Missing Oregon Today

I am missing Oregon so badly today . . .it hurts.  Whenever we get a nice cool, cloudy day with a little rain---I get the Oregon blues---bad!  There are so many things I loved about living in Portland.  The rain, yes--was a pain in the neck while living there because it just seemed to NEVER stop.  But here in Arizona, when rainy days are few and far between, I just get a little homesick for Portland whenever these types of days come around.  So, I made a pot of tapioca pudding (one of my favorite comfort foods) and talked to our kids about what their favorite memories are of Portland.  Kohler and Kelsey are the only ones who remember anything about it.  They were 8 and 5 when we moved here.  Spencer was barely 2 months old so he, of course, doesn't remember a thing.  We took the kids on a trip there last summer and it was just so great to take a walk down memory lane  (and pick some berries along the way!)

Here are some of the top things we all decided we miss about Portland:

1.  GREEN, GREEN, AND MORE GREEN

2.  Picking as many wild blackberries as you can eat ---for free!!

3.  Hanging out at Ibach Park in Tualatin. 

Ibach Park in Tualatin

4.  Taking drives---oh how I miss the beautiful drives out to Wilsonville, or Newburg, or along the Willamette River, or out to Vancouver, or around Lake Oswego.  ahh! so beautiful!

5.  Driving to the city and walking along the riverwalk, watching the ships come in and the sailors taking their "leave" for the weekend.  Kohler loved doing this!

6.  Lee Farms and Fir Point Farms - totally fun places for kids to visit!

7.  The gorgeous tulip farms south of Tualatin.

8.  Walking around the lake at Tualatin Commons, eating a sub or ice cream and listening to the summer evening concerts there - or having the kids play at the splash park there.

Kohler and Kelsey remembering Tualatin Commons.

9.  The temple - is a place we would visit often.  When Kohler was little, he fell into the fountain and got completely drenched- funny story.  That temple is very special to Tom and me. 

Portland, Oregon Temple

10.  The awesome ocean breezes and incredible "Indian Summers."  The fall season was my all-time favorite there.  Homemade apple cider at the pumpkin patches and all the leaves changing colors!  Ahh

11.  We even miss our apartment we lived in for 6 years and the home we rented for one year.  Even though we love the house we live in now, there is something to be said for everyone living CLOSE to each other in a small space.  Not much to clean, not much to worry about decorating, but MUCH to be happy about!

We lived in the first floor apartment.  The far left window was Kohler and Kelsey's room.  The far right window was our office/piano teaching room.  I spent a lot of time teaching in that room.

Here is the home we rented for one year.  I felt like we lived like royalty to be able to have a garage and a yard for our kids to play in during those rainy days.  The backyard had a nice deck and even a garden for the kids to catch slugs in!  ha!

Ummm- I lost count but another thing we really miss about Oregon is OHSU.  That campus is gorgeous and has the most incredible views of the city being up on the hill.

We miss the roses that bloomed ALL over the city during the summer months.  July was the month of the Portland Rose Festival and boy, was it ever spectacular!

Of course, we fell in love with the Oregon Coast ----who wouldn't?  If I was there today, I'd drive to Tillamook and get some of their famous cheese, drive over to Seaside and buy a kite to fly around Haystack Rock on the beach.  Then, I'd drive down to Newport and get some awesome clam chowder and famous salt water taffy (after we went crabbing for dinner! good times)

The best part about Oregon, though, was the people.  We met some incredible people who have strong testimonies of the gospel, who helped us by being our family when we didn't have family to turn to, who loved us and our children as their own, and who still are very much a part of who we are today.  So, yeah . . . I really miss Oregon today.................