* I can't get my pictures to post the way I want. So they're a list of pictures*
Visits with new and old friends on the beach and the city and the country!
We have been fortunate enough to go on two separate trips to one of my all-time favorite states in this great country of ours. And no, its not because it is called the Beaver State. Well, not entirely anyway.
Our friends Anna and Jon, along with their new daughter Lillian invited us to share a house in Manzanita with them for a weekend. We jumped at the chance. Rob got a couple days off work and we had our first family road trip. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I imagined a lot of screaming. Primarily from Reed, but also from his parents. Man, was I surprised when he slept for three of the four hours! Rob and I spent those three hours in the front seat and it was almost like it was just the two of us again. Almost. And then Reed screamed. But man, was the drive beautiful.
We enjoyed amazing food, fabulous company, and the incredible Oregon Coast.
And our trip didn't end there. We took Reed to Portland for the first time. Portland is hands down my favorite city and I hope to live there again someday. We met up with several good friends, many from my AFS days. It was so great to see everyone and meet new spouses and children, and visit with old friends, and drink beer in the park. The geese were a bit much to deal with. There were just so many of them.
And then, four weeks later, we traveled to Scappoose, Oregon to celebrate Hill's 28th birthday a week late. Hill moved to the lovely Oregon Countryside maybe four(?) months ago. That is probably wrong. It was a reunion of sorts, with Becca returning from Chile. I think that may become a theme of our lives. Becca will forever be returning from Chile, only to go back once more. Perhaps one of these times, we'll visit her there. I think Reed would really like South America. However, we were one short, with Julia traveling to Denver this exact weekend.
We celebrated Hill with a trip to the Scappoose Sauerkraut festival and Big Pot'o'Meat, which is exactly what it sounds like. My vegetarian husband was appalled. Yum. We followed that up with a delicious, albeit lopsided chocolate cake and valencia orange chocolate sauce. MMMM. It was fantastic to see Hill's parents and meet (again) her new man. She seems happy and relaxed and she can drive heavy machinery like no one's bidness.
