May 3, 2017

Our Crazy Summers…

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to move. You name it and I will go. I still remember researching apartments in New York City my freshman and sophomore years of college. I have no clue how in the world I was planning to afford it but that was just a minor technicality at the time 😉 Because that is where I was going to live. No if’s, and’s or but’s about it. I was a fashion major at the University of Georgia at the time and I wanted to live in the Big Apple and be a fashion designer. The End. Fast forward fifteen years and I live one county over from where I grew up…

You see, I am one of those weird people that actually loves change. In fact I thrive on change. Not stemming from any bit of unhappiness or discontent, I just simply love new experiences. It is as much a blessing as a curse. I adapt really easily to new places and new people but I get bored really easily. Maybe it’s the creative in me that wants to constantly be inspired by new surroundings or the designer in me that is a product of my environment. Whatever you want to call it, I crave adventure.

We currently live in a super duper small town about an hour outside of Atlanta and it is honestly everything I have ever wanted. Our street basically looks like a historic Mayberry and we can walk “downtown” for pizza or ice cream or to buy a bath bomb with a toy inside 😉 Haha the girls are OBSESSED. We attend church in an old cotton mill and we live less than a mile from our girl’s school. Georgia weather is almost perfect in my opinion and we even just had a farm to table dinner for 100 people literally in the middle of the street downtown in our cute little city. Yet I am still the biggest dreamer you have ever met.

So at the end of last Summer, I told Mark “Can we talk?” You know that dreaded sentence every man hates to hear. I had been brewing this idea in my mind for months yet was honestly afraid it only sounded fabulous in my own head. Like once I actually said it out loud I would maybe even realize that I was in fact crazy. So I started with the ole “You know me right? You know I have ALWAYS wanted to move and adventure and see the world…” “Uhhhh yea…” “Well, what do you think about me… and the girls… moving… living… somewhere different each Summer. Like you could come and go and we could spend the Summer adventuring…” I think I held my breath. I had mentally planned and imagined this amazingness for so long that I was afraid my idea would be shut down in an instant. Yet he agreed. He is fabulous I should add and always supports every bit of my crazy dreaming. Even if it means shipping his family to the other side of the country for the Summers. So with some chatting and planning, I was off to plan our “big move”.

Several months passed by and I was finally getting down to the nitty gritty and dates and places and details when I found out that I am going to be a Aunt! For the first time this July. I could NOT be more excited! A baby that I can borrow and snuggle and love on anytime I want. And then give back come nighttime feedings and dirty diapers 😉 That HAS to be just about the best thing ever. So needless to say this first Summer away was cut a little short. We will be gone for a little over a month this first Summer of adventure. We are headed out less than 24 hours after the last day of school and will return in time for baby girl’s arrival.

So where are we headed???

OREGON!!!

I determined about six years ago that there has been an amazing gem hidden and kept secret from most of the World. This amazingly gorgeous state called Oregon. I have been a lot of places in my 35 years but Oregon literally stole my heart from the first weekend I was there. It is artsy and funky and unique… it has coastlines as beautiful as Europe… vineyards as gorgeous as Napa… hiking trails and waterfalls for DAAAYYYSS. Like I could basically be the poster child for the Pacific Northwest. I actually even wrote a post all about it two years ago “Top 10 Reasons You MUST Add Oregon to Your Bucket List“. So Oregon was number one on my “places to live for the Summer” bucket list.

Although I once dreamed of living in the Big Apple, these days I honestly just love it all. We will be “living” in a high-rise condo in downtown Portland so I will get a taste of the “city life” I always dreamed of and then we plan to literally toad trip the state and stay random nights in different cities along the way. Our condo will be our main hub but I just want to see it all. We are going to hike and play and adventure and climb. I cannot even tell you how excited we are. Winnie of course doesn’t understand AT ALL but Addison asks me every single day for a countdown update. She even told me she Google Earthed Portland, Oregon at school to get a sneak peek of what it will look like. Mark will be “bringing us” and staying for several days and then “picking us up” at the end of the trip and staying for a week. He also said he might make a surprise appearance one weekend in between. I have family coming to visit and also several friends making the trek to come see us as well. Adventure is calling my name.

Oh and just in case you are wondering… I will be blogging more than EVER while I am there! I am going to stock pile some house update photography before we leave and then of course will be blogging our adventures the entire way. Planning to blog almost every evening after the kiddos go to bed. I will be IG Story’ing y’all to death too! And guess what? I even have next Summer “planned” as well. One month in Seattle and one month in Vancouver, Canada. Oh and if you have ANY Oregon recommendations from restaurants to must-see stops, please comment below!!!

So before I leave, here is a peek at just SOME of our adventures for the Summer!