonderful to see Sam and the other kids! I really missed them terribly -- much more than I thought I would. Christian has never been away from me that long and I wondered what his reaction would be. Well, he was sleeping in the car when Sam picked us up so I couldn't smother him in hugs and kisses which was hard. But, I could with Kayley and she giggled and was happy to see me.

You know what was funny about Christian, though? When he did wake up and see me, he wanted nothing to do with me! He cried when I held him and kept following Sam around. Soon, Sam had to leave for work and he followed him to the door, wailing. I didn't take it personally -- I just thought it was funny and strange! He gave me the cold shoulder for about 24 hours and then he acted like his sweet little Mama boy self after that. What a stinker. My mother-in-law says he was probably punishing me for leaving. Ha!

So, there's the story! I am so glad Aubrie and I could go visit my Grandma and I hope we can all go out there as a family someday soon!