Friday:
- 7am flight to Portland went well. Found my bag and my cousin and everything was fine. Even got some great coffee that wasn’t Starbucks.
- While getting said coffee, my cousin was reminded by a phone call from her husband that she forgot to call in a substitute teacher for her class of 6th graders. Panic ensued as calls were made, apologies given, and lunches promised.
- My cousin, still reeling from an error that could’ve cost her her job, got suckered into paying for extra options on the rental car we were going to drive from the airport to our hotel in St. Helens. Calling Kevin, her husband, to discuss the unexpected (and ridiculous) fees was not very fun.
- En route to our hotel, about an hour away from the Portland airport, we get pulled over. My cousin, the notorious speeder in our family, was guilty as almost charged, but the sheriff was young and cute and I tossed my golden locks and batted my baby blues and she got off with a warning. As we drove away (more slowly than necessary), my cousin said, “Thank you, Jesus!” To which I replied, “Mel, Jesus didn’t die just so that you could get out of a ticket.”
- FINALLY made it to the hotel, caught up with our moms and uncles (who had flown up the night before) and scarfed down lunch. Spent a leisurely afternoon soaking in the hot tub, napping, and listening to our moms and uncles sharing memories about their not so dearly-departed father (their dad left them and their mom when they were all just teenagers).
Saturday:
- Got to sleep in a bit, then got all dressed up and walked next door (in the rain; there’s always rain in Oregon) to a wonderful coffee shop.
- Breakfast was a fun affair, eating at a restaurant called Ichabod’s and whose mascot was a nearly-naked cartoon Native American. So, in attendance at breakfast were… myself, my cousin Melanie, my mom Kitty, Mel’s mom Lauri (and my mom’s sis), my mom’s two brothers Dave and Steve, and my mom’s cousin Dave and his wife Trina.
- Memorial service for my mom’s dad (note: NOT my grandpa) was weird. Feelings were tense and awkward, but the pastor was a true gentleman and did his best to placate all parties. I was a mix between bored (I basically was at a service for a stranger) and angry (how could he walk out on my mom and her siblings like that?!?), but it ended quickly.
- Afternoon was full of more rain, more sleeping, and finally my cousin and I left for the airport in our rental car. Yep, we left Oregon less than 36 hours after we got there.
- Trying to find a gas station near the Portland airport was an adventure that added another 25 miles onto our trip and nearly an extra hour of driving. Mel was mucho stressed out, but all ended well. She was reimbursed for the extras she’d been charged (it literally pays to call and complain sometimes) for the car, we got everything checked in and were able to grab some dinner before flying our separate ways home.
Thus went two days. Sunday was pretty normal, so I’ll spare you that recap.
But I’m tired from the time change.
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