Once fully recovered, I flew to Portland and back to visit my sister and brother-in-law (and their band of amazing friends) over the weekend. It was an absolute success -- everything a visit with family should be. My sister and I were on the same page in most ways, and I think we both felt that it was more just like I was hanging out with everyone for a bit instead of making an official visit. We just chilled, and it was awesome.
I also got to see my sister 'in action' at her job. She is a high school math teacher, and I am so glad I got to see her classroom and some of the students who fill it. I found some of them so endearing that when she was grading papers on Sunday night, I requested she keep me up-to-date on a few students' progress. I am so happy that I now have the visuals to go along with her stories, so that now when we talk about her job and how it's going, I can actually picture her standing at the wipe-off board. Also, she's the advisor for the high school's trivia club, a group composed of such freakishly dorky and excited-by-trivia types that we were both giddy with excitement. They are just flat out ADORABLE.
Portland is such a nice place. I say this every time that I come back from there, but it really is. On Saturday, we went to the farmer's market with some friends (and toddler! Oh the cuteness!) and I just loved it. The weather was perfect: a little crisp, but sunny, and the leaves were falling all around. Everybody at the market was so chill and relaxed ("We're just trying to race through the market...") that I couldn't help but compare it to the Parisian market outside my apartment. They both have their merits, but damn if the Portland market didn't want to make me just sit around and sip coffee on a park bench for awhile. It was just beautiful, and the atmosphere was lovely.
The highlights from the trip abound, but probably the ultimate high point was that my sister got the coolest boots ever. We did some serious damage with the credit card, but all were excellent purchases. Embarrassingly, I have to go back with an extra piece of luggage. But I got new shoes, new pants, and a snazzy new coat.
Tonight I am off on the plane that should get into Paris tomorrow morning. I am excited to see The Boy, and Kathypath, and even to just be in my own bed again, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to stick around for a few days. This last week has more than made up for the hell of my first three days here, and I am so happy to have been able to spend time with my family. They are great people and they make me laugh constantly.
Also, it's in the mid-70's and sunny here, and for some reason the dog is cuddling more with me than usual. When you take everything into account, it makes it pretty hard to leave.
Leave a comment