Thanksgiving with the Family

There's honestly nothing better than spending time with relatives to me.
Whenever I get to see any of my relatives at all, it's always such an amazing time for me. I can go to them with anything. I know that my family will always, always love me, and be here for me, through thick and thin. I'm so thankful for the family that I have. We all really get along. We are all really close. We joke around, and just enjoy each other's company. So, when I found out, about a month ago, that my dad, Tracy, my brother and I were flying to Portland to stay at my aunt and uncles house for Thanksgiving, I was thrilled. I was even more ecstatic when I found out that my Grandma Sheila, my dad's mom, and my older cousins Rance, his wife Megan, (who, are both such fun people!), and their two year old son, Patten were coming as well!

With that, we got up at  6:30 a.m., and left home at about 7:45 a.m. to get to the airport. I was so excited, just to see everyone again. Forget about anything going on at school; homework (done!), drama, going back to school... (in five days), and just thinking about school.
So, on that Thursday, the day of Thanksgiving, we were all found sitting patiently in the airport, on the bottom floor, where the small gates and planes are found. 10:15 came zooming around the corner before I knew it. The person at the desk by the gate held up the walkie-talkie-type device to her mouth, and the words she spoke came out of the loud speakers above saying that it was time to board. These are the words I was waiting for!
We boarded the plane, just to be directed back inside. There had to be maintenance work done on the plane, so we had to wait inside. Turned out, it was just a piece of trim that need to be put back on...

When we got picked up by my Aunt Mary, it took us only but 25 minutes to arrive to her and Uncle Ron's house. It's in a beautiful neighborhood. Practically on a mountain. Their house is kind of hidden, because it's on a hill. So one side of it you can barely see. Their living room is gorgeous. From floor to ceiling-is a wall of glass-two stories high. The view is gorgeous, too. It looks out to many pin trees which are so rich in green hues. There is moss the covers the branches and there are other unique leafy plants surrounding the trees. It almost feels like being in a gigantic, nice, tree house. We stayed in the guest house, and boy was it cute! A mini kitchen, and bathroom. It was adorable!

What did we do, you might ask? How about having an amazing time bonding with family, that's what. We watched football, and basketball games; getting really into each game, especially the Washington Huskies vs. The Coug's game... man was that one popular. Megan is such a big Coug's fan, and her Cougars won!! She even dressed Patten in a Cougar's out fit and jersey. It was super adorable. Dad was interested in the Notre Dame game, so was Grandma Sheila. Notre Dame won, too. As for basketball, that's what Uncle Ron liked the most. Aunt Mary, Uncle Ron, and I had our eyes on that Duke game. Man, what an amazing game. It was so close, both teams did amazing but Duke pulled out on top!  So, I guess you could say everyone's team won!

We also played games that we always play; a dice game, farkle, (kind of like Yatzee), and more. Grandma Sheila and I made Caramel Rolls.... a family favorite. Uncle Ron and I made meatballs one night. With spaghetti, of course! I played with Patten most of the time, entertaining him when he wasn't playing with his Thomas the Train set, Watching Donald Duck, or putting together puzzles. I mostly rolled his toy car back and forth with him, playing its cool, groovy music. Sometimes he would push it so hard across the dark, smooth, wooden floor that it bounce off of it, or hit the wall and flip over.' Kid's got an arm. Aunt Mary got him a hacky sack. But he kept throwing it around the living room. Hitting the over-hanging lamp twice, and people's heads who were trying to watch football. He then through it on the counter, and by then, it got taken out of his hands, no more for that night... Oh well! He began to tuck his toy cat in,(a stuffed animal named Mew Mew). He took a pillow, and propped it up several times until it was just right for Mew Mew's liking. Then, he grasped a large blanket in one of his tiny hands and gently placed it on Mew Mew, it was the cutest thing I've ever seen. I really bonded with Patten, and the first night that I was there, he crawled up next to me on the couch, and lay his head on my shoulder as we watched Stewart Little. Definitely  a cutie pie.

We all went on a big long walk through the neighborhood. Seeing all of the houses, the beautiful houses. From many spots, there are beautiful views of downtown Portland. Breathtaking. I loved visiting. Totally want to do it again. It was so much fun. I already miss everyone so much. Hope to see them all soon.

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