10 things I love about Oregon.

Today as we were driving around and having a nice lazy Saturday I was thinking about all the things I really love about Oregon….here they are in no particular order.

1. Hewlett-Packard. This one has to be our number 1. They have been such an amazing company to work for. Todd loves his project and co-workers and I love that they make the family feel welcome. I’ve been invited to attend most of the activities. Such an amazing company.
2. Community feel. Everyone is so nice. When Hailee and I got a library card the lady explained everything to me personally, I was feeling bad for holding up the line but not one single person looked annoyed. I have yet to be cut off while driving and I haven’t heard anyone honking their horns except the ambulance (and everyone pulls over for them). As we were getting settled everyone from people in the grocery store to people at work went out of their way to tell us about favorite parks, things to do, and community events.
3. Affordable housing. We have heard from a few people that the only drawback in Corvallis is the housing prices. After looking around today, I seriously don’t know what they are talking about. Home prices are very affordable and there are lots of good options available.
4. Deer. I have never lived in a place where I have just seen deer running around. They are seriously everywhere. We have heard that people get quite annoyed at them eating their gardens, but HP has garden plots right on the property so we can just have our garden there.
5. Farmer’s Market. The fresh produce here is just amazing. I think I can eat salad and fruit every day and not get sick of it. Saturday mornings they have a really fun farmer’s market, but even at the grocery store the selection is amazing and very affordable.
6. The coast. We love that the coast is only 1 hour away. Such a fun weekend camping trip, or even just a day trip.
7. Skiing. There are ski resorts that are only 1 hour away as well. (Of course we can’t try these out this summer, but Todd is very happy to be so close to a ski resort for snowboarding in the winter.)
8. Camping. The mountains and amazing campgrounds are only 45 minutes to an hour away. There are some amazing waterfalls and lakes. (We are going next weekend to check out some of these. )
9. The smell of Oregon. When we leave our apartment in the morning there is just such a lovely “clean” smell in the air. No inversion problems here. Oregon just has a beautiful clean smell all the time.
10. Blackberry bushes are weeds. A few weeks ago in Relief Society we had a lesson on provident living. One comment the teacher made just made me laugh. We were talking about gardens and she said something that was important to do was to “find out what grows in Oregon.” And I was thinking: “What doesn’t grow in Oregon?” Blackberry bushes here are considered weeds, people have all kinds of problems getting rid of them. As we drive around we see that they are just everywhere. I can hardly wait for them to come into season I just keeping thinking of all the things I can make. Salad, pie, and cobbler. Oh, the possibilities are endless.

Happy Birthday Todd continued

We had a great evening when Todd got home. Hailee was so excited she could hardly stand it. She helped Todd open all his presents and had such a great time. The great thing about Hailee is she is just as excited about someone else's presents that it doesn't matter if they are for her or not. "Look Dad a shirt for you...oh it's so cute, try it on."

Happy Birthday Todd

Today is Todd’s “Golden Birthday” (Or so my sister Emily tells me) because he is 29 on the 29th.

Hailee has had so much fun getting things ready for Todd’s birthday. Earlier this week we went shopping and I let Hailee pick something out for him all by herself. She was excited and at first wanted to know if Dad wanted a Princess doll like she had. Hmmmm, probably not. After that was established she went straight to work finding the perfect gift for her dad. She ended up with two things. Then we had to pick out the perfect wrapping paper and come home and wrap them all up. They have been sitting in the chair in the front room just waiting for this day to come. (Next year we’ll go shopping on Todd’s birthday so it won’t be so hard keeping the secret.) She has done a very good job keeping the secret, but she is just so excited to show him what she picked out. The first thing she said this morning was “Where’d my dad go? He needs to open his presents.” She went downstairs and made him open one of his presents. We are waiting to open the rest because he was going to be late for work. We’ll celebrate his birthday tonight when he gets home from work. Now the trick is keeping her busy for the rest of today.

I’ll post tomorrow about Todd’s birthday after we celebrate it tonight. I’ll also have pictures of Todd opening the rest of his presents. (I was too tired this morning to think about taking any.)

The Oregon Coast

Some friends invited us to Newport for the day on Saturday. It was an absolutely wonderful day. We started at the OSU Science center, went to a lighthouse and a beach, then went to downtown Newport for window shopping, and finished back with our friends for dinner. The weather was perfect and it couldn't have been a nicer day.



Ian, Livvy, and Hailee looking at the "Tide Pools" at the OSU Science Center. They let people touch the different sea animals. Next trip to Newport we're going to try and go to the real tide pools.


On our way to the beach. The Oregon Coast is amazing. You walk through pine trees to get to the beach. It was so beautiful.


This was Hailee's second trip to the ocean. (The first one she was just over a year so she doesn't remember it at all.) At first she really did not like getting sand in her glass slippers (that is what she call her pink sandels). Then when we took off her shoes she really didn't like getting sand on her feet. But once we showed her how to dig in the sand that was all forgotten and she had a good time. She was doing great with the water coming in, until one wave came in a little quicker than the previous ones and she got the back of her pants soaked. After that she was ready to go home.

Walking around downtown Newport. Todd is ready to buy a house and save it for retirement. It was such a nice little town. The weather was perfect and we had a great time walking around looking at all the shops. By the end Hailee had a very full day and fell asleep in Todd's arms. So adorable.

New Cousins

Saturday Susan Wollander invited us up for dinner. We discovered that we are only about 1/2 an hour away from her house. It's fun to have some family close. It was fun for Hailee and I to meet them and fun for Todd to get reacquainted. Russell and Michelle were also in town with their two boys Thomas and Nathan, and Aunt Dorothy was visiting from Long Beach. It was fun to meet people I have only known from Christmas cards and talking on the phone. I think I have finally figured out where everyone fits in the family. Hailee had a great time with her new found cousins. Debbie got out the bunnies for her to hold and Nicholas played Legos with her. She had a great time with everyone.

Debbie has two little bunnies and Hailee just fell in love. She was kind enough to let Hailee play with them. Hailee was excited because she got to pet the bunnies just like Curious George.

In the bunny hutch, just like Curious George.

Posing with her new cousins Thomas and Nathan. They had such a good time playing legos together.

Russell, Michelle, and their two boys Thomas and Nicholas. They were up from Eugene.

Hailee and Aunt Dorothy

First Soccer Class

Hailee had her first soccer class today. She has been looking forward to going, but for some reason this morning she was a little hesitant about going. When we got there she said she was a little bit scared. Her hesitation lasted about 2 seconds when we got on the field. They have a really nice indoor field for the kids to play on. As soon I set her down she was off dribbling the ball, scoring goals and having a great time. When it was time to go she didn’t want to leave. We were waiting to see how she did in this class to see if we should sign her up for the class back in Utah. I think after today it is a definite yes!

Hailee Girl

Well I decided to try and post a video. I am posting one from when Hailee was little. When we started Hailee on solid food we started her with rice cereal and then with vegetables one at a time. When it came time to start on fruits I was so excited and so certain she would love them I got the video camera out. I was not prepared for the reaction I got. I am so glad I have it on tape. This video was taken on February 7, 2005.