Life in Stumptown

I left off with us leaving Denver.  The rest of the drive was decent.  I added Wyoming to the list of 26 states I have now been too.  Cracker Barrel maintained it’s reputation of cheap, country food and an expectation of walking out into a cornfield in Ohio upon leaving.  Idaho at night presents a new kind of darkness that I’d never like to experience again.  There just isn’t enough music in the universe to keep me entertained for this kind of a drive.  And if you’re wondering where this sudden taste of cynicism has come from, it is most likely due to the fact that I fell horribly ill on the last leg of the drive and rest stops became a close companion of mine.  But, alas, my first taste of truck stop grub is apparently what I needed to regain my strength (how unexpected!) and Rob and I are both in good health and back in Portland.

It is so great to be back!  This has occurred to me in various ways and stages over the past few days.  I’ve come back to a group of people that is there for each other without question even in the most tangible ways.  Elena volunteered to sleep at my house so Rob can stay with Jacob until he gets a place.  Somehow, we always manage to work out the details of who is eating/hanging out/sleeping/etc. at whose house when even if the details of having a toothbrush on hand get missed.  Sarah moved this weekend, but I’m glad we were easily able to get enough people to do the heavy lifting, and Elena and I helped to do the not so heavy lifting.  Beth, quasi-roommate Elena, and I are so sad to see Sarah go.  I can’t believe I won’t come home to hear “Helluuuuuuuuuuuu,” won’t get ready with Sarah singing and dancing in the mornings, and won’t have her popping in my room every other minute to tell me this, that, and the other thing.  But, I’m very hopeful that she will remain one of my best friends and that I get to make a new friend when Bekah moves in tomorrow.

I love how when an event is planned, everyone comes!  Upon mention of the Waffle Window Saturday morning so Rob and his new roommate Bethany could meet each other, Elena said, “Oh I was hoping you’d say that!” and Sarah and Beth came too!  It’s just really fun to always be hanging out with people.  Sarah, Beth, Elena, Rob and I watched Say Anything on Friday night, Waffle Windowed on Saturday morning, Rob and I made Skyline for Sarah and Beth Saturday night (which they loved and the canned chili tastes exactly like it should, so if you live in Cincinnati and would like to send me some, I WILL love you forever!), and we all helped Sarah move on Sunday.

Cheese Coneys and Three Ways!

Today, I went to ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) which was an awesome opportunity, especially since I got paid for it.  It’s the most evidence based model at this point and I thought it was fantastic.  I learned a great deal, and most of it built upon what I was taught as an RA, which has proved useful.  I know this is an odd thing to get so excited about, but I am a social worker if you’ll recall.  Anyhow, I’m off to make dinner with Rob…because he lives in Portland now

We met one of Rob’s best friends from high school, Tyler, and his girlfriend Sharisse for lunch. We went to a little Mexican place. And that makes the last of the 44 people we saw in 14 days. Rob, the introvert, would like to crawl into a hole. Ali, the extrovert, would like to join him. Editor’s note: We do love you all very much.

Day One:  We slept in!  We met Crissy at work for lunch.  We walked to a cute little diner.  Then Rob and I went to Garden of the Gods.  Pictures to come.  We stopped by the grocery store and picked up ingredients for dinner.  By the time we got home, Crissy was off work.  Rob made his famous ravioli and green beans for dinner.  And we picked up a marionberry pie with vanilla bean ice cream!  After dinner, we went to Palmer Park to check out the overlook.  Again, pictures to come.  We hung out for a bit, and called it a night.

Day Two:  Rob and I picked up Mom and took her to the dentist, the eyeglass store, and the cigarette store.  I’ll save you the details.  We came home to get leftovers for lunch, watched a bit of the Notebook, and then Crissy got off work early again.  We went to Palmer again, but with Java this time.  Then Rob and I picked up another pie and my mom while Crissy picked up her glasses.  Mom came over for dinner and looked through my scrapbooks.  Crissy made a delicious chef salad and homemade bread.

As usual, we had the most relaxing time and a really good visit!  I think sitting on my sister’s couch is one of my favorite places to be in the world — I miss her already!

We left Wisconsin Monday morning at 6:17 AM.  We drove for 19 hours (Rob drove all of it).  We went through Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and Colorado.  We sang Counting Crows in Omaha.  We ate for free (thanks, Mrs. Gomez!) at Cracker Barrel in Lincoln.  We watched The Office in the car.  Around 10:00 PM we rolled the windows down and blasted Justin Timberlake to stay awake.  Correction: Rob says we jammed to Justin and he danced in his seat.  We woke up Cris and Mike around midnight and went straight to bed.

We got to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin around 10:00 Saturday night.  We hung out with Rob’s sister, Joey (her name is actually Rebecca, but Rob has called her Joey since high school after Joey Potter and I usually slip and call her that too), and her husband Derek for a bit before bedtime.

When I got up, Vita (who is 5) and Manny (who is 3) were watching the Backyardigans quietly on the couch and it took me back to waking up at John and Renee’s.  We got ready and headed to church.  After church we came home and changed and then went to a lighthouse that overlooked Lake Winnebago.  Rob has those pictures, so check back and they may make an appearance.  We had lunch at Culver’s, which might be Wisconsin’s version of Burgerville.  While the kids took naps, Joey and I talked, Rob and Derek washed the Buick, and Joey and I looked at each other’s scrapbooks.  When the kids woke up, Rob and Derek took them to play football across the street at a soccer field and I helped Joey make dinner.  She is quite the chef — a philly cheesesteak tube sandwich, potato skins, corn on the cob, and apple and pecan cake — all from scratch!  It was so much fun chatting with her and I learned so much about Rob and his family!  It was a quick trip, but I think Vita Bonita likes me…I hear she’s mailing me a letter

We picked up Mark and Jinnie at their apartment in Chicago. Mark is one of Rob’s best friend from high school. Jinnie is his wife.  We got dinner at a place called Palmer’s.  Then we got ice cream at the Polar Bear.  While I thoroughly enjoyed my time (hours) in Chicago, this probably didn’t deserve it’s own blog entry.

We were pretty much ready to go Friday morning, because Rob packed his car Thursday afternoon while I was with Emily.  So, we were able to relax with his parents for a while.  Mr. Schultz popped in their video from their trip out west.  It was hilarious.  I guess this was my first introduction to home videos with his narration, but I loved it!  We headed out around 3:00 and stopped by the church to say bye to Rob’s brother, Josh.

We got to Indianapolis just in time for dinner.  It was kids eat free night at Skyline, so I managed to have two three ways in one trip!  Lucky me!  So, I met Rob’s sister Kristin, her husband Mike, and their kids Krystal, Carmen, Jayla, Andre, Jaylin, and Jordan.  After the kids went to bed, the we watched a movie with Kristin and Mike.  Krystal, who is 17, had a friend spend the night and wanted to go to McDonald’s.  She has her license but can’t drive people around unless a parent is in the car for 90 days.  So, I rode with Krystal, her friend Megan, and Kristin for a late night McDonald’s run.  This was so strange.  It felt all to familiar to get in a really random old car and have a teenager drive me around.  The strange part was that the driver was not Bethany or Lauren or Janice or whoever, and I am 23 and not 17.  Growing up is weird.

Saturday morning we grabbed Dunkin Doughnuts and Panera and had a breakfast picnic at a park.  MMMM…I have missed cinnamon crunch bagels…Portland has like two Paneras and they are far out of the city.  The kids played in the creek for a while and then we headed back to start lunch.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay any longer because we had to make it to Chicago for dinner.

Sidenote, Kristin is extraordinary.  In case you didn’t pick up on this, she fosters and adopts children.  I could not manage that many kids, there’s just no way.  She seems to do a fantastic job of it and I spent most of the time in awe of the organized chaos.  I really admire her and Mike.

On Thursday we went back to FCCS to pick up Jaime for lunch.  We introduced Jaime to the wonder that is Aladdin’s since Rob had been itching for another Greek pitza all week.  It was a good lunch and it is always fun to live vicariously through other caseworkers and know you don’t have to deal with the drama yourself.  I seriously ducked in the car the entire time we were in the parking lot though.  I would have loved to have had lunch with my old unit and go in and visit people, but there just wasn’t time, so I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by having them know I was in town and didn’t stop by.

After lunch, Rob dropped me off with Emily.  I haven’t seen her since her wedding day!  I was so excited that we got to spend the entire afternoon together.  We ran a few errands and drove by our old house.  We were pulling up behind it when we saw Dan’s truck in the alley, which was odd, because Dan and Amanda moved to a new house.  Then we saw our garage completely crushed.  One of the big trees in our backyard had fallen on our garage and the neighbor’s, who had their car parked in it.   A light pole and an electrical pole were down.  It was terrible.  We were, however, excited that we got to run into Dan!  Too bad we couldn’t see Amanda and Maggie, who is ONE now!  Here are some pictures.  I’m sure these poor people won’t have power for days.

We sat at the Grandview Caribou for three hours!  We talked about EVERYTHING, as usual, and over Pumpkin Lattes!  It was absolutely perfect!

Emily and I went to Charity’s and Dana’s that night for dinner.  Rob met us there.  Charity made stuffed shells and bread.  Laura and Nick brought over salad and cheesecake.  Laura had planned to make a cheesecake, but they still didn’t have power.  It was such a fun night.  I wish Mike could have been there.  I really miss having home cooked dinners with my roommates.  I know they are not my roommates anymore, but Dayton Avenue really holds a tight grip on my heart.  We played a game afterward.  Charity and Dana are really big into games…which I of course love!  So, anyhow, it was one of my favorite nights of the trip and it was really hard to say goodbye to my best friends all over again.

Charity

Charity, Dana, and Daisy

Emily Sue

Roomie Pic

Look at the new dad...

Laura, Nick, and Charlie

After dinner, we went back to FCCS to visit the off-shift people Rob was close with.  It was strange to be back in the building.

Wednesday was a big day for me.  We went to pick up Rob’s car and I drove his mom’s fifth child back home…not really…but she really likes that Honda Hybrid.  I don’t even drive my dad’s Acura, so you can imagine my anxiety.

The big day continued on Alum Creek.  Rob, his parents, and I went out on their boat.  It was amazing — beautiful weather, lunch on the boat, perfect!  Now, I was told that I wouldn’t be getting wet, so I did not come prepared.  But, when Rob and his dad pulled out water skis, I just really wanted to try.  I made three unsuccessful attempts, but in all fairness, a lot was going against me.  The skis were made for people over six feet tall, the life jacket was huge, and I had no practice on land.  Maybe next time…  I also got to drive the boat.  See, I told you, big day!

The leaves are almost ready to change...would have been beautiful in the fall!

Creepy toe. Rob got a hold of my camera...

After the boat, we grabbed Starbucks with Mr. and Mrs. Schultz and then went out to Newark to have dinner with Rob’s friend Kim.  We had Olive Garden — Elena, I know you’re jealous!  So that was Wednesday…

We left Michigan early Tuesday morning because Bethany had class. Rob and I got Tim Horton’s for breakfast. Something he will definitely miss about the Midwest, and something that I can happily bid farewell to. We had coffee in uptown Westerville with his parents when we got home; this is something they do regularly, almost daily in fact. It was fun to take part in it because I used to hear about it everyday on the phone. That night, we went to Delaware for dinner with his grandma and I met two of his aunts and a cousin too. We watched Planes, Trains, and Automobiles with his family. Then we took a walk uptown to drop his car off to get the brakes worked on. Walking back at night I felt like I was in the Notebook during the part where Noah lays in the street and watches the traffic lights change. It was cute. I got a driving tour through Westerville that night too. Alright, I have to stop blogging for now. We are almost at his sister’s house. I promise more later and pictures too.