Corvallis with Auntie Allison

The longest driving portion of our vacation was from Reno, NV to Corvallis, OR--google maps said it would take 8 hours.  I figured it would take close to 10 hours with stops and it did.  The first 8 hours were fine.  We listened to Harry Potter Book 1 and were really enjoying ourselves---then 4:00 PM came and we were all pretty much done with nearly two more hours to go.  We were on a two lane road most of the day and when you get behind some semi's....well let's just say it makes the trip much longer and then add the voice from the back every few miles..."How much longer now until we will be to auntie's house?"  The scenery was beautiful and that did help immensely.  We finally made it and it is nice to know that we won't have that long of a driving day to get home.

We enjoyed a nice dinner with Auntie Allison and her friend, Brian at a local Indian restaurant,The Evergreen.  Ella didn't complain:)

Allison took us on a tour of Oregon State University.  One of the things we love to do when we visit family is to see where our family members spend their days.  Allison's office is in a building where classes and offices are in the central portion of the building and living quarters (dorms if you will) are on either ends of the building.  It was an interesting set up.  Ella wanted to see how the smart boards work in the classrooms....but alas after trying to get it up and running....it didn't work out....not so smart of boards after all.  There are kitchens throughout the building for joint cooking.  There are worship rooms throughout the building as well.  It was really enjoyable to spend time where Allison spends the majority of her time as well.

 This building reminded us all of Hogwarts....especially since it was on our minds anyway.

We had a lovely visit into the evening.  We navigated our way through town just fine.  The next day we enjoyed the local farmers market.  We love these.  We have shared lots of fun memories at farmers markets in many locations over the years.  There were local musicians playing guitar, flute, and the fiddle.  There were several items to sample and shady spots to sit and chat.  We enjoy deciding what we will purchase and the kindness of those there making a living.

We walked around downtown Corvallis, stopped at a bookstore (of course)--The Book Bin, had lunch at The Broken Yoke and then dropped Ella off with Auntie for a couple of days.  I MIGHT have shed a couple of tears when we dropped her off.  I don't know where those came from---especially since we--which includes Ella--have looked forward to her staying with Allison and Byron and I heading over to the coast in advance.  I chalk it up to a Mother's heart and I recovered fairly quickly.

Thank you Auntie Allison for being willing to spend some time with a girl who loves you so very much!!  We love you too.

Just Being Together

I love to watch Ella having a good time.  The sound of laughter and the feeling of "not a care in the world" is so peaceful to me.  There were lots of these moments.  We enjoyed Jaden too. Byron got some disc golf in with him.  He left for scout camp during our visit.

Thank you...Ben and Nat...for such a fun time.  We enjoyed every minute.  As always, it was hard to say goodbye....especially with a 9 hour drive ahead of us.

Happy 4th of July 2015

We were fortunate enough to be able to spend the 4th of July with my brother, Ben and his family.  They have two daughters, Megan and Lanie and Ella loves spending time with them.  She has said in the past that she would like to live with them so she can have sisters.

The night before we had a "manicure" moment.  We all got into the spirit of the holiday.

We were off to Lake Tahoe for the day.  My brother prepared us and especially Byron that it would be crowded but the fireworks show would be worth it.  We played "Rubberneckers" (a travel game) on the way there and we had a lot of fun.  It is a lot more fun to play with more than two people.  It rained a lot on the drive and there was concern that our plans for the day would be spoiled.

But nope....the clouds and few showers did not deter the girls at all.  I dipped into the water and it was cold.  

Hours of fun...even in ponchos.  The weather doesn't matter as long as you have someone to share the adventure with you.  The girls dug out a small area in the sand to be able to view the fireworks.  It didn't seem to matter that they were ready 4 hours before the fireworks would start:)

We are so thankful for our country.  A place where we can enjoy time together as a family and make memories that will last forever.  May God bless the USA...and may we do what is necessary to defend and protect our families in this beautiful country that we have been given.

The weather did deter the crowds...somewhat.  We were informed that it has been much worse in years past.  It was still crowded but very manageable.  We had staked out a large space anyway.  

The sunset was absolutely gorgeous.  The fireworks show did not disappoint.  They were done over the lake from 3 different barges.  It was the best fireworks show we have ever seen.  As Byron describes, it was like a fireworks finale for 25 minutes.  It really did last for 25 minutes straight.  It was a great way to celebrate our freedom!!

Years in the Making

I intend to add photos later:)  When Byron and I celebrated our 20th Wedding anniversary, we started planning what we would like to do for our 25th.  Well now it is here.  We left today for our Lake Tahoe, Oregon Coast anniversary trip.  Things are going great.  Byron got home from work early and we packed up and left earlier than scheduled.

We aren't great road trippers, but we have planned for this.  We hid some items (mostly reading material) in the car and Ella will be exploring for days.  We looked at a few blogs and found a few fun things to occupy her time.

Our first stop....Elko, NV......a place to rest and sleep.  Thank you to some friends with connections to Marriott...we are enjoying a nice evening....Ella swimming, Byron chilling out with cable and me making a new effort to update our blog.

It feels good to have left everything in our every day lives in good hands and spend this time together as well as with some of our extended family members as well.

Stay tuned for more......

Time to return Home

I guess a good vacation is one where you wish you could stay longer.  This was definitely the case for us. We enjoyed the ocean so much.  It always feels so relaxing.  We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast on the beach before we left and Ella took lots of pictures.....lots of birds, seaweed, footprints, etc.

It was cold at home!  We went to an Ice Castle exhibit in Midway, UT with some of my family members. We couldn't get right in because The Piano Guys were doing a filming session.....turns out they were doing a song from "Frozen".  I think they should have done an impromptu concert for all those who were waiting....but no, we saw it on Youtube.

Newport Beach Day 3

We had the best weather today.  We started out the day with a time-share presentation....in order to get the great deal......and Ella got to attend a kids zone area. She enjoyed every minute of it.  

The main highlight of our day was a whale watching trip.  A friend of mine from work found some coupons for us and we had a wonderful time.

It took awhile to find the whales, but it was so fun.  We saw lots of birds and sea lions too. I was so busy watching the whales that I forgot to zoom in, but you can still see the proof.

We were told about a "must eat at" place....Ruby's....a hamburger place...from some friends at home.  It was right at the same pier where we went on our whale trip.  It also just happened to be their 31st year anniversary so their traditional combo meal was $3.10.  It was located right at the end of the pier and the view was beautiful.

I don't think I will ever tire of watching a sunset.

Byron got really good at taking selfies on this trip.  3 really is a magic number!!

I LOVE this picture so much!!!

We were running out of daylight and Ella still wanted to play at the beach.  One of the waves caught up to her and surprised her.  She was hoping to out run it......but got wet!

 Our Favorite Things Today

Byron--Whale Watching Trip

Lisa--Whale Watching Trip and the Sunset

Ella--Making 8 crafts at the Kid's Club, Whale Watching, and Watching TV from the bathtub in the hotel

Newport Beach Day 2

We really enjoyed our relaxing day today.  Our hotel had a shuttle that took us to the nearby State Park. We walked and walked along the beach and Ella loved it.  Our hotel had activities every day and they were all family oriented.  We enjoyed some Bingo, but didn't win any prizes.

The ward that we attended shares a parking lot with the Newport Beach Temple.

We spent the afternoon tidepooling and just enjoying every coastal minute.

Byron got really good at taking selfies of us. 

 Ella told us that she had found a new hobby...."shell collecting".  She also instructed us that we needed to be very careful with the shells because she spent 2 hours collecting them.  The shells did make it home and I still don't know what we are going to do with them.

Our Favorite Things Today

Byron:  Crystal Cove, Newport Beach Temple, Barbecuing

Lisa:  Crystal Cove, Relaxing with my family

Ella:  Seashell collecting

Newport Beach Day 1

Now that the Disney portion of our vacation was done, we were excited to go to Newport Beach.  We got a great deal at the Newport Coast Villas in Newport Beach.  Prior to checking into our hotel, we drove up and down the coast and figured out where we were and what we wanted to do.  We checked into our hotel and it was absolutely amazing. We have never stayed anywhere this nice and we don't expect to do it again. We had a 2 bedroom villa...complete with a beautiful master suite (with comfy beds), living room, full kitchen, dining room....3 TV's, washer/dryer, etc.  As Ella put it...."now this place has amenities".  There were 3 different swimming pool areas, life size checkers and chess game, a kids play area, walking paths throughout, playground, putting green and the list could go on and on.

We ate lunch overlooking the harbor.  It was another beautiful day!

The hotel had a fountain and fish pond. 

I never quite figured out what this golf cartish car was doing by the fountain.  I can't imagine it is just for pictures.....but Ella liked it. 

Ella loved setting up her room.  She unpacked EVERYTHING and put her items in the drawers  It was funny because she doesn't do any organizing at home.

We enjoyed the sunset over the ocean.

Our Favorite Things Today

Byron:  The Accomodations, The Ocean

Lisa:  No Schedule, Sunset over the Ocean

Ella:  Swimming at the hotel