My family had an ad hoc, impromptu gathering yesterday, thanks to family members being where they usually aren't and going "Hey, why not get together?" Uncle Mike and Aunt Nancy usually are two hours away from me in their home in Olympia, but had spent part of the week down in Yachats, Oregon on the coast, crabbing. So visiting over burgers it is! Mike and Nancy stopped at my parents' place in Dundee, Uncle Greg and Aunt Peg came over (it's easy, they live 10 minutes away from there), and Mom was nice enough to drive up, after running errands of her own, to Portland where I was finishing my blood platelets donation.
Yes, my wild weekend began with "sitting on a bed for two hours having blood taken out of me then put back into me while watching the nice, affecting Pixar film Brave." It was my second platelets donation; I usually donate whole blood. Still getting used to the longer, more involved process, but I kind of like having the red bandages on both arms afterwards, because it seems more hardcore. *grins*
Anyway. It's nice to get picked up when it's not someone's job. (I make the distinction because I often ride the bus.) And I like that I didn't have to drive in yesterday's often drenching rain. And after dinner -- and huddling over my Dad's cell phone to listen to the end of the UO Ducks-Washington State Cougars game (WSU won in double-overtime; even if we Ducks had won, we wouldn't have deserved to!) -- Mike and Nancy were OK with chauffeuring me back to Portland on their way home. Coordination worked!