Oregon or Bust 2014

(caution: long post ahead)
We had the chance to head back to Oregon for a few weeks recently. It was fantastic. We were able to do so many fun things and see so many people who we've missed a great deal. It always feels like home when you step off the plane onto the green PDX carpet. I hope they never change it.

When we first arrived, there were lots of extended family members around. It was fun hanging out with them and doing things that we don't normally do. We went up to Pittock Mansion and actually toured the inside for the first time. The views from up there were amazing. I love Portland!

We also headed up to Mt. Hood and went to Ski Bowl Adventure Park for a day. We left Neil with my mom and had fun with the girls doing the alpine slides and other fun activities.

Riding the ski lift up to the top of the slide. Very pretty views, but really hot in the sun!

Chris after visiting the first aid station for wiping out on the slide. Apparently he was the 11th person to seek first aid that day. He had a really nasty sore on his wrist.

Bungee trampoline jumping with a view!

I was the only one agile enough to do any flips. :)

I know you can't see them, but this is my family in hamster balls. Grace fell out into the water a couple times. Chris did it too.

Such a beautiful, clear day up at the mountain!

On our first weekend the whole family packed up and headed to Tillamook for a day at the beach and of course the cheese factory! We had a perfect day. Not too hot or cold and barely any wind. We BBq'd our dinner and had tons of snacks and treats to share. I really miss the cool Oregon beach!

We also hit up our favorite pizza buffet for lunch with cousins. 

Since we just missed the Washington County Fair, we decided to make the trip to Tillamook again for their fair. It was much smaller and less crowded for sure. The downside was paying for admission and parking. The good part was the included horse racing and pig & Ford racing. Both were quite entertaining!

Green Mustang that Neil really wanted! I had to drag him away. 

Fun area for kids with cow milking, a sand pit, pedal tractor maze, baby chicks to pet, and more.

It's always fun to get up close to the animals. This baby cow was a favorite.

There was a free balloon animal person where all the kids got to choose something they wanted. Neil only wanted something green...so he got a green balloon. Haha. I was kinda hoping for something a little easier to carry. It didn't really matter in the end. All of these balloons were popped within an hour. Glad we got a picture.

This is a picture of the pig& Ford race. Apparently it's a 90 year old tradition in Tillamook. These men all line up along the fence and when the gun blows they run over to the pen across from them that is holding a bunch of pigs. They have to grab a pig, run to a car, hand crank the car to start, then get in a drive a lap while holding the pig. When they get back to the start, they have to turn off the car, exchange the pig for a new one, and do it again. Three laps of this makes for a fun event. I did feel bad for the pigs by the end. The poor things were looking like, "what? again? how many times do I have to do this?"

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I opted to not pay the $35/per kid to do rides this time, so instead I let them pick a couple of the silly games to play. They chose this fishing one. At least everyone gets a prize at the end. We ended up with a couple stuffed snakes.

Since Chris spent the middle week in San Francisco for work, I had time to do a few things with my immediate family and friends. I went to lunch one day with my sisters and mom. That was pretty fun to just chat with us girls and no kiddos. I also got to have a really fun evening catching up with my good friends. We stayed up quite late chatting the evening away. We took the picture at 12:30am, so we were all feeling our hottest. 

Danielle, me, & Kim (the other ladies left earlier)

Since we had ladies day, it was only fair to spend time with my Dad as well. It was the highlight of my trip. It was just us girls and our Dad out on the boat fishing for salmon. It was a gorgeous morning in Nehalem. Even with getting only three hours of sleep the night before (due to partying with my girlfriends), I had a great time. There's nothing like spending a day out on the water in the fresh air. It's been years since we were all together and able to make an outing like this, so it meant a lot to me.

Seems like this is a popular pose. I'll have to practice. :)

Rocking the Elmo blankie.

So pretty out there!

Near the end of our day, my Dad hooked one.

Bringing it in was a team effort.

Nice fish! We cooked it up for dinner that night. Nothing better than fresh salmon! Yum! What a perfect day! Thanks Dad!!

We did one more really big activity with everyone out at Hagg Lake. I've already mentioned how much I love getting out on the boat, but it really is just the best. We found ourselves a nice beachy area to set up canopies with all our food. The boats were able to come right up to the shore for easy loading and unloading. We took turns out on the water tubing. My kids had a blast! Grace was the most adventurous. It was pretty choppy out there and she couldn't get enough. When we weren't out on the boat we were happily playing on the beach, floating on rafts, and chatting it up. Apparently, I don't have many pictures, so please send them my way. :)

We also had a few fun evening catching up with friends. Our kids have missed their friends from Oregon so much. It was a blast getting together with everyone again. Can't wait to see you all again!

I also let Claire get her ears pierced while we were there. She was brave and did great. Glad it's over though.

The day my sister left we were able to do a very short family hike through Forest Park. It was a nice warm day, but in the shade of the trees it was pleasant. We had fun taking goofy pictures together and playing in the stream. 

This picture cracks me up. David and Kennedy are headless. Perfect angle. I will have to edit it eventually, but it's pretty great as is.  :)

Our last night was spent with the whole family. When we all get together we usually do an outside thing with lots of food to share. We had a great time relaxing and chatting with everyone. It even cooled down enough for a fire. I'm going to miss our outdoor dinners.

The next morning we were headed for the airport again. Even though we spent almost 3 weeks there, the time flew by for me. I felt like we were always busy. So many people to see in such little time. Don't worry if we missed you this time. I promise we'll be back. Thanks to all for making time for us. We appreciate it all.

Goodbye PDX carpet. 'Til next time.