July 8-9, 2011- Checking off the list…

     Time to head back to the islands, but before we go, we have to check off the last few things on our list: pick up my fiancé’s altered suit, try some more cake from our wedding cake bakers and get the cake consultation deposit to them, and purchase my new cross bike to ride on Kwaj.  I tried out several different bikes earlier this week, but the store closed before I had a chance to decide. It’s a large purchase for me, like this computer was a few months back, so I want to make sure I get the right one.  It was fun trying the different bikes out in the park behind the store, and I can’t wait to get my new bike home to try on our roads. We both hate to go and leave our family and all the potential road trips and scenic biking we could do if we lived here regularly, but our lives our not here yet. They are back in the heat and salt air of the atoll, and it’s time to take the long journey back. Hawaii, here we come…again. 

 

July 5-7, 2011- Road Tripping…

     One final road trip before heading back to the flat atoll we call home was in order after settling so many of our wedding and reception event details the first 2 weeks of our trip, so we took off inland this time headed to see the Sisters mountains, the rapidly growing town of Bend, and finally the deep, clear, blue waters of Oregon’s only National Park, Crater Lake.  Just driving practically anyway in this state is an adventure in sightseeing alone.  Never in my life have I known a place where the scenery is never boring and is so frequently breathtaking.  From the tall and short varieties of gorgeous evergreen flora and fauna to the abundance of lakes, rivers, mountains, colorful farmlands and gently waving fields of beautiful green grass, the Northwest appears to have no ugly stepchild in terms of its landscape.  Even the high desert plains of the Bend area have their own brilliance in the warm sunshine of July here. 

     Sisters is a quaint, little town that I first visited on our vacation last year, and I couldn’t wait to get back.  After a filling lunch and a walk to one of our favorite stores, the Sisters Olive and Nut Company, to pick up some awesome goodies to share with family upon our return, we drove on down the road, enjoying the view of the 3 snow-covered Sisters mountains, Faith, Hope, and Charity, rising from the flat, dry valley around us.  Of course, along the way, we stopped for a hike at the Obsidian field, as all that riding in cars makes us want to get out and stretch our legs now and again. It was our second hike of the day, having stopped earlier on the drive to walk a couple of miles at a trail head with snow along the side. I had never been to an Obsidian field before, which is formed from lava that cooled too fast, making a mountain of black, shimmery glass to carefully hike around in amazement. I’ve been to volcanic sites before in Hawaii, but hadn’t realize there are so many lava fields and reminders of the work of volcanos long inactive visible in Oregon.  I would love to see more of that next year.

    Bend is a larger town than I expected, and it will be a place to return to next year as we had little time to explore it outside of finding and checking into our hotel and filling our bellies with a hot, full breakfast there the next morning before heading out to Crater Lake.  Unfortunately, there was too much snow surrounding the crater this year (they had 10 extra feet drop on them over the winter and spring of 2010-2011) to drive around the entire thing, and most of the hiking was out, but what a magnificent sight! With snow piled high and the water as clear and blue as I’ve ever seen any water, the lake is the deepest in North America and the seventh deepest in the world! Formed entirely within a crater left by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Mazama, the lake is 6 miles across and cut off from any and all lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water, being fed entirely by snow and rain.  Next trip, we will take a hike down to the shore and ride in a boat around the entire lake, but that was not to be this time as no trails are open now due to the snow.  We did, however, talk to a park ranger who told us we could walk down the closed part of the rim road for some cool sights if we really wanted to hike, so 3 miles down and back, we attempted to make it to Vidae falls, but the sun was getting ready to set, and we were still a couple of miles away, according to the GPS. We did see some smaller falls and heard plenty of running water as the snow all around us continued to melt in the late day sun.  It was totally worth the drive up and back, especially for the amazing pictures my fiancé was able to take with his new camera of the lake and the surrounding mountains and various natural wonders.  Another road trip for the books and more ideas for places to explore next time as there were plenty of amazing spots all along the road that we just didn’t have time to visit and want to go back to next year.  

July 3-4, 2011- Sunday Night Fires and Oregon Futures…

In a previous blog post written a few months back, I mentioned missing Oregon and “Friday Night Fires” at my future brother and sister in law’s house.  Well, on Sunday, we had a special treat, “Sunday Night Fires.”  It’s been wonderful to be here in the Willamette Valley of the great state of Oregon, surrounded by fir, pine, sequoia, and cedar trees and mountain after mountain after mountain…If only I had enough time to hike them all! Sitting around the campfire, enjoying each other’s company while warming our bare feet in the cool evening air of July in Oregon is part of what makes me yearn for more someday. I have no idea where in Oregon we’ll end up or what we’ll be doing for a living when we finally pick up and leave our island ways behind us, but I do know we’ll end up here eventually.  I can’t imagine not testing the waters of Oregon for a few years or maybe even permanently. 

     My brothers and I have never been afraid to travel and move away from our home state of Alabama.  Only my parents still live there, but only after having tried out some other towns and places away from their birth homes first and then moving back just a couple of years ago to be near family who have all stayed in pretty much the same area their whole lives.  In the beginning, it was very tough to move so far away from home as I didn’t just skip across the pond, but instead I leapt across the ocean and moved halfway around the world my first time. Today, I can’t imagine not having moved out to the islands or traveling to different countries on vacations. My life has been so enriched by that, and I’m blessed to have had the chance to see as much of the world as I have and to get to know and be involved in the lives of so many diverse cultures and peoples.  I told my fiancé the other day that I was looking forward to retirement to which he jokingly replied, “Is that a red flag?” J  But in all seriousness, I don’t mean I am looking forward to the day when I don’t have to work and can sit at home and do nothing type of retirement.  I look forward to road trips in my homeland, to visiting all the places nearby that I have never visited before. I look forward to being involved in more volunteer and non-profit groups and causes. I look forward to focusing my efforts on serving others and giving back to the communities of this life that have so enriched mine along the way.

     I could see myself doing volunteer tutoring or teaching others to read. I would love to do more with the 4-H communities in the states.  I could see myself volunteering at a women’s shelter or working with young girls who have lost their way for a while.  I could write more, have more time to complete my scrapbooks of photos and family mementoes for my boys. I’m sure my days will fill up quickly, even in retirement. I’m sure I’ll probably never make it around to doing all the things I’d like to do even then, but God willing, I’ll live a long, full life, contented with wherever I end up and whatever little I’ve been able to give back to others along the way.  

July 1-2, 2011- Ready for the Holiday Weekend…

     Most of the wedding details we can take care of this early have been settled, so the past couple of days it’s been time to just relax and visit with family.  Even though we’ve been “living” with them while here, we haven’t really had a chance to truly be in vacation mode until all our “business” was settled.  So, the first order of non-business for me on Saturday morning was to sleep until I felt like getting up. It was nice to know there was nothing particular on the schedule that day, no cake tasting appointments, no suits to pick up from the tailor, no internet searches to try and find out how much the rental items will cost us or where we can find a ping pong table for our “outdoor fun and games” reception…just waking up when we wanted, having a leisurely breakfast, and helping my future brother-in-law and his family set up for their annual “Independence Day” party was just what the doctor ordered for me.  Isn’t that what holiday weekends are all about anyway, resting and spending time with family and friends with no particular obligations to take you away from them?  I think so, and it was a perfect day for just that with absolutely beautiful weather unlike Oregon usually experiences this early in the summer season. I keep getting told I haven’t truly experienced the negatives of Oregon weather, such as the months of rain and colder temperatures, and I’m sure that’s true, but I feel very blessed to have seen nothing but awesome weather all four times I have visited this gorgeous state thus far.  Happy July 4^th to you all! Hope your weather and weekend is as relaxing and warm as mine has been.   

June 29-30, 2011- Dinner, Cake, Cake, and More Cake!

     Two days of trying out cake is more than enough for my mostly salty sweet tooth. In a round about way, we have finally found and secured a wedding cake maker and a dinner caterer for our event. Asking around for the past week or so has brought up little results, except the complaint that there are no wedding cake makers in the general vicinity of our event venue.  Asking as a last resort at the local party rental store, we were met with fantastic customer service when given several phone numbers for potential bakers and a suggestion to visit a local bakery/deli which orders delectable cakes from local bakers to sell by the slice and the entire cake.  So, having worked up an appetite, we found the deli, had lunch and then 2 melt in your mouth cakes of the Marion berry and chocolate cheesecake variety.  Upon talking to the owner, she provided us with the baker’s name and location, so we could set up an appointment.  The funny part about all of it is as soon as we arrived back at my future in-laws house, I noticed the name of the baker and bakery we had just discovered on her refrigerator.  Come to find out, a co-worker had recommended the same place to her earlier that day. Coincidence or fate?  You decide. The next step was to check out their website before driving over, and within moments of scrolling through the beautiful cakes on their site, we knew we had found our baker! J  Tasting even more of their cakes from their storefront just confirmed it. After cake eating, we headed to meet with a potential caterer, graciously set up through my future mother-in-law. Very down to earth, easy to talk with, and willing to do just about whatever we wanted in terms of food, it was another perfect fit.  Nailing all of these details down now makes me feel so much more relaxed about the event to come. 
      There have been days I’ve just wanted to turn it all over to my fiancé to take care of and have even said so to him, which was probably a mistake because what I really want is to do it all together. I just get overwhelmed, nervous, and stressed when I am walking on ground I have never walked on before.  I don’t know how to do all this. I am no wedding planner, that’s for sure, but I am an organizer, a planner, so it’s hard for me, feeling the need to organize and plan, but not really knowing where to start or what to do.  It’s definitely been an insightful process for me, not realizing the stress that would be associated with it and how to approach and address it productively when it appears, specifically in regards to myself.  The learning curve has thrown me way off track the past few days, but I’m gradually finding it again and working with my patient fiancé to find that crucial caterer and cake decorator is putting us back on the straight path to a memorable wedding and reception. 

June 27-28, 2011- Eating and Spending…

     I had to really think about what I have been doing the past couple of days before beginning this entry.  It turns out I’ve mostly been shopping and eating! Clothes shopping is a must for the once or twice a year we make it to the commercialized world off of our isolated atoll, so one whole day and way more money than I really wanted to use was spent on shopping for clothes.  Other than that, we found and put together the perfect mock “Oregon Made” gift boxes for our wedding guests who will be traveling from afar and staying in hotels next summer, and we stopped for some delicious Thai food in the mall.  Trying out 3 of the 4 specials for lunch (we were hungry!) we had some fantastic lettuce wraps and a wonderful pumpkin curry. We are ready to travel to Thailand now! J  Maybe for our honeymoon…

     I am not usually a big shopper, and I stress over every little amount spent, but I have learned to allow myself a splurge here and there on vacations. After all, it’s money I worked for, and the only shopping we have on island is online, and I don’t have or take the time to shop that way, except for necessities, so if you think about it, by the time you add up what I would have spent for little things all year long in an area with shopping, I spend in one or two days over 12 months.  It all evens out, but shopping for personal needs and planning for a wedding next summer has added a little extra financial stress to my mind this time.  I admit, I haven’t handled the last couple of days of wedding planning well, stressing over all the little things and allowing myself to get into a negative mindset, so the day of shopping and eating and focusing relatively little on actual wedding worries was good for me.  I reset my mind a bit, realizing we still have a year to plan little details and pay in “installments” so to speak for the expensive of our big day. And no one said we had to go on a honeymoon right after the vows, so we are putting that on the back burner for now. Honestly, we are able to take fabulous long vacations every year because of where we live, so they are all like little honeymoons to me.  J  What’s most important is the sacredness of the occasion we are planning for and the people we are lucky enough to plan and spend it with, so for now, I’ll enjoy my little pre-honeymoon while preparing for the next one because it will be here before you know it!

 

June 25-26, 2011- Oregon Coast Road Trip!

     After a full week of wedding planning, my fiancé and I decided it was time to take a trip up the coast to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way.  It was to be a wedding free overnighter, so I purposely left the wedding planning book back at the in-laws residence.  We drove a good portion of the day on Saturday, stopping to see a lighthouse here and there (Heceta Head and Umpqua River) and Lighthouse), a gusty beach full of saw grass dunes along the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area, and hiking a bit to work up an appetite for enjoying some fabulous fish and chips at the International C-Food Market in Florence before looking for a hotel vacancy in which to get some rest.  It was so nice to get away and not think about anything but the beauty of this great state for a while.  After a refreshing night’s sleep, we hit the Sunday brunch at our hotel, the Adobe Resort , in Yachats, whose restaurant is situated overlooking the crashing Pacific waves on the rocky shore just beyond it and enjoyed Belgium waffles with a strawberry compote and whipped cream as part of a beautifully presented brunch buffet. Upon filling our bellies, we reluctantly headed inland to begin planning for our big day once again. The largest part of the wedding has not even been considered in any detail yet, and that would be the catering.  We have a lot of work ahead of us, but it will all be worth it to finally say “I do” to my sweetheart and begin our lives together.