Oregon

Starting Fresh

/ jennced15 / 3 Comments

Here we are at another Friday. I am so glad because my body is achy and tired but I am also SUPER sad. If you live in one area for too long, guess what happens . . . you get attached. That’s right–you get attached. I have lived in Utah for 12 years now. That is 11 years longer then I originally thought that I would live here. All of these years later, I know that Utah was the right decision and staying here this long has been the right decision as well. I have wonderful friends, I live in a beautiful neighborhood with wonderful neighbors, I have favorite haunts I like to visit, I love all of the things to do outside, and most importantly–I love being close to my family especially the nieces and nephew. They really are the highlight to my life.  🙂

So now, that brings me to this week . . . I took a new job. I am excited for it and the new challenges that it will present. Mostly, I am just eager to have a schedule again. I get frustrated being busy but not knowing where all of my time is going during the day.

This new job means that I will be moving back to the Portland-Vancouver area. I am very excited about this since as most of you know, I love the Northwest A LOT!!! I get to be there also at my most favorite time of year: FALL. Awesome for me!! 🙂

So this brings us back to the music post for today. Enjoy my 5 picks for starting over and if you have any favorites; please share them!

  1. Rolling Stones: Start Me Up

  1. The Byrds: Turn! Turn! Turn!

  2. The Andrew Sister & Bing Crosby: Accentuate the Positive

  3. Bon Jovi: It’s My Life

  4. American Authors: Best Day of My Life

Keeping Cool

/ jennced15 / 4 Comments

It is the 3rd Friday of July so we have made it to the Places I’ve Been post. 🙂 The idea of what to post came to me yesterday while I was at the lake with the kids. I decided to share with you the first 5 of my favorite places to go swimming or at least frolic in the cold water. I have LOTS of favorite places to be in the water and will probably share more in the future.

 

Then we have a bonus post today on how the dog is keeping cool this summer. My friend has shared some of Bruno’s (the dog) antics on the Periscope app if any of you have it.

 

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Tell me some of your favorite places to go swimming. I am always looking for a new place! Share also how your pets are keeping cool this summer. Everyone needs a great laugh to start their weekend!

 

  1. Crescent Bay California: I grew up in Southern California and one of our favorite places to go as a family for a day at the beach was this almost hidden gem. While it is not as hidden anymore it is still a favorite memory of ours.

 

  1. Heise Hot Springs Idaho: I knew my brother married my sister-in-law just so that I could become acquainted with this wonderful place. It is great all year round and is located in a beautiful setting right next the river.

 

  1. Manzanita Beach Oregon: I love this place. It is very low-key, has wonderful shops and places to eat, and all the while a great sandy beach to hang out on if it is a warm day outside.

 

  1. Lake Powell Utah: If you like heat and spending all of your time in the water, this is the place for you. It is very hot and you have to be smart but it is an incredible place to spend your time.

 

  1. Sunset Beach Hawaii: I have MANY beaches in Hawaii that I love but this really is a great beach to spend the day, watching the surfers and the sunset. Everyone has to come to this beach at least once in their lives.

 

!!BONUS FEATURE!!

Here is Bruno biting the hose. Do any of you have this problem with your dog? We can’t have him outside while the sprinklers are running for the same reason; HE BITES THEM AND WE HAVE TO REPLACE THEM. The funny thing is that he stays away from large bodies of water. Very opposite to what my chocolate lab Coco would do.

 

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ENJOY the SUN!!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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It is a beautiful day here in Salem, OR. In fact it has been pretty near perfect the whole time that I have been here. We have had only one day where it has rained and for that I am happy. Not because it was sunny most of the time but because I did have one day of drizzly rain to calm me down.

What have I been doing you may ask? Well . . . not much of anything really. I have applied for jobs. I have been working on the blog to get it up to par so we can transition over to it. I have made dinner a couple of times for the family. I have visited with an old friend. I have been working out every morning. I have been participating in normal family life and it has been great.

My problem now is . . . How much emphasis do I want to put on what I know to obtain the job I know I should have or how much do I want to build my relationships with the people I love and sacrifice income? I am actually a little irritated this morning that I am even having this turmoil inside of me. Thank you America for teaching us how to not appropriately balance work with the rest of our lives. I really want this time to be a moment of change for me but all the while I am feeling sucked back into the great hole of capitalism.

Luckily today and tomorrow are going to be two days of “off”. I am going to “vacation” by heading out to the beach one day and up to Portland the next. I get to visit all of my old haunts, reminisce and hopefully start figuring things out in the best balanced way that I can. I am also going to figure out what to do for St. Patrick’ Day on Tuesday. My friend is going to make her traditional Irish dinner that night so I told her that I would make a traditional Irish breakfast. This is what it looks like give or take a few courses. 2014-08-13 08.52.11
We can’t forget the First course of juice and cereal and the final course of scones/toast and tea. The kids are going to be so full and it almost makes me chuckle. 🙂

So in honor of the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day; I am sharing with you the top 5 things I loved seeing, doing or eating while on the Emerald Isle.

  1. This was hands down the most fun. We laughed a lot about it because we had to do it so quickly. No fear kissing the blarney stone. 🙂 2014 1486 2014 1471
  2. I enjoyed the night we walked along the beach just before sunset. 2014 16022014 1591
  3. I loved this dinner we had in Galway. 2014-08-16 20.13.22
  4. I loved driving on the wrong side of the road next to a huge cliff and having to navigate around grazing sheep. 2014-08-14 19.36.49
  5. Lastly, I loved hanging out with the Irish Wolfhounds. I know, got to throw the animals in somehow. 🙂 2014 1807

I hope each and every one of you enjoy the upcoming holiday and do something “green” this week!!