Places I’ve Been

A Day at the Beach

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Last Saturday was so wonderful! I was at the beach by 6:30am to enjoy the quietness before the crowds came and to watch the full process of building sand castles. It was amazing to watch! Except for two downpours at the beginning and the end of the day; it was great weather. In fact, I even took a nap on the beach in, what for it . . . warm sand. It was almost a warm beach. In fact my excursion sent me home Saturday night with a pretty bad sunburn. Thank heaven I had some lavender oil on me.

Since this is the places I’ve been post–I decided to just share pictures of the 2016 Cannon Beach Sand Castle Festival. What fun things have you done when at the beach?

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Bonus: Enjoy the pictures of all the dogs at the beach enjoying the festival as well!

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What I Have Been Up To

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Hey Everyone!

We survived the super hot weather . . . whew! it was a close one 🙂 But that did leave me with cooking without the oven this week and excited about going to the beach this weekend. So here is a recap of things I tried new this week and this weekend.

  1. Turkey Zucchini Burger with Tahini Sauce by Clean Eating Magazine. They were wonderful and refreshing. It was summer in a pita! turkeyzucchini-small-420x470-300x336
  2. Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps by Skinny Taste. Not going to lie; the house smelled wonderful as it cooked in the crock-pot all day. I did make one small change; instead of any salad dressing I just used a little bit of sour cream. It was nice not having a dressing covering up the taste of the chicken. crock-pot-buffalo-chicken-550x395
  3. Chicken Power Bowls with Crispy Baked Garbanzo Beans by Iowa Girl Eats. I have been making and remaking these bowls for a long time now. I just love them! chicken-power-bowls-with-crispy-baked-garbanzo-beans-iowagirleats-com-01_mini
  4. Summer Breakfast Quinoa Bowl by Skinny Taste. I actually ate mine cold and it was great. I didn’t add sugar but stuck with just the honey and fresh fruit. It is very filling and a great way to start the morning. summer-breakfast-quinoa-with-grilled-peaches-and-berries-550x809
  5. Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest 2016. I can’t wait for this weekend because this is where you will find me. I love spending time at the ocean but I also love seeing the art behind sandcastles. Look for pictures next week!

To finish this post off right; here are some pictures from my many activities over the last couple of weeks. Remember to get outside and enjoy summer!!

 

In the Heart of the Country

/ jennced15 / 2 Comments

I just had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time in Nashville, Tennessee. It really is a fun place to visit and I recommend it to everyone if you have never been. Nashville not only has a lot of entertainment but you also get US history, incredible music and small town friendliness; not to mention the opportunity for great people watching. So here are 5 things that I learned during my stay in this great city.

  1. Following your dream: When I walked off the plane into the terminal on Monday afternoon; I immediately noticed the MANY people carrying musical instruments. When I say many—I mean about 1 in 10 people; the majority of those carrying guitars. Nashville truly is music city and to all of those with the ability to play instruments and sing well—hats off to you and follow the dream!!
  2. Quick as lightning: I have spent a fair amount of years living in the Midwest and one thing I fell in love with and have missed terribly are the thunderstorms. I love seeing the power that the earth can harness from within itself. It reminds me that we are all capable of great things and most of the time the penchant for greatness comes from nothing more than a flash of inspiration or the quick jolt of spontaneous emotions.
  3. Discovery is what you see: I stayed all week at a HUGE resort. It was great for my Vivo Fit and body as I counted upwards of 10,000 steps a day just trying to get from my room to my next seminar. Every day I found myself seeing things different. I saw many people from many different parts of the world coming together to learn and grow. It was remarkable to watch education flourish.
  4. Because it is tradition: In this day of age, I think most agree that tradition is old and unpopular but I would argue that tradition is what anchors us and gives us a soul. Many spend their time trying to buck against the system when in all actuality they are trying find their place in that system. Nashville has tradition and no more plainly established but in the likes of the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium. The entertainers have changed over the years but music and the venues have stayed. Styles will change but tradition will always remain.
  5. Bless your heart: There were many times that I wanted to take a picture with my phone to post out to the world some of the things that I was privy to see. Most of the time I found myself smiling from the view such as when I saw multiple ladies with their large hats looking as if they had just come from the Kentucky Derby. There was a Rockabilly convention that was a lot of fun to see. I got to see a man with a head-injury who drew the Harry Potter lightning strike on his bandages. And the list goes on . . . but it was so much fun!

What I Did New in PDX This Week

/ jennced15 / 3 Comments

I had half of my family in town this past week and it was WONDERFUL!! I am so blessed to live close enough that I can visit family members and they can visit me. But this time around I didn’t just want to do the same old “haunts”. I wanted to give everyone a reason to keep coming back and seeing me. So below are 5 new things we did in Portland while they were here and it was WONDERFUL!!

Get out there and re-explore your neighborhood. I can guarantee you haven’t seen or done everything your “neck-of-the-woods” has to offer.

  1. Witches Castle or MacLeay Trail: We actually never made it to the “castle” since the area was closed off for re-vegetation but we did get a hike in (pulling a wagon–I don’t suggest it), found salamanders, and carried on a conversation with an owl and vulture at the Audubon Society. 
  2. Portland Aerial Tram: This was kind of funny since my brother, sister and one niece are a little afraid of heights. Once they got past the initial swinging; I think everyone had a very enjoyable time. Too bad it was hazy and we couldn’t see Mt. Hood and Mount St. Helen’s. 
  3. Vista House: I actually stayed home sick in bed this day but my sister and her roommate had a wonderful time up at the Vista House and got to see the beautiful layout of the Columbia River and the mountains. 
  4. Twilight Film Sites: I sent my sister and her roommate on a Twilight film tour day while I was at the office. While I am not a huge fan of touring film sites; this is actually a good way to get out and see more areas than you would otherwise go. 
  5. McMenamins Kennedy School Soaking Pool: Once again, this was on the day that I stayed home sick in bed. My sister and her roommate had a wonderful time but because it was a great day outside the pool was a little crowded. Off-season is always the best time to travel. 

All of this was wonderful to see and explore but what made it the best was having family here to share it with. So I am sharing with all of you, some of the people I love best.

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