The Beautiful Oregon Coast

Several weekends back Bobby and I made the drive to the Oregon coast. The drive alone is beautiful and so scenic. I am still in awe of the trees, the beauty and size. When we arrived at this coastal town, I was immediately taken in. It was as though I was in a movie. This little town is full of quaint bookstores, shops, and bistros. Cannon Beach did not disappoint. Also, I am a tried and true 80's kid so I thought it was a lot of fun to be on the coast where The Goonies movie was filmed.

Because we decided to drive out Labor Day weekend, Cannon Beach was packed with people trying to get in the last drop of summer here in the Pacific Northwest. This particular day it seemed to this Tennessee girl, that summer had already ended since the temperatures this weekend on the coast were only in the 70's. However, that didn't seem to matter to the thousands that were not just on the beach that day, but also in the very cold water. Nonetheless, everyone seemed to be enjoying the last official weekend of summer.

Cannon Beach has 9 miles of very wide and walkable beaches. It's not at all like the beaches down south in the gulf. And my favorite part about Cannon Beach, and all of the Pacific Northwest, is that they allow dogs. I sat down on the beach this day and watched dog after dog fetch after anything and everything that was thrown. I was one happy girl.

Haystack Rock has to be the most photographed thing in Cannon Beach. You can't help but be drawn to this beautiful rock. Yes, it is just a rock, but a very big rock at 235 feet high. We took pictures but our pictures don't really do it justice.

After our time on the beach we went exploring in the town. We couldn't resist all the shops from the bakery to the book shop to the candy store. Bruce's Candy Kitchen made me want to be a kid again. I wanted to buy everything. It was all so colorful and looked so yummy. I took some pictures of my favorites but only ended up with a small bag of Jelly Belly's and a couple chocolate turtles.

Everywhere we seem to visit one thought is always constant in my mind. I am having the most amazing time here. But I do wish my boys were here to experience and enjoy this with us. No matter the 2,500+ miles between us, I am still a mama missing her boys.

Be blessed,

J

It's True What Dorothy Said

My Tennessee Home Sweet Home

Absolutely, without a doubt, I know now that Dorothy knew what she was talking about when she said that there is no place like home. Man, I miss Tennessee. Mostly I miss my big front porch and taking mornings to sit in my rocking chair, drink my coffee, watch my puppies play together, and looking out at our beautiful property. Prior to our big move to Oregon I really contemplated that we may sell our home eventually. After being 2,300 miles away we are without a doubt keeping our place and whether it's 2 years or 10 years, we will be back to Nashville to stay.

I made the decision to not blog in my "down days" the last couple of weeks. And after a long run last week I made the decision to not have anymore "down days". I realized pretty quickly how silly I was being by feeling so home sick. This after I took my mood out on a few people that didn't deserve it. Apologies followed.

Gratefulness and thankfulness is how I am feeling now. I realize what amazing family & friends I have had in my life and continue to have in my life. So this blog will be long. Long with pictures. Pictures of all the people I miss so very much.


Uncle Johnny, Jeff, my grandparents, and my momma.

My family of four. The three men in my life.

Don't know what I would do without her. My friend Misty.

I only met this lady a year ago but spending two full days together in a stinky
van with 6 other people definitely changed my life and this friendship.
Ragnar Tennesee 2011. Love her!

Just some of my big 'ole family.

My friend Clare & I before the Blvd. Bolt last Thanksgiving morning. This girl pushes me
to be a better runner everytime we run. She's a ridiculous runner.

My first trail half marathon with these ladies. Missing all the fun we've had
over the last year. We'll always have the Ragnar. :)

One of my childhood BFF's. So proud of this lady and what she has done with her life.

I call her Trainer Jennifer. She's part of my Y running family.
I sure do miss having her and the rest of our group to run with.

My sister & my dad. I don't know what my life would be like without them. Dull & boring I am sure. :)

Two of the best ladies I know and two of the best friends. This was my first half
marathon and they came down and waited for me to cross that finish line. Two of
the best listeners in the world.

Another childhood BFF. I hadn't seen her in almost 20 years. So glad to have her back.

My bestie, Jennifer. Enough said.

Marley. We miss our puppies so much being here. They are still in Tennessee with our boys.



Our sweet puppy Sport. Miss him!

Bobby with his dad & sisters.

I have so many people in my life that love me and that I am grateful to call my family. And whether they are my blood family or not, they are family. Still, so many people I wish I had pictures of to be able to post pictures of (Kim & Lee, Mary Kay, Laurie, Jenna, Bel, Randa, just to name a few). Spending 10-12 hours each and everyday with the view below is such a blessing. But it sure gives me a lot of time to look at my life and count all the blessings.

 More Oregon pics and posts to follow. I promise. Maybe a trip to Canada. And possibly Hawaii.

Be blessed,

J

Winning The Heart of a Princess

On our 3rd day of our long holiday weekend we made the hour drive to Multnomah Falls. These falls, according to Native American lore, were created to win the heart of a princess who wanted a hidden place to bathe. No mention in that story if she gave her heart away after seeing this, but I am certain if this was created for me that my heart would be his. Be blessed.

J

At the top of the Columbia River Gorge. This view was pure perfection to me.

It goes as far as the eye can see.

Still looking at the Colmbia River Gorge before we made that long and windy trip down to the falls.



You can hike to the top of the falls. That was our plan on this Labor Day but after getting to the falls
and walking up part of the trail we decided to turn back due to it being overcrowded.
We will be back for the full 6.8 mile hike.

Looking at these enormous trees in this beautiful state never, ever get old to me.

Life As I Know It

What a difference a few months can make. Just a couple of months ago I was working my corporate job as a Project Analyst in Nashville, Tennessee and planning our big move to Melbourne, Australia. Today I'm sitting in a tiny lake house in Oregon. Life as I know it has now changed a lot. I can't even put into words the difference in where I was and where I am today. Living in the Pacific Northwest is inspiring to me. I am inspired by the environment we are in because of so many people out walking, running, riding bikes, and just being healthy. My normal in Nashville, Tennessee was a little more the opposite. Here in Oregon you seem to be odd man out if you aren't eating and living a healthy lifestyle. In Tennessee I felt like I was more in the minority when it came to living a healthy life. I do feel very at home and in my element when it comes to the healthy life I try to live overall. However, I miss home. That's all I will say about that until a planned later post about all my favorite people.

I have some pictures from our first trip to the wonderful farmers market that is here within walking distance (including my first taste of yellow watermelon). I absolutely love this market. This will be part of our regular Saturday morning routine through October. Also, one picture from our trip to Cannon Beach the first time around. Be blessed.

J



Salt & Straw Ice Cream. The BEST salted caramel flavor ever!!



Yellow watermelon? It was very yummy!



The view from the farmers market.




If you only knew what we had to go through to get this picture. This day it was cold, rainy, and extremely windy on the coast. And we were not prepared. But we laughed and laughed some more to help us deal with the hypothermia that I know was about to set in.