Don't worry, Blondie, dreams that seem real are very common for Portland residents. It's common (something to do with the local fauna) for Portlandians to often confuse real life with fantasy.
When I was really young, I had a pretty active imagination. I've always had fears of situations that were not under "my control". One vivid dream I had was after watching one of those volcano movies that were popular in the late 90's. My family would escape the house through the back door, my mother would run down the stairs last, fall, break her leg then get burned alive by lava. Another dream I have always occurs right before I wake up to vomit. I'll be running around a baseball diamond, from base to base, then before I can get to third base I start running slow as if being held back by an elastic bad. My whole body becomes more sluggish until I stop. Then I wakeup... and run to the bathroom. A third reoccurring dream that I have is me falling down a sliding pole at a playground. I get up, see a cop car driving on the other side of the fence. Blood runs down my vision (like in goldeneye). I wake up. The weird part is all the details about that dream are the same. The first two dreams have lots of room to play, the third one is always the same. The playground has small riverstone, it's at a very sunny location, it appears coastal, the cop car is always driving from right to left (slowly) and the street the car is on is at roughly a 30 degree angle to me.
I also have "prophetic" dreams, deja vu, whatever you'd like to call them. That seem REALLY specific. I'll wake up the next morning and not understand where I was, though I'll usually recognize who I'm with. Years later I'll think back to it. Whether or not my brain just has a very loose dream and later recreates it with some artistic liberty, I don't know. It seems more fun to call them prophetic dreams, assuming they are harmless and I don't get too swollen over them. I don't worry about them too much though.
Anyways, the emotional aspect of dreams can be very tough as they can replicate our worst possibilities. Please, don't be too hard on yourself and just remember to appreciate your family if you can. Not everyone has the opportunity.