A couple of weeks ago our family finally had a chance to go visit my sister-in-law and her family. We were all very excited to spend time with auntie Naninha, uncle Sam and their recently arrived bundle of joy, baby Becca. They currently live on the opposite side of the country just outside of Portland, in the beautiful sate of Oregon, over 2000 miles away. I feel so blessed to have had this amazing opportunity!
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| McAllen Airport |
Unlike last year's trip, there were no crazy nightmare flight experiences (you can read about that one here). In order to prevent any such craziness, we made sure to arrive at the airport about 3 hours ahead of our departure time. Since the McAllen airport is WAY smaller and less busy than Houston Hobby, it took us only about 20 minutes to get our bags checked, go through security, and arrive at our gate. Z1 and Z2 were very excited about flying. Z1 specially enjoyed reviewing the safety instructions over and over and then telling daddy all about them. The first flight was only an hour long and it was easy. The second flight though...lets just say that if you ever feel like you need to slow down time to a crawl all you have to do is get in a plane with a couple of toddlers for 4+ hours. I promise you it will feel like time has stopped, and by the time you deplane, the people on the other side will immediately recognize in your face the extra 20 years you aged.
Once we arrived in Portland, we were received by the most welcoming of hosts. My sister-in-law and her hubby are simply amazing! They had prepared an exciting list of places for us to explore and took time to spend with us and show us around. Even sweet baby Becca did not shy away from the adventure.
By the end of our time in Oregon we had over 2000 pictures and a few hours of video to sort through. So, over the next few days/weeks I am going to do my best to share with you some of our adventures exploring the Pacific Northwest.
Picture credits: Pictures of the kids and the hubby, most likely by me. Pictures that include me, most likely the hubby. Pictures of the four Seiferts, most likely one of the Heisers. Pictures of the Heisers, most likely me or the hubby. If there are more than 2 adults in any given picture, it is safe to assume that the one missing is taking the picture =D.
Our first stop was a day trip to the Oregon Coast and the first place we visited was Ecola State Park. I think it is impossible to really capture the beauty of the place in a picture. In fact, I don't think any of the pictures we took do justice to what we actually saw and experienced. It was really breathtaking.
The temperature of the water, although expected, was still a big shock to us. Z1 is actually the expert on this one since he took an accidental fall and was overtaken by a wave (see video below). Glad to report he survived that one with only minor emotional scarring. Besides the accidental dip in frigid water, the kids had a blast climbing rocks, stepping on puddles, and exploring the shore.
Looking at the pictures you can definitely spot the Texans... the only ones with long sleeves and sweaters. Since this was one of the warmest days of the summer up there, there were lots of people in their bathing suits sun bathing on the shore and swimming. I just can't fathom...
After exploring the beach for a while we walked back up to enjoy a nice picnic with an awesome view.
The hubby even got to climb some rocks, which he loves to do...Not too many of those here in South Texas
After our picnic the boys went geocaching and then we drove to a lookout spot to take in some more of the beautiful views.
To finish up the day's adventures, we stopped at Cannon Beach for a stroll. (The picture directly above this caption was also taken at Cannon Beach). The big rock behind us is called Haystack Rock. It is over 200 ft high and it is home to many intertidal creatures like starfish. Unfortunately the tide was high on that day and we didn't get to see the tidal pools. Even so, It was just as mesmerizing.
As the sun started going down, the temperature started dropping and we finished the day wearing our fleece and jackets to keep out the cold. But again, that was just us...
As I am writing this post I have come to realize how small my vocabulary actually is. I simply don't have words to describe such beauty and wonder... I am sure you will find that to be a reoccurring theme in the posts to come.
"But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." Job 12:7-10
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