Showing posts with label vacations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacations. Show all posts

Monday, September 20, 2010

Road Trip!

From Blog Favorites August/September
After weeks of waiting and working out so many details - it was finally time to go on our house hunting trip. All the stars finally aligned, and after some debate the week before, we opted to do a road trip rather than flying to Utah. #1 so we could have flexibility on our leave and coming back times and #2 so Twilight wouldn't be damaged for life. This was our trip, we decided, that we would bring kitty to her new state. And because we had her, we decided it would just be easier to get the whole drive done in one day. Something we'd never done before.

From Blog Favorites August/September
We left Oregon at about 10:30 in the morning. We were in Nampa, ID (more than halfway) by dinnertime. The girls did so amazing. We didn't do very frequent or very long breaks. They were incredible and we actually quite enjoyed ourselves. We were very happy to get out and stretch our legs at the Nampa Walmart.

From Blog Favorites August/September
This little kitty did NOT enjoy the ride. This was on our break when we let her crawl around the car. She was in her crate for almost the whole drive. She complained a lot every so often, but considering how scared she must have been, she did pretty darn good. It wasn't more than mildly annoying at times, but the meowing always stopped after a few minutes.

From Blog Favorites August/September
Poor Twilight was so distressed from everything that she wouldn't eat, drink very much or go to the bathroom. I worried we permanently damaged her. Luckily, I am happy to report that she is thriving and loving Billy's* parents house and we are so grateful for their help with this HUGE favor! We are so glad that we got her safely there and ahead of us. Our next trip out will be our big move and that would have added so much more stress still having her.

From Blog Favorites August/September
We enjoyed a lovely sunset that night and by the time we rolled into Billy's* parents' driveway, it was midnight.

From Blog Favorites August/September
And this is exactly how we all felt!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Favorite Beach Shots . . .

From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4
Every once in a while, when you play on the beach, a sneaker wave comes in much farther than the rest and you can't tell until it's too late! This happened several times this day. Rarely do you happen to catch the event in pictures because they are so random. I was definitely lucky on this Friday the 13th. So while this may not be beautiful composition or lighting, this is definitely a favorite! Mo's* cell phone almost didn't survive this surprise!

From Blog Favorites #4
Mark defying gravity and leaping over the sun! Wow!

From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4
Awww - so cute.

From Blog Favorites #4
The flowers at the beach are so beautiful. These remind me of little ballerinas.

From Blog Favorites #4
Our attempted photo shoot on the beach was very disappointing. The timing of when we actually could make it was at the worst time for lighting - noon. The wind was blowing our hair all over the place and we really had to hike around to find a pretty spot on this beach. There was a ton of ocean debris (seaweed/kelp) along most of it. This was not on Bella Beach, but down the street. From the highway it looked pretty. We had to really hike to get here and oh yeah, it was FREEZING at the time I took this so the girls were whining about taking their jackets off. So all that trucking around with my tripod was not worth it. We'll have to try again another time...

Friday, August 13, 2010

Another Day at the Beach

From Blog Favorites #4
I just noticed that this day was Friday the 13th! Well, it was definitely not unlucky by any stretch of the imagination!

From Blog Favorites #4
Here are a couple pictures inside our cute house - I loved the colors and decor, it felt so happy.

From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4
This was in our front yard. Natalie trying to catch a squirrel. It wasn't even a close competition. He was way too fast.

From Blog Favorites #4
A random thing that made me laugh. I don't know who or why someone put this Barbie in one of the walls near the parking of some other beach houses, but it cracked me up. Maybe she is to scare away anyone who tried to park there.

From Blog Favorites #4
We visited the OHSU Hatfield Marine Science Center on this day. We love it here. For you locals, it is a GREAT alternative to the Newport Aquarium, which costs about $15/person. The HMSC just has a suggested donation of $5/person or $20/family. A lot more affordable. However, the Aquarium is pretty incredible and much bigger. We love both.

From Blog Favorites #4
We thought this "mama and baby" starfish were adorable "snuggling" together. (O: Awwww.

From Blog Favorites #4
Sarah swimming with the jellyfish!

From Blog Favorites #4
Natalie and the Newport bridge.

From Blog Favorites #4
In the HMSC indoor tidepools - I love getting a close look at the fish there. Fish have always fascinated me. Once upon a time I wanted to be a marine biologist.

From Blog Favorites #4
One of our favorite coastal restaurant chains! Pancakes sounded good for lunch. (O:

From Blog Favorites #4
Natalie waiting for her food.

From Blog Favorites #4
We love to visit the kite store in Newport. And surprise, surprise - we walked out with a new kite! Wallace* go to try it out later that night, but the wind wasn't strong enough to drag him down the beach like her likes to do. (o: We'll have to come back on a windy day.

From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4

I could watch the girls play in the water for hours. I think I did.

From Blog Favorites #4
They look like they are on an adventure.

From Blog Favorites #4
Best friends. (O: These three are such good buddies, I love to watch them play together with limited fights! The beach puts everyone in good moods. I wish we could continue the magic at home!

From Blog Favorites #4
Such a beautiful sunny day on the Oregon coast - it doesn't get any better . . .

From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4
"The seas were angry that day my friend." Anyone know the source of that quote?

From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4
Hey! Look who it is! Mark and Michelle came to play with us!

From Blog Favorites #4
We got one more girl to come play and be crazy on the beach!

From Blog Favorites #4
What a beautiful night.

From Blog Favorites #4
Mark and Michelle joined us for dinner at our house and some playing on the beach. They happened to be staying just down the road. I am so happy that it worked out to see them while vacationing, what a fun memory.

From Blog Favorites #4
The four musketeers.

From Blog Favorites #4

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Ahoy Matey!

From Blog Favorites #4
Our first day on the coast, we thought it would be fun to take a boat ride on the ocean from Newport. We've been on this boat twice before and they do a great job, so we knew we wouldn't be disappointed.

From Blog Favorites #4
Natalie starts out with a smile!

From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4
The beautiful Newport bridge.

From Blog Favorites #4
Okay, so we are huge Deadliest Catch fans. This crabbing part of the boat ride was a highlight for sure! It was on a MUCH smaller scale than our beloved show, but it was still fun for Sarah to give crabbing a try! I think Frank* was so proud. He was wearing his Cornelia Marie shirt on the ride. (One of the names of the boats on Deadliest Catch - he got it in honor of Captain Phil - who passed away this year on the show. )o: )

From Blog Favorites #4
Sarah putting the bait in! Yummy! The crew even challenged the kids to kiss the fish for good luck like the real fishermen do. Sarah actually thought about it, but decided not to.

From Blog Favorites #4
When we left the bay and got out in the ocean, Natalie's smile faded. She was very nervous and thought we were going to drown. Poor thing. I showed her lots of things to help her feel better - the smiles on the crews' faces (meaning even though the waves seemed big to us, they were used to it and it was normal), the life boats just in case anything happened, etc. This helped her feel a little better, but she was also a little seasick. She seems to get motion sickness the easiest out of my kiddos. Poor thing. Luckily, the crew had this herbal remedy that you could rub behind your ears to help. It seemed to really help Nat and I even tried some too. I don't usually get sea sick, but when you are dealing with a sea sick child I think it can get contageous thinking about it.

From Blog Favorites #4
Sarah and Angela on the other hand, loved the ride. Although the cold got to Angela by the end.

From Blog Favorites #4
Sea Lions playing by a buoy. I lucked out and got one jumping!

From Blog Favorites #4
Sarah loved being right at the tip of the bough! That was the craziest ride - going up and down over the waves. As you can see, I think she liked it! She was hooping and hollaring and cheering and cracking everyone up around us. I've got to give it to her - she's got enthusiasm!

From Blog Favorites #4
A little picture of the contrast between my two girls' experience.

From Blog Favorites #4
Angela was pretty happy on the boat!

From Blog Favorites #4
When we got back in the bay, Natalie was relieved! She got into helping pull back in the crab pots!

From Blog Favorites #4
Here's what we caught!

From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4
The captain let the girls drive the boat. Sarah got to do some real driving and turned us all the way around!

From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4
Not the greatest pictures of me, but the girls look cute!

From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4


From Blog Favorites #4
I will hang on to this one to prove to Natalie that she did have fun on some of the boat ride.

From Blog Favorites #4
What better thing to do after a seasick boat ride than to buy some candy at a big candy store! We must be on vacation!