Mommy and Daddy!

I'm not a two-year-old. Since the age of about 12 I have called my parents "Mom and Dad." But seeing my parents for the first time in four months was reminiscent of the anxiety separation I experienced as a toddler: intensely anticipating the arrival of Mommy and Daddy.

My parents visited us Sunday through Thursday of this week. I had no idea how much I had missed them until about a week before their arrival, when my phone calls with Mom started to end with "see you soon." The days leading up to Sunday were filled with anxious hours of cleaning the apartment (even dusting the blades on the ceiling fan), scoping out restaurants and tourist sites to visit, plotting our route to the airport, sending Mom last-minute emails about what clothes she should pack and how she must remember not to pump her own gas or use the cell phone while driving in Oregon. Everything we could think of to make their visit an enjoyable one and, most importantly, to leave them with a positive impression of Portland.

But the second we saw them passing the security checkpoint in PDX, my nerves started to dissipate and everything felt natural again with them. Mom and I were giggling, Dad almost fell over at the end of the moving walkway ... everything was normal. We spent the week together sightseeing around town, trying new restaurants and old favorites like VooDoo Donut. While I was at work and Mike was studying for a midterm, they did some exploring of their own and have now seen more of Oregon than Mike and I have!

At Portland Meadows, the local racetrack, we caught a fabulous glimpse of Mount Hood. Although it didn't come out in any of my pictures, it would have been just to the right of the sign in the one below. Nevertheless, it's a cute picture.

Of course, the week ended much too soon. But we get to see them again in about three weeks for Thanksgiving! I can't believe the holidays are almost here, but I say that every year.

'til next time!