As I bid farewell to Oregon...

I'd like to thank all the new people I've met this trip. We'll be back!

These guys in my photo this time are Dungeoness crabs, everyone. They're the best crab I've ever had - and they're getting to be expensive, too. :) But they're worth every little penny.

Today is our last day in Portland. We went to the rose gardens - Portland IS the City of Roses, after all! - to the Chinese Gardens, and to lunch in Chinatown. Then we took a nap! :D We're going to our friends' house tonight to say goodbye, then coming back to the hotel to finish packing and get some rest. We'll be up early in the morning, winging our way back to Nashville! Amy, my best friend, will pick us up and take us home - where I'll dash around to get things ready for Laura's Stampin' Up! party tomorrow night. It will be a BUSY day, and I'm looking forward to jumping into stampin' again. :) I've MISSED it - and, as you can tell, I've got lots of scrapping to do, too! :)

Until Wednesday, faithful readers! I'll see you then!

It's our last full day at the beach.

And it is a BEAUTIFUL, AWESOME, GLORIOUS day here in Depoe Bay, Oregon. The water is a beautiful shade of Bordering Blue, the wind is blowing the sweet air inland, and I am so grateful for the rest we've been able to get!

Ken has gone to Newport again, to try and get a few more photos of the tall ships going out to sea. We purchased some fresh crab for dinner; it's record-breaking prices this year, but weve been very frugal all week so we could do this one thing. Dungeoness crab is one of the sweetest crabs I've ever eaten, and I'm looking forward to our feast tonight. :)

I'm going to have to start packing soon, and that always makes me sad - but we've had a wonderful time here. If you ever get to the Oregon coast, I HIGHLY recommend the Surfrider Resort in Depoe Bay. Tell them I sent you! :)

Please pray for Sean again; he went back to the hospital Friday. It's not as bad as first feared; they took him off an antibiotic a bit prematurely, from what Dad told Ken. But he still needs our prayers for healing! THANK YOU!

We had a funny thing happen last night. We realized that we aren't leaving until TUESDAY morning! :D So we get an extra day in Portland, to get those shots we didn't get. I'm glad; we're going to kind of rush to get out of here in the morning, to get to Vancouver to meet with the kids for lunch, and now we can take our time the NEXT morning, instead of rushing to get to the airport - and hurry up and wait again. :D We are so blessed!!!!!!!!

Still in Portland, Oregon!

Well, today marks the half-way point for our trip. Yesterday, we went to the Japanese Garden in Washington Park (Portland, OR). It was a beautiful day, and a beautiful trip. Here's a link to their website, if you'd like to find out more: http://www.japanesegarden.com/

It was so peaceful, and so difficult to capture on camera. You can capture the elements, but not the FEELING of the place. Does that make sense???

I have to admit, I'm starting to look forward to getting back to stamping. I didn't bring anything with me to STAMP, because I couldn't narrow it down far enough. :) But I'm planning, and scheming.... Only seven more weeks until the new Idea Book & Catalog come out! :)