Oregon or Bust! October 13th

The best friend's birthday was right around the corner and I was having a hard time coming up with some special to do for her. She has had a rough couple of years to say the least, so it was important for me to make her feel special for the day. I have made it my goal these last few months to take her on adventures in order to clear her mind and let loose, giving her a reason to smile. She had recently went on a trip to the ocean with her dad. She had mentioned a few times about how much she use to love going to Cannon Beach, Oregon when she was a kid and that they had not been there for years. When she mentioned that we should go there for her birthday, I froze. How would I ever afford such a thing? Who would hold down the fort while I was gone? Would the husband be mad that I was going on a mini vacation without him? After all, he works really hard for us and very rarely gets a day off. We had been wanting to go to the ocean, but decided not to as finances would not allow. But there was  a part of me that wanted to pack my bags and leave. Everyone around me had been going on vacation lately while I felt that I was continually left here to make sure everything is in order. It had been four years since we had gotten away and I needed to...bad. The ocean is the one place where I can truly relax and forget my troubles. Reminding myself that sometimes I have to be able to let go and let life happen, I hopped online and booked a hotel. There was no turning back. Don't get me wrong, I felt awful leaving the husband behind. But I think he knew how bad I needed this break. And who are we fooling? He was excited to be able to eat snacks in his underwear while playing video games.

We are the best road trippers ever. We made sure to keep the driver entertained while we serenaded her frequently with, "What does the fox say?". 

We also made sure to hold our breath while driving through any tunnels. Thankfully, no one passed out. 

*Side rant* I pride myself in placing myself in other people's shoes to see where they are coming from and to try and best understand their way of thinking. I wish others would do the same. We live on a strict budget in order to make sure our bills are paid on time and that we remain as debt free as possible. Once coming from a place where we struggled to keep our bank account afloat and had multiple thousands of dollars in debt, I don't ever want to go back to that place. The husband works hard to provide for us and I am forever grateful for him. He works Mon-Fri no-questions-asked. It doesn't matter if it is Fourth of July, Thanksgiving or even Christmas Day, he is working. He never gets to come home early on a whim and most definitely does not get to ask for a day off. People as why he doesn't look for better work. And my response is, why would he? Why would he get rid of a job that provides for us in a time where work is hard to come by? Be realistic people. Show a little sympathy when you are flaunting your vacations or when you casually mention that your significant other is yet again getting off early or gets to take a three day weekend for the hell of it. Not all of us get that luxury. We actually have to work hard for what we have. /rant

We got to work on mapping out our route and planning detours along the way. It would take a little under four hours for us to reach our destination. We left early in the morning to avoid traffic. We stocked up on McDonald's breakfast and hit the road. Our first pit stop was to swing by Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland. We had heard nothing but great reviews about this doughnut place. I had never been to Portland before, it reminded me a lot of Seattle. However, the amount of homeless people was astonishing and the "naughty" places along the streets?...intriguing!  Finding the store was the easy part, finding parking was another story. We may or may not have driven down a one way street while homeless people laughed at us. We had to stand in line for about thirty minutes before getting inside. This wasn't as long as we had expected, considering that they are quite popular. As we were a little overwhelmed with the selection of doughnuts to choose from, we had them pick a dozen for us. We stuffed our faces immediately after getting back into our vehicle. I am not kidding when I say that it was like heaven exploding in my mouth. The fillings were the perfect consistency, the flavors were spot on and the doughnut itself was nice and fluffy. It was hard to pick a favorite. Thank goodness that the nearest store is over three hours away, because I would be tempted to eat there daily.

Our next stop was to check out the famous Rolloff Farms. Yes, you read that right. We were going to see the farm from LITTLE PEOPLE, BIG WORLD. We made sure to go there with no expectations of actually seeing any of the Rolloff family, but were excited to see their farm. Our anticipation rose with each passing of a Rolloff Farm sign along the road. Upon arrival, we were surprised to see that there was plenty of parking with no wait time. We could even see their house from the parking lot! We swung our cameras around our neck and made our way to the line for the wagon tour. While standing in line, the best friend pointed out that Amy was standing right beside me! *Side note-  The best friend is deathly afraid of "little people" venturing to the farm was definitely stepping out of her comfort zone. I was proud of her! *  We picked out some memorabilia while waiting and line and soon got our tickets for the tour. We also saw Matt zoom by while standing in the wagon line, but he seemed preoccupied and I did not have a chance to snap his picture.

Amy!!

I'll be honest as I always am here on my blog. The wagon was scary! There was a few times that I had to put my camera down and compose myself. The poor gentleman sitting in front of my was nervous that I was going share my doughnuts with him, if you get my drift. We were taken all around the farm and got to see such things as their house, the wedding venue sight, the gazebo, Matt's office space and other famous sights seen on their show. When the tour arrived at the little town, we saw a glimpse of Zach! He was standing there ready to greet us! He didn't even hesitate when we asked to take a photo with him, we may have even threatened asked him to come home with us. My only regret was that I did not take the time to wander around the town and look at the different buildings. I was star struck!

Us riding on the scary tractor/wagon.

Their house

Matt's office

Zach! 

The views of the farm were at times, breathtaking. The little church was my favorite! When we had gotten off the wagon, we stood in line to get our picture taken with Amy! It couldn't get any better at this point. She was really friendly and made us feel genuinely welcome to their farm. I love that the Rolloff family seemed down to earth, I wish we could have stayed for dinner or watched a movie with them in their cozy living room. Going to the farm was one of the funnest things that I have ever done in my life. We could have returned home afterwards and been happy. We are planning on going again next year so that we can bring the guys along. I can't wait!

After the excitement at the farm, we were ready to check into our hotel. I had found a room that had two beds, a fireplace and view of the ocean from across the street. It was perfect for a one night stay. After unloading our stuff, we went to a local fish and chips place for dinner. The food was not great, but the view was breathtaking. You could see Haystack Rock from where we were sitting! I had never seen it before and could not wait to finish my meal so that we could go take pictures. We drove into town so that we could have a closer advantage to the rock. Before heading to the beach, we swung into the store for drinks. When checking out, the clerk had informed us that drinking alcohol on the beach is legal as long as we don't bring glass. Say what?! Angels sang from the sky as she repeated herself, "drinking alcoholic beverages on the beach and around town is legal in the city of Cannon Beach.". That was all I needed to hear. We loaded up on some tropical drinks (keeping it classy with Mike's Harder Strawberry and pineapple), threw on some flip flops (I didn't care if it was cold or not) and made our way to the beach. When we arrived, the view took my breath away. The sand was white and smooth. Haystack rock was HUGE and the sun was perfectly reflecting on the water. It was perfection. I never knew we had such nice beaches this close to home. All that was missing was a hammock and some palm trees. Oh, and it wouldn't have hurt to be a littler warmer than 50 degrees. We sat in the sand, cold drink in hand without a care in the world. One of my favorite moments thus far in life.

Our view from dinner

Our room. It looks like we packed for a weeks long vacation!

She looks happier than a kid in a candy shop.

Pretty much sums up our trip.

After returning to our hotel, we jumped in the hot tub to unwind. Before hitting the hay, we sat in bed watching the Kardashians while eating our weight in doughnuts and candy. Perfect girls night if you ask me.

I had every intention of decorating our room for the best friend's birthday. We were tired and it was hard to sneak in the decorations with her being in the same room the entire time. Needless to say, I threw the decorations onto our bed in the morning, blew up a few balloons and stuck a candle into a Hostess cupcake. What more could she want on her special day?

We drove through Seaside on the way home to check out the shops and beach. We also stopped for breakfast before making our way back home.

Eating breakfast at the famous Pig 'N Pancake. Yes I had Dr. Pepper with my breakfast, judge away.

The drive home consisted of McDonald's (orange sherbet!), listening to Foreigner's greatest hits CD and visiting the Goonies house. It was a trip that I will remember for a lifetime. I loved Oregon so much that I plan to move there one day. Hello no sales tax! I hope that she enjoyed herself as much as I did. We did over 9 hours of driving in two days, which is the longest amount of time I have ever been in a car in such a short period. My back was sore, but I had a great time on our little road trip. I would do it all over again. Actually, packing my bags right this moment and hitting the road sounds pretty tempting ;)

A neighbor yelled, "Heyyyyy you guyyys.". It was perfect. 

3 (13) Years and Going Strong!

October the tenth marked our third year of being married. It was so weird to celebrate three years, as we have been together for thirteen! We have been through a lot together as a couple. A ton of hard times, but just as equal good times. Sometimes it feels as though the bad outweighs the good, but we have been working hard this past year to make new memories and spend quality time together. Not only is he my husband, but he is my best friend. I have never felt a love for someone else, like I do for him. Don't get me wrong, we have our moments when we have had enough of each other. Who doesn't? However, I wouldn't want to take this journey we call life with anyone else but him.

He surprised me with some flowers, cake balls and chocolate milk when he came home from work. And the mushy card? Perfect! He is always kind with his words and knows just the right thing to say. He sure knows the way to my heart.

We went to dinner over the weekend. We don't normally go anywhere fancy, but try to make an exception on our anniversary. We chose P.F. Chang's! Even though we had went there last year, I had not been feeling well then and wanted to try it again. I love that there are multiple servings throughout the course of the meal. The lights are dim and the atmosphere is cozy. My favorite was the egg drop soup and cheesecake! If the prices were a little cheaper and they had a close location, this would be one of my regular staples.

Egg Drop Soup

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Cheesecake with fresh berries and raspberry sauce

Pumpkin Wonton 

I love ending the night with a fortune cookie

And now for your enjoyment, us throughout the years...

2000- Winter Ball my Junior Year

2001

2002- My Senior Prom

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009- Home sweet home

2010- I do!

2011- Eating our year old cake

2012

2013

Here's to many more...