This place called Oregon that I'm kind of in love with

In a couple months we are heading to Oregon for the annual family reunion of wonderfulness and I am dying with excitement! I keep telling Ella about what we will do in Oregon to get her excited with me. I love Oregon so much, I can't even tell you! I guess you always have a place in your heart for where you grew up.

I love how green it is.

I love the huge twisted old trees.

I love love love the rain!

So much.

I love how the Oregon coast is so cold and windy and we don't even care, we strip down to our swimsuits anyway and hop into the water and don't even feel the cold.

(This is a obviously not the coast, but it is freezing cold as well. And those are my cousins)

And I love hunting for little crabs in the rocks at the coast.

I love how many bikers there are.

And the Birkenstocks and tie-dye.

And how every day calls for casual-wear and comfy clothes.

And I love how you don't feel a need to put on make-up before heading out the door.

And the eco-friendly everything.

And getting 5 cents for returning empty soda pop bottles at the grocery store.

And how cars stop for pedestrians.

And wild blackberries that grow on the side of the road and how you can pick them while you ride your bike home from work.

And how in the late summer the air outside is so heavy and sweet with the smell of those blackberries.

And fresh Oregon strawberries and blueberries and raspberries and cherries growing in your backyard.

Oh, and of course there is Tillamook, Oregon with it's ice cream and cheese and yogurt of deliciousness.

And how the coast is one hour away and the mountains are too.
And I love the sunsets.

And how much every single person seems to love ultimate frisbee.

And how walking around your neighborhood barefoot is okay.

And how when it barely snows, school is cancelled and the entire town shuts down because the town doesn't own any snow plows and no one knows how to drive in the snow.

(Adam and me just walking through town for some wedding pictures. Yeah, that is right in the middle of town-- how can it be so gorgeous?!)

And the deer that walk down the street as if they belong there just as much as anyone else.

And the farmer's market.

And how my old high school is right next door to a field full of cows.

I love it all so much!

And holy cow, I miss it.

But I'll back there in just a couple of months and it will be wonderful!

All of these pictures (except for the wedding picture) are taken by my parents whose favorite pastime is to take pictures of Oregon.

The wedding picture was taken by Leslie of Classic Images and Portraits.