ohhh Suzi....

People sit around and wait for that "dare-to-be-great" situation, never realizing that its up to us to go out there and look for it.

The Garmin took us on the super back country roads to get us to our Aunt and Uncles house in Elmira Oregon. Due to the recent storm there were tree limbs everywhere so it took some tricky navigation at points and slow driving to get around them. It was midnight when we arrive so everyone was asleep except for my sweet uncle john who was up playing a game and waiting for us. It was good visiting with him for a bit since he would be busy at work the next day and gone before we got up. After visiting we watched an episode of the nanny, I know we have a problem, and then crashed.

We were awakened bright and early by our cousin Quinn, who had actually woken up when we arrived the night before hugged us and went back to bed. They were eager to tell us about school and life which I love. They are some of the sweetest most outgoing kids I know. My Aunt Amy was up as well and while we all visited and grabbed breakfast ( and I did an " I spy" book with Quinn who I am pretty sure at the age of 5 beat me) and then the kids were off to school for the day.

Rachael and I got Aunt Amy to ourselves for awhile which is always fun since she is Fabulous. She caught us up on what was happening with the kids in school, with my uncle's business and with her own job hunt. Oregon has one of the highest rates of unemployment in the nation and my uncle owns a construction business and it has been a rough few years. Thankfully my uncle and aunt are super resourceful and have been finding small things here and there to get what they need. Amy even had a second interview that day for a parenting/child non profit advocacy group. It sounded like the ideal job for her - she would be going into people's homes after they have a baby to help with feeding the baby, nutrition and any parenting questions. Sounds like fun right. She is going to let us know when they get back to her but we will be praying she gets the job.

Aunt Amy fed us and then started to get ready for her interview and we headed on our way to Albany. Its only about a 45 minute drive north and the sky after the rain and storms was beautiful. We were out in the very very green country with lots of sheep and farm animals and to be honest it reminds us a bit of the pictures from rural Ireland.

And then we were back at my parents house. It doesn't' seem that we've been gone that long since we were home for thanksgiving and normally it is about 6 months between our visits. It was equally strange to pull up in our own car and with all our stuff. This is actually moving and not just for week long visit. The enormity of it hasn't sunk in quite yet. Especially since we aren't in our own apartment yet.

Christian was there to greet us and hang out for a bit when we got home and then I promptly fell asleep on the couch until dinner time. We hadn't got much sleep the night before and I was exhausted. Rach stayed awake to play video games and visit with Christian and Jackson. I woke up in time for dinner and to see me madre!

I love my family. Oregon we've arrived are you ready for us?