When we landed in Portland, we went to breakfast with Tyler's father and step-mom (Greg and Georgia) at this cute little restaurant in Portland. I got a peanut butter chocolate waffle and it was delicious. :) chocolate peanut butter anything is my favorite. After that, they took us on a drive around Portland. It was pretty rainy and cold (go figure) so we didn't get to walk around as much as I would have liked. We stopped and looked at some beautiful gardens, a mansion in the hills of Portland, and then ended at Voodoo Donuts. They have all sorts of delicious donuts! If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend you stop on in. :)
We then drove out to Greg and Georgia's house. They live outside of Portland in a small town called Yamhill. I say "house" but that's an understatement. They live in this adorable log cabin in the middle of the woods. It was so beautiful with the trees and greenery all around. We spent the rest of the night talking and catching up. It was so nice and relaxing with the rain pattering on their tin roof.
The next day, Tyler went on a ride-a-long with Greg. Greg is the Chief of Police in Yamhill. They had a blast and Tyler got to see some of the things police officers deal with. In the 4 hour time span Tyler was with Greg, there were 2 reported stabbings and a naked lady running through the streets. I'm glad that's not my job! I think Tyler's favorite part was getting to go 120 mph in Greg's charger. What a rush!
Once the boys got back, we took a drive out to the coast. We stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory (one of my favorites places to visit on the coast!) and got some of their tasty ice cream. I got my favorite, chocolate peanut butter! We then drove to Mo's in Depot Bay and had some of their famous clam chowder. Afterwards the sun came out long enough for us to spend some time on the beach. We drove up to this look-out area on a cliff above the ocean and watched huge waves crash in on the rocks just as the sun was setting. One of my favorite things about the Oregon Coast is the land terrain. You get the beautiful mountains and pine trees right up next to the ocean. It's such a stunning sight. We made sure to get lots of beautiful pictures. When we made it back home, Tyler's brother, Nathan, came over to visit. They were up till 6am talking and catching up! Poor Nathan had a prom date the next day so he was running on no sleep but I think it was worth it. :)
Our final, full day on vacation was a sunny one! Yay! We spent the day on the four wheelers driving all throughout the woods by the house. It was a blast! Everything was so green from the recent rain storms and we were covered in mud! Greg also smoked some AMAZING ribs for dinner and I was in heaven. I don't think I've ever had anything so delicious. The evening was spent visiting and watching Family Feud. What a great ending to such a fabulous trip!
Tyler and I were so sad to leave the next morning. One of the worst parts of a vacation is knowing it will end and that you have to go back to reality. We were so thankful we had a little break to spend time with family in such a beautiful place. Tyler is now back in school and preparing for the GRE and I'm back at work. Needless to say, we can't wait for our next vacation and are excited for all the time we will get to spend with our families this summer who live so far away.
*Warning, picture over-load below. :)
Nathan, Tyler, and Greg
