After spending the night at the Navy Lodge in Bangor, we drove to Fife to get our Van that had arrived and was ready for pick-up. We did all the paperwork then drove it down to McChord Air Force Base to park it while we were in Oregon. When we arrived at the Terminal, we read a sign that said only authorized patrons were allowed to park in the long term parking lot and the car needed a parking permit that was issued by the Terminal staff. So hubby went into the terminal and put himself on the waitlist for a flight to Hawaii, they issued him a parking permit, he stuck it on the dashboard of the van and we left the car parked there over the weekend while we drove down to Oregon.

OMG, the drive was so long and at times so boring that I started feeling sleepy so I stopped off for a few minutes to stretch my legs and have a quick smoke. Then we loaded up into the car again and continued our drive. I was so proud of myself for finding the Gahr Farms Bed and Breakfast where we spent the weekend. The driving instructions were right on the money and I didn’t have a problem finding the place. Ok, so I passed the road but it was because the road sign was just a little tiny …. errm, anyone would’ve missed it.

Anyway, once we got to the farm, we unloaded the car and didn’t have too long to rest before going to visit our Prodigal son. I was so anxious to see him. This entire weekend was planned around visting him. He looked good and healthy, we were relieved when we saw him. It’s been 3 years since I last saw him and it’s been 4 years for hubby. It seemed so surreal to be in the same room as him. I caught myself touching him often, as though I wanted to make sure he was really there with us. We shared all the news of Washington, Hawaii and Boston. He asked about everyone and I think it made him miss home all the more.

I asked about him and life in there. He said it’s very boring and I can imagine just how boring it must be. I don’t think I’d do well there; I cherish my freedom way too much. He told me how innovative some of the inmates are by puncturing holes in a sardine can to use as a cheese grater. He also told us how much everyone valued postage stamps, it’s like cash in there. He told me that I shouldn’t worry about him because he’s doing alright and it’s not as bad as I’ve imagined life to be. I see so much crap on TV that sometimes I think about him and it just breaks my heart. I tried not to cry but on the last day the tears just started rolling because I knew it would be a while before we got to see him again. He’s due to be released this month after graduating from a drug program. From there he goes to the east coast where he’ll be working and living with the ohana.

If I could only turn back time I’d change a few things I’ve done when raising my kids. It’s just that you never know how they’ll turn out in the end. I always thought I was doing the right thing but years later I find out that there were certain things I’ve done that made my kids think they weren’t important to me. My son brought up the fact that I always made them clean up after luaus. I never thought it was that big a deal. I mean we all did it when we were growing up. In fact, we never waited to be asked. It was understood by all of us that we should never wait to be asked. That’s the way it was for every child back then. Today is so different, our kids are so much more sensitive about things. I just wanted to raise kids who would everyone would admire and respect. We had a very nice visit and we’ll be able to talk during the time he’ll be in Boston so it won’t be so bad.

I was sorry that we couldn’t stay longer but at the same time I was glad to be back home again. Once we got into Washington we stopped off to get something to eat and I let hubby drive the rest of the way because I was exhausted. We left Oregon on Sunday which was perfect because there was no traffic all the way home. If we had left on Monday, the fourth of July I’m sure it would be backed up on the freeway.