To Oregon and Back

The past week has been a whirlwind of activities. After finishing up with school last Wednesday, I boarded a plane with Billy to fly out to Oregon for Vickie's high school graduation. After a delay in Las Vegas that set us back a few hours, we made it here safely before beginning a busy weekend of family activities. The graduation itself was a nice ceremony and I was glad to be able to help my mom in her preparations for Vickie's grad open house the following evening. Billy enjoyed a day of golf with Dad's side of the family despite never having walked a golf course before. Members from both sides of the family were in town, which also meant juggling back and forth to spend as much time as possible with everyone. A long weekend in Oregon never feels long enough and I inevitably end up traveling from one scheduled breakfast to lunch to dinner, but it is certainly fun to be able to see people that I don't see as often as I'd like.

It was also exciting for me to have Billy along for the trip this time around and to be seeing everyone for the first time as an "engaged couple." Everyone was full of questions about the engagement and the wedding, so I appreciated feeling firsthand the support of my family and friends. We sat down with each parent to discuss wedding plans for next summer, so a solid picture is starting to come together of what the events will look like. I also went wedding dress shopping with Mom, Vickie, and Krista, and much to my surprise found a dress, purchased it, and brought it home with me. All of these things make it more real to me that a wedding is on the way, and so thus begins the planning of the details. As usual I'm torn between my natural tendency to want to have everything planned and under control and, on the other hand, my taste for procrastination. I hope to feel a lot at ease about things once we have locked in a reception site and I can begin to focus on the smaller details over the course of the next year.

I am glad to have had the opportunity to spend time with Nate as he passes through between stints in Colorado and Las Vegas. It has been fun to observe Vickie and her friends as she passes through a significant "life moment" that I can remember quite clearly, though it was now 6 years ago that I went through it. I look forward to hearing about what her life at Valpo turns out to be like and how similar or different it is to what I experienced there. I've been glad to see that life is going smoothly for Mom and that she is looking forward to the future with excitement rather than uncertainty or worry. I feel relieved to have spent time with Dad while he is undergoing his chemotherapy and feel assured that while it is a significant inconvience, he is hanging in there and making the best of it.

I was also glad to see such a big turnout from the extended family to celebrate Vickie's graduation. The more time I spend with relatives the more it helps me understand how I have developed into the person I am. I think it is also interesting for Billy as he continues to gain more and more insight into the way our family does things and how that impacts the way I do things. His family has certainly welcomed me into the group as a new but important member, and it's fun for me to see that my family, although we're more spread out, are happy to do the same for him. I look forward to everyone getting together to celebrate our marriage whether it is in Maryland, Oregon, or both.

I return home to Maryland tomorrow and am looking forward to playing with Oscar, sleeping in my own bed, and keeping Billy company in our apartment. He correctly assessed over the past few days that it is a lonely place to be when one of us is absent. He says Oscar sometimes sits by the door waiting for me to come home, so it is good to know that little guy will be there when I get back!