NoDak and Back 2011: What I learned

Since we have been doing this trip for so many years, there's a couple key things that help make it very enjoyable. First, breaking the trip up helps to keep the right attitude and enjoy the little things along the way. Part 1: Getting to NoDak: This is where we break away from our day to day life. Work thoughts start to diminish, we stop worrying about what we may have forgotten, and realize we are on vacation. We have places that we love to stay on the route and enjoy the drive in between. Part 2: This is when we roll into Fairview and spend the weekend with the family. Part 3: The journey back to Portland.  This is where we can spend quality time together after some time to unwind and reflect from the days on the road and at the farm.  We've learned that when we are at the farm with my family, we give whatever they need from us. They won't always ask, but over the years I've picked up on some things and try to make sure that I am a good daughter/sister/aunt (that's "ant" if you were wondering.  Ant Shannon or Anty Shan are acceptable)  to everyone. In order for me to do that without breaking down, I've learned to just get up early and grab a chunk of alone time and still get back in time to make coffee.

This enables me to take care of myself (both physically and spiritually) first thing each morning in a place where my heart has roots. I became who I am on these roads and it is peaceful and rejuvenating to connect with that.

As I jogged along, I had a mixture of memories from long ago and recent years and I'm glad that home always feels like home.

As I think about our future (John and me, my parents, my brothers, the kids) I think about how much of it revolves around this, the place where we all grew up and where they all live.

Some of it has been here for many, many years.

and it remains while the world around it evolves, yet somehow stays the same.

Some of it is in transition and is about to become something new.

In some places, the memories span and overlap all 5 of our lives, tieing us together as a family. We were good kids, raised by good parents and now we're all adults and we get to be friends.  So many shared memories, recollected the same or recollected differently depending on who and when you ask.  And even though each of us has our own path, there's so much about us that is the same.  Sometimes the similarities are annoying, sometimes endearing, sometimes funny, but always apparent. When I look at our house in our yard, every petal could be a memory and just like the flowers, new ones grow each year.

As I jogged those miles around the farm, each day on a different route, I'm so grateful for every acre of my life and happy that every season includes time under this big ol' sky.