the first visit

I spent the weekend up in Silverton with my soon-to-be family. On the way out of the gate at PDX, my heart was a little skippy. I was about to meet my family, the ones who'd be next door for the rest of my life. What it's like for other people, I have no idea. But meeting my in-laws was so easy. They made it easy; drew me into conversation, asked me questions about my childhood, let me observe their family interact. I appreciated it so much. Especially since I didn't always do that with my in-laws...I deserved something much less pleasant. Right, Mr. Social?
Darwin's family is big. Eleven kids. And I love it. Growing up in a family of 7, there was always something going on. Dinner took a few hours sometimes between resolving intellectual arguments & waiting for Evan to get out of the bathroom. When my older siblings started getting married and moving out, life at home changed. It definitely felt like the early years in my childhood at Darwin's this weekend. Saturday was a lazy day, where everyone milled in and out, taking care of little chores in between hanging out together in front of the fireplace & in the kitchen. I think the kitchen is where a lot of their bonding takes place. After meals, everyone whisked away the dishes and helped clean up, even then boys (hem, hem, AlexWesEvan). The meals were a group effort, with at least three different chefs. They are a close family. Which made me even more appreciative that they included me so much. And not only are they emotionally close, but geographically too; across the road is where his grandma lives. She so sweetly offered her guest room, even though she was having some health issues. She's also the one who encouraged Dar to pick me up at the airport the very first time we met, last January. I owe her. Yes, that is the family I am marrying into. I know! 
Not only was his family great, but Oregon (despite many well-meant cautions on, you know, the possible difference in sky color between San Diego and Oregon) was beautiful. I, ahem, don't have any pictures to share. My camera never made it out of its bag. So my wordy descriptions will have to suffice. Trees clothed in lichens and moss, ferns dripping with color (and possibly rain...) nestled in the rocks, rivers winding their way through gentle hills & past cottages with deep porches & bright trim. And the smells! The smell of daphne was a new one for me, but I can see why every year, Edie mails a few sprigs to Laura in Ohio. It's the freshest, cleanest smell & reminds me of spring in the Midwest. It would be hard to feel blue when you were smelling a sprig of  daphne, I think. The daffodils, crocuses, & hyacinths were blooming too. And with all the rain comes that smell of dirt and green things growing. I suppose my farm roots are more intact & deeper than I thought because it smelled much more like home than I was expecting.
Darwin took me around, showed me all the workings of a berry farm. Despite having said I'd never marry a farmer, I'm quite satisfied with my fiance's occupation. Perhaps it was Alicen's blackberry custard pie Sunday night that softened the blow. Or the triple shakes we had not once, but twice while I was there. Or the marionberry jam at breakfast. I think I will adjust just fine to having blueberry bushes outside my door and a father-in-law who has 8 rows of "hobby" raspberries. And I can't think of  a better way for my nieces & nephews to spend their summer than on their aunt & uncle's berry farm. I see the relationships between Darwin's family & their cousins in Illinois, and it gives me hope that my family doesn't have to feel the distance. It'll take work to maintain relationships, but it's possible. And I've got my little blog to shorten those miles.