{loved}

Four days of it.
Four solid days surrounded by women -who rejoiced with my mum when she told them 'I was born..' some my cousins some my aunts, sisters, my mum. All who know me. All who held me as a baby, all who have watched me become the person I am today. Surrounded. Loved.  showered with un-ending love, and care , and compassion. and toast. and massages.
Uncles and guy cousins, brothers, and dad-  who hugged me, and lifted my luggage, and pushed out the boats, and fished for frogs, and who pushed and carried the heavy baby strollers through those muddy path ways on the 'short' hike we all took, through the Washington 'rain forest'.
 Little, best friend cousins who laughed, and sang, and chased, and ate and ate. and  counted slugs, and yelled- voices high and squeaky that they had found THEE biggest slug EVER. and we all looked like we had never seen a slug before.
 Happiness like no other is to be surrounded by people who love you.
I flew alone into Bellingham, Washington.
I was picked up by my first favorite man,ever!! ;)
Not long later I was surrounded my all of my sisters and their funny little men that call me auntie... and their husbands, and my aunts and uncles and cousins... hugs all around. its hard to describe, actually i think impossible to describe a bond, like we all have. its one of those things where you will only know what i mean if you have cousins that are quite much more like sisters then cousins, and aunts and uncles who are more like second parents then  aunts and uncles.
 we ate, and talked, and laughed, and when 3 people were sleeping too long , the rest of us nicely reminded them that there was people to be with. we paddled on the boats, and kissed owies, and sang songs, and sometimes we cried... but we laughed, a lot.
 we shopped and crossed the canadian/us border more then is normal in a 4 day span.
and we ate toast. we love toast. this family. we live on it.
no matter where we go- a toaster goes with us.
 saturday i was to fly back to cali. and my cousins took me to the airplane, but the border line up had other plans for us and we 5 spent quality time sitting with the windows down, watching the line up not move as my airplane took off with out me.
 i was dropped off at a mall where i spent 2.5 hours waiting on my aunt, (the rest of the family had went to victoria) to come and get me, she waited that long at border too. her and i ate ice cream and of course talked non stop the whole way back to her house. where 3 more aunts and i and my cousin and his wife hung out and ate more ice cream for the rest of the afternoon...
 sunday we all met at my uncles and said our good byes- again. tears were shed and every body hugged once or twice or even 3 times. because when you got something this good you just do not want to let go of it. ever.