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After coming home from the weeklong fun Florida trip, we had a weekend to ourselves before Jeff and I split up and ventured out for our own weekends. His parents came over Wednesday night to watch Allison while Jeff got in car to drive to Nashville and I got on a plane to go to Portland, Oregon. Jeff had work training mixed in with eating (they drove to Kentucky one night just for a steak). The main purpose of my visit was to see my aunt one last time before lung cancer takes her away. I also had a happy side trip to visit my friends Linda and Miles who moved out there a few years ago and now have a cute cottage with an orchard and garden surrounded by beautiful wineries and only a short drive to the coast. All of which I checked out. My aunt’s doctors said that this summer would be her best months and they must be right because she was almost normal to me. The hair was much shorter and she carried an oxygen tank and walked slower but otherwise she seemed pretty good, or was a good actress for my benefit. We went to Portland’s weekly Saturday Artist market downtown and I was in heaven. They had more artists than our annual art festival does. We had lunch in Chinatown and then drove around and she showed me the cemetery where her boys and my mom are. That night her granddaughter came over for dinner. She’s 18 now and I think she was 7 the last time I saw her. We went through some old photos and somehow my aunt stayed strong through all that. Not sure how. The next morning (after a quick trip to Ikea) I got on a plane with all kinds of unspoken words going through my head not sure how to make them come out of my mouth. Yes, I know I have a problem uncommon to most women, I don’t know how to verbally express all my emotions :) Overall it was a happy trip, definitely glad I went, not just for getting to see family and friends, but I’m thankful the opportunity to take a sanity break for myself and have a break from motherhood duties.





Last weekend Jeff and I went our separate ways again – he went on a canoe/camping trip with 26 guys and I took Allison for her first weekend with the margarita ladies to Tonya’s lake house. Jeff told me about paddling fast in the middle of a lightning storm, but left out plenty of details for what the guys talked about after countless beers sitting around the fire. Ha – I don’t want to know. Allison got to swim in the lake and went on a skiboat ride which she stayed mellow enough for that I wasn’t sure if she was having a good time or just terrified she fall out if she moved. I’m very envious of Tonya’s big house with the beautiful view (best view I’ve seen on Smith Lake); she’s just another example of what I want to have in retirement or well before :)