Where has my memory gone to?

Away. The answer is that my memory has gone..AWAY! In my update post, I mentioned several things we had been up to and places we had gone to. We, then I, actually went several other places than previously mentioned and can't believe I forgot! How could I?! One visit was to visit my dearest friend Amy (who, if you remember cheered me up with this basket) Everyone needs a Friend Amy (she deserves a title) and I have one! And guess what else? At the beginning of the year, Friend Amy and her sweet hubby moved to a small town on the Oregon coast, (a little over 3 hours away) and ever since, we haven't seen as much of each other. Anyway, we were able to go visit them and their cute coastal town in May and it reminded me how much I miss my Friend Amy! It was soooo good to catch up with each other and to explore that part of the Oregon Coast. Poor Brent had to work a lot that weekend, so Friend Amy was our bonafide tour guide most of the time. She took us to see some of the local coast, then the beautiful Umpqua lighthouse (where you can stick your head inside the light of the lighthouse.....BEAUTIFUL!!), along with a pretty good museum and an awesome, hole-in the wall bakery (don't remember the name but Amy and I bought pink pigs that were like homemade twinkies!!). Then we went four wheeling on the beach, built a bonfire and caught up some more (along with some hot dogs,beer and marshmallows.)

The Umpqua lighthouse (coast guard housing is stationed around it)

Friend Amy and I!!

Aaron and I

The view from inside the lighthouse lamps

The piggy twinkies...mine is on the right :)

My beautiful, sparkly nails- compliments of Friend Amy

Hanging out around the bonfire after four-wheeling

Reunited!!

So that was one awesome trip I failed to metion, BIG TIME! Again, how could I? I can't wait to see them again!

Another one I spaced was a few weeks after that. I went with my family to a graduation party of a little girl I used to babysit. We camped out in my parents new travel trailer (nice!) and then went to a "grunguation party." What's a grunguation party? Well, we were told the theme was to dress grunge (like Nirvana-90s-grunge) or so we thought. My family went all out and dressed the part. However, we were the ONLY ones dressed up in grunge. Embarrassing and funny and never again!

My version of grunge

My sister and I hanging out as 2 of the 4 grunge members at the grunge party...haha!

My cute parents

My sister and I dressed in real clothes

And there you have it! Two more trips done in the time I was away!!

Where I've been and what I've seen- Part 4 (Ashland)

A couple of weeks ago, we needed to get out of town soooo bad.  So we quickly went to Ashland. This time around, we decided to try a few new places out (don't you now that virtually all of our trips revolve around food?!). So, we did!
We left town early enough to eat breakfast in Ashland and Morning Glory.  I read about it on Trip Advisor and the ratings were pretty high, so why not? We found it pretty easy and only had to wait 15 minutes or so to be seated. According to the reviews,  there is always a line. We got inside and it was cheery and bustling with happy/fed people. And guess what guys? It was deliciously amazing! I ordered the lemon ricotta stuffed french toast with raspberry syrup and Aaron chose the Alaskan red crab omelet with artichokes, parmesan, smoked garlic cream and scallions (what?!)

After breakfast, we were stuffed! So we ( okay, I) decided to visit a few of my favorite shops. Prize, a lovely shop of French descent (my description all. the. way) was the first stop. Most of everything in there is so lovely, but a little out of my price range, so all I can do is window shop and dream. But it's a great place to do so!
Then we walked to Paddington Jewel Box, a great place with unique jewelry and some pretty cool, vintage clothes. The clothing brand is Darling and I decided that one day, I will own at least one article of clothing from Darling! But instead, I bought some earrings (the only purchase made by me that day!)
By that time, we (okay, I) worked up an appetite for something to drink in the way of a memorable Bloody Mary. The reason I said memorable was because years ago, I had that same drink at Standing Stone Brewing and thought it was the best. one. ever. I've been on a bloody mary kick lately, so I wanted to give it a try! We stopped by, and gave it a try. Drum roll please............It was good, but not the best one I've ever had... (sorry Standing Stone!) Aaron gave the "I <3 Oregon" beer a try and liked it! Their water was also delicious, as it was served to us ice cold in adorable milk jug type carafes! Overall, a success!

We had plans of moving on to Caldera Tap house, but it ended up being closed. It also started raining while we stood by the door and tried to decipher the Open/Close hours. Oops. So we just snapped some random, self-portraits.

Because we had no real plans, we decided to move on to Medford. Aaron had been wanting to stop by a newer brewery called Bricktowne. He tried a sour beer (his newest love behind bikes and moi) and I ordered a cider and cajun tots! The brew-master was super awesome and showed Aaron around his establishment and talked about yeast-strains (it went over my head, but I was happy with the tots!)

We stuck around Bricktowne for a while, then realized we had better get ourselves back home so that Aaron could attend a work-related meeting! It was a quick trip, but so very enjoyable and exactly what we needed.
Thanks Ashland!

Where I've been and what I've seen- part 4

Aack! I'm really falling behind on past trips, yet we keep taking more that I want to talk about.

So I'd best move along and bring you up to speed about our trip to Eugene, OR.

We love Eugene so much that we've thrown around the idea of moving their several times.

Obviously, it's only been talk though, since we are still here in our depressed little community (but enough about that..)

What makes Eugene so special to us, you may ask?

For one, the bike paths.  The few we've been on are layed out well, scenic and make you want to just keep riding off into the sunset.  Speaking of bikes, the city itself is very bike-friendly too. They have actual bike lanes, bridges, even on/off ramps linked through parks for access and people who know what they're doing on bikes.

Restaurants are eclectic and delicious (hiya McMennamin's and Beir Stein!).  Shopping is pretty sweet too.  There are two shopping centers for full retail (hello DSW and Loft!) and a lot of really good second hand store (like St. Vinnie's- I got a super nice wool Eddie Bauer jacket from there for $16...not too shabby!)

Also the weather and general lush surroundings (things are actually green and grow there!) is quite lovely.

This time though, we mainly went to Eugene to spend time with our friends R and J and their littles.

R is just as passionate about riding bikes and micro-brews as Aaron is, so they look forward to riding around town then taking a break and grabbing a few pints before the come back home.

We didn't go and see a lot, but what we did end up doing was relaxing and enjoyable. 

The first day we were there was Friday night and visited and caught up.  The next morning we all slept in, then decided to go second- hand shopping and figure the rest out from there.

So that's what we did.  We stopped at several St. Vinnie's (as I mentioned before) to see what we could score.  That's where I found my jacket.  I think we all managed to score something, even the littles. Then we stopped in at a bike parts store, Eugene Bicycle Works,where the guys rode these crazy bikes (just click the link to see a picture of them) from their "rideable museum" around the block.
  But then we all felt pretty hungry.  Aaron and I love to stop by a restaurant/bottle shop/bar called the Beir Stein, where we first had (and fell in love with) beer-cheese soup. So, we obviously requested this place when asked where we wanted to eat.
We all ordered our meals and sad to say, I can't remember exactly what I had there.  But it was so tasty that I ate it all and finished it off with a nice, cold stout.  I do remember stealing a bite of one of the kid's homemade sauerkraut and wishing I'd ordered that instead.
We then went home, all stuffed to the gills and relaxed....or at least J, the littles and I did.
Aaron and R. hopped on their bikes and went for a ride and then stopped in at Oakshire for some beer.
I hear it was good, but what would I know? I was in my stretchy pants at home.
The next morning, we all hung around the house and decided to go for a bike ride.  This particular trail skirted along roads, then on it's own trail through some wetlands.  It was so peaceful and relaxing.
I fell in love and wished we had something, anything, like that here.
As with other trips, it was only a weekend one, so we had to get back home.
Thanks for another great weekend, R, J and the littles!

Where I've been and what I've seen- Part 3

I know, I know....
It has been a while since my last installment of "Where I've been and what I've seen," and you must've chewed all of you fingernails off in eager anticipation by now.  But you guys, I've been both really busy and lazy.  Despite both of those conditions, I solemnly swear that we have gone on other trips worth talking about (at least in our estimation).  Here's one of them:

Our next visit was "over the hill" to the Medford/Jacksonville/Ashland area for another weekend getaway.

We had no real plans other than to A) get out of town and B) stay and visit with friends...and hopefully eat.

We completed all requirements and quite well, if I may say so myself!

So we arrived in Medford in the late afternoon and found that we were starving (surprise)!

We decided to try a restaurant we had heard a lot about and that was somewhere new to us:  4 Daughters Irish Pub 

It was really good and did not disappoint!  It was as close to an authentic Irish pub on the inside that we have come across so far.

The food was equally as good. We started out with deep fried pickles, and they were SO good
(I haven't stopped thinking about them since...)

Sadly, no other photos were taken as the food was delivered, all conversation stopped and we dove in like the two starving little people we are (obviously...)
I ordered a whisky and coke and "fish and chips"- replacing the fish with jumbo shrimp and choosing sweet potato fries as my chips. Aaron ordered a corned beef burger (with both the beef patty AND slices of corned beef). We both really liked our food and plan to return soon.

But the fun-eating did not stop there.
We ran around and shopped a bit then drove to meet up with our friends and Southern Oregon Brewery.
We sampled a few beers, chatted for a while, then made our way to our friends home in Jacksonville.
But we only stayed there for a short time.
Our friend C. wanted to take us to a newer tasting room that had opened in the Rogue Valley: 2 Hawk.
It was laid back, yet still up-scale.  It had such a good vibe!  The inside was glowing and packed, as well as the outside- with fire pits, a live band and even more people, sitting around, enjoying the wine and surroundings.
Now, I can not tell a lie.  I am by no means a wine connoisseur and am still working on figuring out what I like-  but I did find one wine I fancied.
We spent the rest of our evening there- enjoying the company and our surroundings like many others that night.

As we left, we decided it was a pretty awesome place and agreed we would definitely go back.
We retired fat and happy- ready for the next (food packed) day.

The next morning we slept in and decided we needed to eat. C. suggested another restaurant to try.  Of course we were game.
This time we traveled to Ashland- to Smithfields.  It was yet again, another awesome place to go.
Instead of going on and on about what I ordered, let me just show you the exact description:
"“Neil’s brekkie”: Corned beef, duck fat fried potato cake, bacon-braised collard greens,
fried egg, stone mustard cream, rosemary cheddar, worcestershire sauce."
and Aaron got this:
SF’s sandwich: open faced, corned beef, rye toast, spinach, stone mustard cream, fried egg
Yes...that all really happened.
We all ate as much (if not all of it) as we could.
Then, we rolled down the hill and stopped by a few shops in downtown Ashland, ogling shoes, picking up new beers at local markets to try later and then thrifting (awesome Goodwill!).
However, after the morning's Olympic eating event, we did eventually get "snacky."
Since we were near one of my favorite cupcake spots, Larry's we decided to stop by.

Larry's is amazing.  As you walk down the stairs to the bakery, you are instantly greeted by a case full of 30+  beautiful and different (think beer and pretzel,  tres leches, apple pie )cupcakes to try. 
This time around, I picked out a Vanilla Champagne cupcake and a Chocolate Port cupcake.
They were both so amazing, I passed out....not really, but it was pretty good!
After that we decided to move on.  We hoped in the car and drove to another vineyard: Dancin Vineyards.
Our friend C. is lucky enough to work there and so she showed us around a bit.
Since we were still stuffed from the morning, we didn't eat, but the food looked just as amazing as the vineyard itself.  Outside was a large pond filled with fish (koi?) that lights up at night.  Surrounding the pond is a path to walk around.  It was equally as impressive as 2 Hawk, just in it's very own unique and special way (think Tuscan style).  I would definitely go back there to eat and drink!
Sadly, all good things must come to an end.  Weekend trips can't last forever.
We had to pack up and head home.  But we did so with several new places and good company enjoyed!
(Thanks again C & C! )

Where I've been and what I've seen- Part 2

Our next scheduled trip fell on the last weekend of September.

We were invited by friends to camp/wake board for 3 days at Shasta.
(You may remember me mentioning my attempts at being active here.)
And camp we did.
In the dirt. With no flushing toilets (just the good ol' outhouse crappers) and....no showers.
Oh! And crazy-hot, face-reddening, sweat inducing weather.
(the above mentioned scenario include three, no! FOUR things I hate by the way:
dirt, sweating, outhouses and then no showers.)
But I went for it anyway.  This video may as well have been me:

Here I am after the first night:

I have little pride.  Not pretty at all.  So happy.

But besides those age-old gripes of mine, Shasta was truly beautiful!
(especially when we were on the water looking up!)


Photo not mine :(   go here to see it.

The first night we arrived at night and set up our tent in the dark, and chose to make our camp down a hill and a trail for a little privacy. 
We camped in a group camp spot (also never done that) with about 20+ other people: friends and friends of friends, etc.
So the next morning when I woke up, I found that we had a perfect view of the lake, as we were close to the edge (without falling off or down the hill.  We were in a safe spot Moms!) Since there was so many people, it also looked like a little tent city.  There was also a trail down to the water where the boats were parked, so there was also pretty good access that way.
Now, this was my first time actually being at Shasta Lake.  I've only ever driven past it on other trips and stared down at the ant-size boats floating in the blue water from the bridge. Of course, for this trip, we went in the off season, so there were no crowds and the water had dropped quite a bit from earlier that summer. Whatever, it was still beautiful.
We all pretty much did our own things (sleeping, reading, hiking, swimming, floating, boarding, boating or sweating),but then got together at night to eat/make our dinners.
Aaron spent most of the days and well into the nights wake boarding.  While I tried it out a little too, I also had a lot of fun meeting new people, sampling their food- (one girl had nothing but gourmet camping food: homemade marshmallows, spicy canned pickles...amazing!) and sitting around the huge campfire swapping stories.
Sadly, no pictures were taken of any of these things or people because I was too busy sweating.
This trip, too, reinforced our strong desire to own a travel trailer where you can actually stand up to get out of wet clothes, take a little shower and then relax with AC, if you so desire. 
Our tent had none of this.  Poor me.
Overall though, the trip was a lot of fun and we will most likely do it again.
After all, I did not die.

Where I've been and what I've seen - Part 1

When asked : "So what's new, what've you been up to?"
My standard answer is usually: "Nothing really, just working."
After the said exchanges, I usually re-evaluate exactly what I have been doing with my time (or at least my free time outside of working.).
The truth?
Not every moment has been awe-inspiring.  But, we have been on the move.  You see, sometimes I forget that trips were taken because of the simple fact that I forgot to snap thousands of photos.  So I decided to take you along with us on some of our trips, since I've forgotten to share them.
Not all posts will include photos from yours truly, but I'll try my hardest to include links to available websites so you can check it out for yourself.
I think some, if not most of the places we've hit are worth looking into.
P.S.  Most of our trips revolve around food, so beware if you're on a diet.

Our first trip was a quick one taken in July of this year.  We went to Portland for a day, then ended up in Salem.
As I've said time and time again, I (we) love Portland.
We are still exploring this grand metropolis and finding places we plan to return.  On this trip, we re-visited old favorites and found some new.  We got there around noon.  So our first stop was for lunch at a Cuban restaurant, Pambiche.
This usually crowded (good sign, in my opinion) restaurant is colorful and original, delicious and totally worth getting lost for (directions always lead you down one way streets that will get you lost).

I ordered a dish (I can't remember the name) with oxtail in a "special sauce."

It was delicious.

Aaron (the little plate across the table) ordered a Cuban Sandwich with plantain fries.

Oh and a mojito was mine to have as well.

Did I mention that all of it was delicious and always has been?

When we first reached Pambiche, we parked across the street from it and noticed a brewery.  After lunch, we ran across the street to a brewery: the Migration Brewing Co.
The vibe of the brewery was layed back, open and would be a great place to just be for a while.
As for the beer? Only Aaron had a pint here, as I was stuffed to the gills with oxtail and a mojito.  Verdict was that the beer was "pretty good."
That's saying a lot for Aaron to say that about a beer.

Our final destination was the Cascade Barrell House.
This was Aaron's choice as this brewery is known for its craft beers and sour beers.
We ordered some appetizers and a couple flights to test things out, mostly sours.
It turned out to be such a good idea.  I'm not a sour beer fan, but even I found some I liked.

As I said before, this was a quick weekend trip, so we didn't get to cover much else.
This pretty much sums up our weekend in NW Oregon.

Get out of town!

Both Aaron and I have been dying to get out of town, and so last minute, of course we finally decided to to just that....get out of town.

Our choice? Bandon and Coos Bay (referred to as "the Bay Area" but in Oregon and Not. As. Awesome...) and a portion of the coast we've never been to together (however, I was there over 15 years ago or so in case you wondered....).

Since this trip was a last minute one, we made no reservations to stay anywhere, piled our stuff in the car and drove off into the horizon.

Here are a few snapshots from our random and crazy trip:

Day one- in the car

Some healthy snacks...in case you're not familiar:
A one hairy leg, one root beer (totes street legal ) an all natural
slurpee and in going with the whole "sea theme"-swedish fish cuz
they're sooo delish!



Hyper-Me after my healthy snacks



We finally made it to Bandon and decided to check out the Historic Downtown.

And why not?

Still Day One- Bandon

A cool street lamp in "Old Downtown" Bandon



A place that was supposed to be good and serve
some amazing fish and chips....not so



Me. Fishin' and lookin' good during Shark Week
and a bald man in the back being jealous.



My handsome hubby- you may know him



Some Caramel dipped marshmallows = yum



A beautiful carved Sea horse (is that two words?)
down on the Bandon Boardwalk



Coquille River Lighthouse



An old-timey view of a jetty from the lighthouse

We also did a little shopping and decided we had seen and done enough in Bandon and decided it was time to move on AND find a place to lay our heads.  We found that not having a reservation was not so smart and ended up calling different hotels and campgrounds for availability.  There was none until someone tipped us off to one just outside of Charleston called the Bastendorff Beach Campgrounds.  It was a first come, first serve campground and we were told there were only 12 spots left.  We decided to drive there immediately and managed to find a spot.  The one we landed in wasn't bad and for $16 we weren't complaining. That night we went to a hole in the wall restaurant for a delicious bowl of clam chowder in Charleston.

Then we went to sleep to the sound of crackling fires and crashing waves.  The next day we woke up and moved up the coat to Coos Bay and North Bend.

Day two- Coos Bay

We started the next day out with a flat tire so Aaron swapped out the flat for the spare and then we had to drive 15 minutes or so to the next town, Coos Bay to a Les Schwab.  While our flat was being repaired, we walked to a nearby coffee shop.  There, we sipped coffee, read our books and planned the rest of our day.

We stumbled upon a pretty amazing Street Market and walked up and down the street.

We managed to find a tasty Apple Cider wine from Depoe Bay Winery and some Elephant Ears (doughy goodness...)

We then walked through the downtown portion of  Coos Bay, stopped by the visitor center where we heard a crazy man swear to another that there was no Japan and decided it was time for lunch.

We decided we didn't want anymore "amazing" fish and chips this time and landed on what happened to be a pretty awesome German restaurant, the Blue Heron Bistro.  It was quirky, our waiter was not meant to be a waiter and the food was delicious!



Inside the restaurant




A picture on the front of the weird menu



My meal: Brussels Mussels cooked in cider with cucumber coleslaw
and fries



Aaron enjoying his fried oyster and bacon sandwich with
a sour beer...all weird. He's gonna love this pic :)

From there we headed to Shore Acres near Sunset Bay (where we wanted to camp but they were FULL!)

It used to have a huge house, but word on the street is that it burned down, the State bought it and restored the gardens.  I'm glad they did because it was just as pretty as I remembered it when I was 16.



A beautiful garden outside of Charleston: Shore Acres





Shots from a wee little walk around the grounds of
Shore Acres



And last but not least- a coastal sunset by our campground

That is pretty much it! Hope you enjoyed it and can visit some of these places if you never have before!