5 things

We are getting down to our final hours in Oregon. I can't believe it is finally already here! I complain a lot about Oregon, I know, but I just thought I would say a little adieu before we part ways...forever.

Here are the 5 things I will MISS the most about Oregon, specifically the Willamette Valley.

~ Sybaris & Pepper Tree:

Sybaris we happened upon by accident when I was pregnant with Livy. My mom, sister and I were looking for a yummy local place for dessert and we were wanting to try something new. I found sybaris online and so we decided to give it a try. We ended up eating dinner too! It was amazing, and our waiter was AWESOME! Ever since then Dan and I have tried to get to Sybaris once a month because the menu changes every month to correspond with what the local farmers are bringing in. If you are ever in the area I recommend this place highly! Date night mostly, no kids menu and it is very romantic. The tomato sampler appetizer in the late summer months is crazy delicious.

The pepper tree is a totally random little shack of a food joint! They are called Pepper Tree Sausage House. He obviously specializes in Sausages like bratwursts and Italian sausages but he also does breakfast. His dining room only seats 9 people at a time but it is worth the wait. The owner is the cook/waiter/entertainment everyday. He actually makes the sausages himself so they are amazingly fresh. Dan and I usually go once a week on my day off of work and we actually got my entire family addicted. The best part is: its super cheap! Dan, Livy and myself can all eat and drink sprites for around $11. He has a little saying in the dining room that says "A grumpy German is a Sour Kraut" and it sums him up pretty well.


~ The Coast:
It has been really really cool to be able to pack up a picnic and head over to the coast for the day. We live about 50 minutes from the coast so it is accessible to us all the time. Nothing makes you feel truly small like standing next to the ocean. It is so beautiful and peaceful.



~My girlfriends:

We have moved a LOT, with Dan in the Military we said goodbye to many friends along the way but it is different here. My girlfriends here don't move every couple of years, the are not used to having long distance friendships from all over the United States. When they make friends they keep them and they are friends forever. So when I leave it is different, they will all stay here. My last day of work was torture because I am going to miss these girls so much! I have so many hilarious memories with these ladies (and some others that didn't make it!) and I will always have a place in my heart for them.

~Oregon State University:

Okay, I had no idea how much fun it is to live in a close-knit college community. When I was growing up we lived within 15 minutes of ASU but there was never a camaraderie like there is here. I am sad for the students that go to a school like ASU because the don't understand the love that a town can have for its school. Here we shut down on game day. EVERYONE is wearing their orange and black and we get into it! We are the BEAVERS! Whether you go to the school or not we love our beavers and it is so cool. I never knew how much I loved college sports until we lived here! I will totally miss OSU!

~Green:

They have a saying "if it doesn't grow in the Willamette Valley then it doesn't grow" (I actually found that to not be true - you can not grow good citrus here!). It is outta control green here! Everything grows and blooms. I didn't know that trees came in pink, purple, red, orange, yellow, white, and green. I didn't know that blackberry bushes could be weeds.. I also didn't know my allergies could kill me. The green is absolutely beautiful to look at and so much fun in the summer when the Farmers Markets start coming out. Last year we even grew a garden and we didn't even know what we were doing but it grew anyways and it was delicious in spite of us.

OH oh oh.. but there are thing.... there are things that suck so bad about Oregon that I will definitely NOT miss....

~Oh mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun...what the heck happened to you???:

Black, cloudy, dreary, freezing cold days for the majority of the year is harsh. I knew moving here that it would be rainy a lot and Dan tried to warn me but I thought I could handle it because I love rainy days in Arizona. Yeah, well the rain is different here. There is no thunder and lightening and the rain is freezing cold and most of the time it is like a mist. Not so fun.

~No Air Conditioning:

Since we use the heater for 10 months of the year most houses do not come equipped with air conditioning. It gets really really really hot inside in July and August. Last year I think it got up to 94* inside our home. That is miserable.

~The Coast:

I know I said that I would miss the coast, but I also won't miss that it is freezing! We literally wear our winter coats to the coast all year long. The coast does not warm up in the summer. It maybe will get to the low 60's and that is not factoring in the winds! I am ready for a warm beach!

~Hippies:

Oh my gosh. They are everywhere here! Every Saturday they get together at the Town Hall and protest...everything. They used to protest Bush and the war but now it is Obama... will they ever be happy?

~Blue State:

Really? I mean...duh.. no wonder we didn't make it here. Have you met us??