Recap from the great Northwest

9 August 2010- Take that Portland! And that. I was in town for a long awaited family reunion and wouldn't you know. My first real roommate (no parents, no college, just poor lab workers were we) lives in the area. Watch out. Linda and her JRO were out on the town.

Taking in First Thursday, touring the Pearl district, eating cart food and keeping Portland weird, and drinking as many IPAs as are produced in the region.
Chad at his beloved BridgePort, his official number one IPA. Could be the next Chez Nickell as the locale was ideal. Chipotle, grocery store, awesome bakery all right near the BridgePort brewery. I am sensing if there ever was to be a move to Portland, this would be the area.

Okay this picture is actually of Forest Park and the city of Portland but the reunion was on the coast about 2 hours southwest of the Rose City. We made it out there Friday night. Of course I got the call from the aunt and the aunties who were on the lookout for me. My grandma might not be around but her paranoid spirit lives on. Again Linda, always call if you are running late no matter what your age might be.
We checked into the hotel and walked up the street to search for the gang of family. Easy to find as they even had a sign. We first came across my aunties and D. My auntie Rose just celebrated her 90th birthday and is still getting around great. My auntie Zorka is a shameless flirt and refused to shake Chad's hand, she wanted a hug from my strapping young man. D is part of the Denver contingent so we shall be seeing her again when we stage a Nickell family reunion otherwise known as dinner. As Chad has the large family, even just immediate family dinners require several tables. The Stipechs are catholic but can't pull the Nickell numbers. Advantage Nickells. The Caseys branch might be in the running though...
Here are those lovely matriarches, Rose and Zorka. Having a good time telling stories, singing and rocking babies, these grannies are golden. Amazing to think I too could see as much as they have. Hoping for more Stipech than Ashby in that longevity gene department.
I met and re-met my cousins twice removed and their kids, shocking. A good looking bunch we all have turned out. Pretty fun and interesting. I got to surprise plenty as I have changed alot and look more like my dad than my mom and her lot of Stips. Lots of laughs, a few tears (I cannot say goodbye without tearing up) and plans to be back in the Oregon area soon again. Not letting 10 years go by again.

I was so happy to represent my mom on this trip. She had so been looking forward to going and crap-tastic if the chemotherapy couldn't be worked around. Much more important for her to get better and then go visit all those cousins at a later date. I have some amazing friends but even better an amazing family. Extended and all. We hooted and hollered over several bottles of Croatian wine (that Chad and I had the foresight to purchase on last year's trip) and it was the hit of Friday night. Saturday was a feast and photo night. We got pretty silly with all the shots of this branch of family and the boys versus girls shot. Capped off with my family's home movies (yes Luanne you look just like Mom, even as a few day old infant) and seeing how silly they all were when cameras are pointed. A Family trait!
We ended the trip back in Portland with more IPA, go figure. We met up with a Houston pal who has relocated to Seattle and Chad has made plans to ride the Seattle to Portland bike ride next year. See, no more 10 years between trips! We hung out again with my JRO, my super amazing friend. We will be back to the Northwest very soon. October indeed!