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| (Torrance Beach, California via Wikipedia) |
We enjoyed family, the pool, beaches, food, and even a show at the Hollywood Bowl. To show you how un-hip we are, the show was Hairspray and the character Link Larkin was played by Nick Jonas. Mike and I didn't even know it was him until I looked it up on my Blackberry after all the girls started screaming. We were more excited about Drew Carey and John Stamos, (okay so maybe Mike could care less about John, but we were both excited about Drew).
Overall, the first part of our trip was calm and relaxing and exciting for me to see where Mike grew up and where he spent a lot of his summers.
After about a week visiting with family, we continued our West Coast tour in Cannon Beach, Oregon, where one of Mike's buddies was getting married.
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| (Cannon Beach, Oregon via BestBeaches) |
To say it was beautiful is an understatement. It was spectacular. From the mountains and the forests, to the beaches and water, everything was amazing. It was the perfect spot to have a wedding and we were so honored to be invited to the small ceremony on the beach. We spent time meeting new people, drinking homebrew, (Mike and his friend share the love of the hobby), enjoying beach bonfires and fireworks, (which may or may not have been illegal, hey, just because some drunk groomsmen decide to light some against our protests, doesn't mean I can't still enjoy them), and all the shopping, beer and wine drinking the Oregon coast has to offer.
We didn't want to leave, but with the suggestion from some friends, we spent the last couple days in Portland.
It was the best of both worlds, a lively downtown atmosphere with parks everywhere and views of the mountains. I sound like a darn travel channel, but numerous times during our stay in Oregon, Mike and I told each other we could definitely see ourselves living there. We spent almost a full day wandering around Knob Hill shopping and eating, went to a local food event called "Bite of Oregon", spent time in a couple of the parks that literally have views just like the one above, (that's Mount Hood in the background), and generally did things outdoors to soak up as much as we could of the city.
In total we were gone for 11 days, and with all the packing, re-packing and living out of suitcases, hotel stays, and rental cars, we are happy to be home! And, who would want to be away from this guy for longer than that anyways?
(Safety Tip: With all of the social media outlets out there, it's easy to forget that letting people know you're leaving for vacation or updating everyone of all the cool things you're doing, also let's everyone know that you're not home! That's why I never share things like travel details until after we've come back.)
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