Oregon 2012

WARNING: This post contains like, a million pictures! No, but seriously...

I absolutely adore Oregon. I was born there (as were my dad and sister) and I have some fantastic family members there! Even though I only lived there for the first seven years of my life, it holds a very special place in my heart. The last time I was in Oregon was in 2010 - I went twice that year! Once with my family and once with my friend, Bri. Both were great and memorable trips. Most (if not all) of my Oregon memories - whether when I lived there as a youngin' or when I've gone back to visit - have been some of the very best I've ever had. This time around was no exception!

My dad and brother unfortunately couldn't make it, so it was my mom, my sisters Courtney and McKenzie, Brent and me. In other words, it was Brent a bunch of girls. We first hit up Springfield (where my dad, myself, and Courtney were all born - also where my parents went to junior high and high school) and then we headed to the coast. It was a quick trip, but well worth it. Here's the recap!

As previously mentioned, be prepared for photo overload!

DAY 1

The road trip begins! We left at about 7:30 or 8am, and arrived in Springfield around 6:30pm. So glad we left early - McKenzie had originally wanted to attend her class' swimming field trip that got out at 3pm. We were going to go ahead and drive half way that night, but my mom and Courtney convinced Kenzie to leave early, and we were all very happy about it. Here's Brent and I heading to my parents' house in the early morning.

On our way to Mama and Papa Rose!

Then the road trip officially began!

Little diva!

Sisters!

We four kids switched off who got front seat. We had a super great system that McKenzie controlled. ;)

It's not just a movie! (Bend, OR)

Courtney began the drive wearing a NASA shirt, and ended in Star Wars. Why? A bird chose to relieve itself on Courtney when we stopped for lunch in Burns, OR. :)

We arrived at our hotel (the always classy Super 8) and headed to my Uncle Chris' for dinner - homemade mac n' cheese AND enchiladas! (And yes, I was careful what I ate.)

DAY 2

We all started out the day getting ready (that's how most people start their day, I suppose) and headed off to show Brent a bit of our history.

This is the house where I lived for the first 4ish years of my life. (Springfield, OR)

This is my Great Grandma Georgina's home. Not only is this where I spent many hours of my childhood, but my dad also lived here as a teenager! (Springfield, OR)

Where my mom grew up! Many memories from this house - it's changed a lot! (Springfield, OR)

Then we went to the cemetery (always fun!) and visited my Grandma Lou (my mom's mom) and Great Grandpa Alvin - Georgina's husband.

We left some recent photos for Grandma Lou. :)

McKenzie saw this and said it was her church. Not where she attended, but that she owned it. ;)

EYE love you. Pun intended.

We headed to the care center where my Great Grandma Georgina lives.  She wasn't doing so well about three months ago, and Brent and I prayed that she'd stay alive long enough for me to see her one last time. God answers prayers! We used to call her Grandma Bill because A) "Georgina" was too hard for us to pronounce, and B) she had a dog named Bill, so it was easy for us to associate. ;) She is 90 years old and unfortunately has Alzheimer's, but she remembered several things and we had a wonderful visit. She especially remembered me (she babysat me most of my first couple of years on a daily basis) and McKenzie seemed very familiar to her (we think it's because I looked almost identical to Kenzie when I was little). It was funny though, at the very end of our visit, she turned to Courtney (who had chatted a bit, but hadn't spoken that much) and said "You are the most familiar!" It was cute. Anyway, in our chat, she said that she's lived a very good life and we talked about a few things she did in her life, like saving a boy from drowing in a canal. (True story - I've seen the newspaper clipping!) I did pretty good and only cried like, 2 times, hehe. It was wonderful to see her. She's pretty healthy for the most part and just as sweet as ever. She loves the Lord as well, which is so comforting and reassuring. She knows where she's going, and that brings so much peace for both her and her family! It's truly a blessing to know the Lord. :)

Introducing my 90 year old-great grandmother to the iPhone. ;) Actually, I was showing her the picture above, where my family all put our feet around her late husband's grave stone. She really liked it and said we have good-looking feet. :)

At one point, Grandma Georgina asked Brent and I if we had any kids yet. We told her no, and she said "Well get one!" It was super cute. There's a great group photo of us with Grandma, but it's on my mom's phone and I haven't been able to email it to myself for some reason. But just know that it's out there!

We kind of match! Yellow & black. BATMAN!

GOOSE!!!

Autzen Stadium. My home is a Duck home. ;)

Then we went back to the apartment to change. Later, we headed back to my Uncle Chris' for dinner (BBQ!) and family fun! My Uncle Ski, his daughter (my cousin) Erika, and her son, Jack came a bit later - bummer we didn't get any pictures with them!

Cousin Nicole getting the trampoline ready for adventures!

Mom & Me

Sisters!

McKenzie and my youngest cousin, Madison.

What a babe!

Uncle Chris doing what he does best - taking pictures!

Uncle Chris & Me

My cousin, Kaitlyn.

Cousin Miranda and me, face-palming!

Not so face-palmy anymore. ;)

Kaitlyn again!

Aunt Kelly & Me

DAY 3

Beach day! Even though it was cloudy, we still had an awesome day at the beach! We started in Florence and ended in Lincoln City, where we stayed the night. We began our beach day with a quick breakfast at Starbucks.

We had a horseback riding adventure to attend, but we arrived in Florence a bit early, so we headed to a local beach to kill some time. We got some excellent photos!

Toms at the beach!

Uncle Chris photobomb!

McKenzie and Madison - so small compared to the mighty Pacific!

Then it was horseback riding time!

Check out my smile...I surely could launch a thousand ships with that one! ;)

My horse's name was Stiles. He ate a TON. Seriously, he kept stopping to eat grass, and both my lack of physical strength and of equestrian knowledge failed to convince him to do otherwise. Brent's horse was named Obi and was a bit slow, especially on the beach, haha! Court's was named Chaser, and he was pretty mellow but obeyed well. They were all fun horses though!

We had SO much fun riding horses through the forest and on the beach! A big thanks to my Uncle Chris and mama for making it happen. We headed to the fabulous Mo's in Florence for a delicious seafood lunch! Mmmm, fish n' chips right on the ocean - how they were meant to be eaten!

Then we headed north towards Newport to have more beach time, but along the way we stopped at Devil's Churn.

On the way to Devil's Churn.

Gosh Brittany, just SMILE!

At Devil's Churn. Can you see my Uncle Chris?

The sneaker waves are an inside joke from our 2010 trip to Oregon. We hit up Devil's Churn that time as well, and let's just say that my brother RJ had somewhat of a battle with "them sneaker waves." This is for him!

The girls! Well, minus a few who stayed in the car. :)

Then we made it to the beach in Newport!

Brent had never rolled up his jeans before, haha! What a cutie...

The adults just chillin'. Funny how even though I'm 24, I still consider them "the adults." They've always been "the adults"...I think they always will be. In a term-of-endearment kind of way. ;)

Love him...

Brent made a moat around me. :)

Not only did THIS happen, we also took a somewhat-long walk on the beach. We are a living, breathing cliche people!

After the beach, we parted way with my uncle, aunt, and cousins. It was sad, but I was surprised that I wasn't as emotional as I thought I would be! I've been an emotional basket case lately, I was sure I'd shed some tears. But only my cute little mama got teary-eyed. It was such a great time - I hope I get to see them again sooner rather than later! Our little traveling troupe made our way from Newport to Lincoln City, where we stayed over night. We ate dinner at a cute little Mexican restaurant and were asleep by 10pm! The long drive home was upon us...

DAY 4

We again started our day with a Starbucks breakfast, and then hit the road! We stopped at Multnomah Falls and grabbed an ice cream cone. Brent and I "hiked" up to the bridge and looked at the beautiful waterfall and the gorgeous, green trees - gosh, I love the Northwest!

Protein breakfast at Starbucks. The one in Twin doesn't have these - hopefully Tulsa has caught on by the time we get there! ;)

Brent and I also decided to start a new tradition for ourselves. Neither of us are super big on souvenirs, but we wanted to be able to take something (along with pictures and memories) from the places we visit, so at the Multnomah Falls gift shop we bought a pack of Oregon Coast trading cards! The plan is to buy a pack of cards from everywhere we go!

We finally made it home to good ol' Twin around midnight. It was a wonderful, beautiful trip and it was the perfect send-off in a way. Crazy to think that in just four and a half weeks, we'll be taking another, more permanent road trip. despite the bittersweetness of it all, we are pumped and ready to go! One final photo from our Oregon trip to leave you with, an homage to a "most excellent" 80s flick. Be excellent to each other... ;)

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K...