Oregon by the sea...

Home again home again jiggity-jig. Dave and I took a wonderful trip back to one of my mission areas on the Oregon coast. My sister, who recently returned from a mission, offered to watch the girls. How could I pass THAT up!?! I couldn't, BUT the reality of leaving the girls behind for almost a week made my insides churn, and my heart start to RACE! BUT I hadn't been back to Oregon since I came home in 2004(6 years)!! We DROVE the entire way. 10 hours to Klamath Falls, sleep (at Dave's old girlfriends parents house, not awkward surprisingly, anything to save a buck...). Then, 4.5 hrs. to the coast! I wondered if Dave and I would just stare at eachother. It's not like we don't talk...but its usually tid bits here and there in between the girls chatter, laughing, crying, whining, sleeping... you get the gist. Thankfully after these 5 years we are still the greatest of friends and had a dreamy time. There's no one I'd rather drive over 2000 miles with, and that's saying SOMETHING!!

The mission was just as it was in my memory. It was so AWESOME to drive up and down the streets and see houses I remembered knocking on. It's like the towns were frozen in time, just waiting for my return. One thing I didn't remember, it was COLD! That's the only thing I would've changed if I could. But it didn't stop us from walking up and down the BREATHTAKING beaches, whale watching and crabbing off the docks. YES, whale watching! We walked out to one of the bluffs in Port Orford and a big old whale comes swimming below us. I actually screamed, it was a roller coaster kind of scream and I don't know where it came from. The first few whales we saw were really close and I kept screaming! I heard myself doing it but I couldn't stop. I was just SO surprised and SO excited, I guess put those two together and you get screaming.

We visited with some dear friends I met those many years ago. I was sure they wouldn't remember little old (mission chubby) me...but they did. We had such great visits. The trip let me envisions Dave and I in 30 years, or what not, going on our mission, together. What a great day that will be. Bandon by the sea, Coquille and Port Orford will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart.

(A cool look out on our way to Crater Lake)

(Crater Lake)

(more of Crater lake.)

(I proudly informed Dave, in front of the exgirlfriend's parents, that a meteor made the lake. Oh, Volcano? Interesting. sometimes i am very smart.)

(headed to the docks for some crabbin')

(catching a big'n)


(some mossy, lovely waterfalls on our way to the coast)


(Bandon by the sea)


(more of those awesome rocks)


(flying)

(silly)


(silly, again.)

( plus our new friend Richard in bckgrnd, he is a 49ers fan, among other things of course)



(not silly, pretty)

(silly and pretty.)

(maybe it was all a dream)