Just Me!!

Day 1# It never rains in sunny southern Oregon! It’s a joke. Our good friend Mr. Rain started in around 5pm and made our drive difficult to say the least. We left town around 10 after a yummy Black Bear DINER meal with all three kids. It is so much fun hanging with kids when they are older. They love sharing anything...sometimes silly, sometimes funny and sometimes cringey. They crack me up—  We had a brief stop to pick up a beautiful picnic basket from my work place that my friend left for me yesterday. I had thoughts of Mark and I having a romantic picnic but I think sometimes I try too hard to make things perfect, memorable, and romantic. I was going to forgo the basket but then my friend offered one up to me. Here’s to hoping for some romance... Portland and it’s outskirts slowed us way down! It was a city we once loved but now it’s dirty... full of trash...too many roads...too many people...roads not marked. McMinnville was a bust. Ransom wine has moved and closed their downto...

Far cry from this Valentine’s Day but just as perfect! We enjoyed a beautiful getaway at this perfectly quaint Japanese style home on Bainbridge Island. The home featured a traditional Japanese bath and a beautifully styled tea room. The kitchen had every type of coffee and tea pot on the market, Japanese inspired sushi plates, sake cups, and serving platters amongst every other kitchen appliance. Their thoughtful touches made cooking in their beautiful, floor-to-ceiling windowed kitchen very zen. I was treated to a lovely hour massage in the tea room complete with a lavender thyme candle, music, and lavender almond massage oil. The weekend was full of relaxing time. We stayed in mostly. The first night we went to the local market for sushi 🍱 (small selection and sub par) and miscellaneous menu items for the next day. We had a Japanese sushi meal while listening to Japanese music the first night, and a yummy steak seasoned with the new Smoked (in a smoke house) Nut Garlic seasoning we...

The ferry to Clinton Wa. Langley The Crows Nest He won this time!  We took a Quick getaway in Early December to Whidbey Island for some quiet time before the Christmas Break was underway. We stayed at the lofty Crows Nest VRBO that rested atop Cultus Bay. The views were beautiful and the house was very modern industrial with a hint of minimalism. The furniture either came from ikea or resembled the ikea fashion. We visited Langley while on the island. It was full of cute little Unique shops that were beautifully decorated for Christmas. We let Yelp and the locals tell us where to eat and ended up having the best sandwiches from Pickles Deli and then when we were leaving to catch the ferry back we picked up breakfast bagels from Whidbey Island Bagel Factory. I have been craving them ever since we came home. Best bagels around!  It was a great time reconnecting, resting, and Reviving up for the holidays!!!  We found the cutest little couch in Langley for our bedroom (at a ...

Almost Paradise @Ranier Cabin 9/5-7 Blog entry number 9,245(I made that up). We are up here at the base of Mt. Rainier relaxing together. The cabin is surrounded by acres of peaceful homestead living. The owner has several cabins on site and lives here as well. Her house literally looks like a ark! She was warm and inviting and would’ve told us all about herself, her family, and the property if given the chance. All we allowed her to story us with was a imaginative tale of swamp children who, against the wishes of the Health Department, that find their way into the cabin’s hot tub at night. Please lock up was her warning ⚠️!  2 days together. We found ourselves alone, hot tubbing, and asking questions from some personal questions card game we found in our garage. Clearly not OUR game since half of the questions didn’t pertain to us. Fun, inviting, and sometimes revealing nonetheless. My favorite thing at the cabin, minus the hot tub and the Sasquatch that roamed the woods, was the...

It so serene out there. I love the woods, the river and the seclusion it provides. Everything smells differently and I swear our coffee takes so much better! We spent two nights away while Valerie held the fort down. She did such a great job I think we will try it again. Maybe not for awhile though...we don’t want to over stay our welcome! #cabinlife

My pic Mark’s Pic Playing Exploading Kittens Playing in the freshly fallen snow Action Pic that I love Snow bunnies Snow Angel It was freezing out there The stream next to the cabin Happy 17th Birthday 🎂  His Magic Hat that has blue tooth speakers 🔊  The kids were out for midwinter break this week so naturally I always feel like we should go do something fun, spend some time together, and be goofy together. Unfortunately Valerie wasn’t able to go to the cabin because of school and work obligations so we went up a day early anyways and stayed the night and then came back home and brought her up to the cabin for the second night. The cabin was absolutely amazing. All details were thought out when they decorated and planned to have other people rent out the cabin. The cabin belongs to a physician I work with and is located in Ashford Washington. The Cabin is also going to be featured on cabin life on TV sometime later in the spring. We are completely grateful to them for allowi...