Whirlwind Weekend in Oregon

September was full of travels for me... just a few days after the wee ones and I returned from our trip to visit Mike, Man Cub and I boarded a plane bound for Oregon, where I was going to spend a few days visiting my dearest friend, KJ. KJ and I "met" almost 8 years ago, just a few short months after we each got married. (Our anniversaries are 7 days apart.) I say "met" because the first 5 years of our friendship we were basically pen pals. We emailed back and forth, instant messaged through Google Chat and occasionally talked on the phone or texted. We didn't meet in person until April of 2010 when KJ and her family went on an epic road trip from Oregon to California, down through Arizona, up to Utah and then back home. My house was one of the stops along the way. Since that first in person meeting, KJ has been able to visit me one other time, during an awesome Southwest Airlines fare deal, but I had never made it up to visit her. I am so glad we have finally remedied that!

My weekend in Oregon was an absolute whirlwind, but honestly, what aspect of my life isn't these days!? We crammed SO MUCH into the 90 hours we had together, and we had a blast doing so.

My plane arrived at 10 o'clock Thursday evening, which was obviously a perfect time to run by Salt and Straw, the most amazing ice cream parlor on the planet. We sampled a variety of their offerings, finally settling on three flavours to take home... Mint Leaves with Sea Urchin Meringues, Freckled Woodblock Chocolate and Honey Balsamic Strawberry with Cracked Pepper. We also devoured the pints that KJ already had in her freezer- Pear and Bleu Cheese and Salted Caramel. By far, the YUMMIEST ice cream I have ever put in my mouth. And I'm happy to say they deliver to Arizona for a mere $25 in shipping fees, on top of the $8 per pint price tag. I know what I want for my next birthday!

After Salt and Straw, we headed to KJ's where we stayed up until all hours of the night laughing and talking and playing Stone Age and watching trashy TV (Extreme Cougar Wives, anyone?). This was our routine every night. There was very little sleeping while I was visiting!

Friday morning we headed to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, or OMSI, as the locals call it. It was a very cool museum that made me miss the girls. They would have loved it! (Notice the superhero photo bomb- that's Asher, KJ's 4 year old son who I just adore)

In Oregon, it is illegal to pump your own gas, so all gas stations have attendants to pump for you.  I have to say, when I got back home and had to pump my own gas at Costco, it was a very sad day.

Friday evening I put Man Cub to bed, then KJ and I snuck out of the house to go to the temple together. It was so much fun serving in the temple beside my best friend! And bonus- it got me a little bit closer to accomplishing two of my Thirty by 30 goals.

After the temple, we went to Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe for truffles and milk shakes... as you can see, I ate extremely healthy on this trip. Ü 

Saturday morning we attempted to get up early to head to the Oregon coast, but after being up half the night, we were a little slow moving. Eventually we made it to our first stop along the coast, Cannon Beach. It. Was. Beautiful. The beach has always been my happy place and this beach definitely made me happy!

This was Man Cub's first trip to the beach, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect from him. My girls were not big fans of the beach the first time we took them. I kind of assumed that Man Cub wouldn't enjoy it the first time either. I could not have been more wrong. I put him down in the sand and he immediately threw his body down, which typically is how he throws a tantrum. But this time, it didn't lead to a tantrum, instead he started waving his arms and legs, making "angels" in the sand, then he brought handfuls of sand to his mouth, eating it and laughing. He could not get enough of the sand. He is definitely his mother's son. I almost cried happy tears, I was so excited at his love for the beach.

After playing in the sand at Cannon Beach, we explored the little coastal village. It was just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. Pretty sure that is where I want to retire. In 13 years. I hope Bruce is ok with that. I took lots of pictures of the village to help me persuade him.

Little Asher is pretty superhero obsessed. He wore his cap and mask almost everywhere we went. While KJ and I were browsing in one of the boutiques, he sat like this, watching the world go by. I love that little guy!

After Cannon Beach, we headed a little farther north to Seaside. We browsed some of the stores, ate some yummy Tillamook ice cream and the headed to the beach for Man Cub's first birthday photo session. Those pictures will have their own post in the next day or two.

Baby Mack posed for a shot during Man Cub's session

Sunday was the closest we got to a day of rest. We went to church and hung out at KJ's house, but I can't say we truly rested. It was definitely evident how tired out Man Cub was at this point in our trip. He is not one for sitting still, yet he laid down on the floor in the Primary Room and didn't move. All the excitement finally got to him!

Monday was a bittersweet day. My trip came to an end Monday evening and even though I was so excited to get home to Bruce and the girls, it was hard to leave KJ behind. Our visits are so few and far between, and since we aren't yet sure when we'll see each other again, it was very hard to say goodbye. 

I didn't have to be at the airport until about 5, so KJ and I filled Monday with as much fun as we could. First, we visited KJ's friend Courtney, who over the years KJ and I have known each other, has also become my friend! I bought my first DSLR camera from Courtney and she is the person who inspired me to become a birth photographer. It was great to get to meet her in person while I was there.

Other than visiting Courtney, the two main highlights of Monday were eating at Burgerville and driving across the Oregon/Washington state line, which takes my official "states visited" count up to 30. Hopefully, the next time I visit KJ, we can spend more time in Washington, and maybe even hit Seattle. And eat at Burgerville lots, because those were the most incredible burgers I have EVER eaten. And I had two. In one sitting. It was embarrassing.

It's me!! In my 30th state visited!

 The flight home was uneventful and Man Cub was a great traveling companion. I hated being away from Bruce and Sunshine and Beebs, but there was something special about that one on one time with my little man.

Thank you so much KJ and family, for a WONDERFUL visit. I loved you all before, but I love you even more now and I can't wait to see you all again. Let's make it soon.