Oregon

Can you say, "Jet Lag?"

I had a wonderful trip to Eugene, OR for my daughters Art Show. After a delay getting out of town, and running from one end of the O'Hare airport to catch my flight to Portland (which was-thankfully-delayed also), I settled in to sleep on my
nearly 4 hour flight. The flight out was uneventful, and I got to Portland right on time. Unfortunately, my luggage did not.

Jenni found me at the airport right on time, aided by a sign she had created that said "MOM". We had a great laugh, and set up a claim for my lost luggage. It seems it had not even left South Bend yet!

Portland is 2 hours from Eugene, so we had a wonderful time to chat during the drive. I wasn't able to see the area because of the midnight skies, but that would come later. We stopped at a local Walmart so I could buy an outfit for the following day, since that was the only store open at 1:30 in the morning! I bought the necessities and left the store $60 lighter... We made it to Jenni's apartment by 3 am, and stayed up til 6:30 getting the rest of the prints bagged for her show. She knew we were looking for a long day ahead, and had to be in Newberg, Or by 10. We slept for 1 1/2 hours, and got up to hit the road. We also had the worst coffee in the world from a gas station, but the diet coke did the trick for me. We were able to get her art work hung and ready for the show, then had a nice lunch at a local bar. Meeting Jenni's friends was definately a highlight for me, and I met alot! I enjoyed them all. It will be nice to have the faces to go with the names when she talks about her friends now.

The show was a beautiful success. Not only did she get to see some of her artwork go out the door with her sales of prints, she was treated wonderful by the salon staff. Their were fingerfoods, wine, and a local band. We left about 9 pm, with a
1 1/2 hour drive back to Jenni's apartment. I am not sure how we stayed awake for the drive home. Whew....I was trashed!! I fell asleep on their comfy couch, with the comments of strangers running through my mind about my daughters Art. What a great experience for a proud mama to hear others praise her daughters' creativity. I have all those beautiful comments stored in my heart. I knew all along she was wonderful, and now there is alot of others who think so too!

The rest of our time was a blur of activity. I crocheted Jenni a pair of slippers while I was there, and during the Superbowl I was able to finish 3 hats for the preemies at the hospital. I also made a pretty white hat for the bartenders newborn niece. Jenni told her I love to do things for others when the dear lady wondered what she owed me. She has me pegged!!

We were able to spend the day I had to flyout in Portland. We walked through China town, and I was able to bring home a newspaper that impressed the kids with all the chinese writing. That was the coldest day there, and I was glad for the long sweater that I was able to wrap around me as we walked. Once the sun came out, we were much warmer! We also found a great little antique store in town, and a few vintage furniture stores. What a great time!

One of the things I realized being there is how much Jen and Ash are alike. As adults, its neat to see their mannerisms and expressions are so similar. Even though they live far apart, I can really see their sisterisms! I also realized in all the years Jenni has been gone from the house, this is the first time we really had so much "US" time. We went to a Casino, walked the Hobbit Trail, and roamed the coast looking (and finding) sand dollars! So many precious memories!

So, I came home to sick kids, (someone had been sick for Mike the whole time I was gone!) and severe jet lag. That 3 hour time difference took me all week to shake off!

Back to normal now, loving life, and grateful for the opportunity to be with Jenni at a turning point in her life. I know she will see success in whatever she does. And I can't wait to go back next summer!

Next up: Jersey in March to see those grandkids!