Organic Oregon

I use the term "organic" to describe Oregon not only because most "Oregonians" are extremely hardcore healthy organic/vegan/vegetarian/GO GREEN! eaters/hippies/naturalists, but also because of the lush, green, organic landscapes everywhere you look.

On the way to Salem, I had the boys and we decided to make a pit stop to see this beautiful waterfall. {And I totally forgot its name... Oops!}

They had a lot of pent up energy from riding in the car so we figured this was a smart move.

Gosh, they're so cute...

and sweet...

and wild...

and bad...

but still so cute...

and sometimes, that's their only saving grace.

Have I ever mentioned that they are literally 90 to nothing?

Anyway, that day was my 24th birthday and Aaron treated me to pancake puppies and a strawberry milkshake at Denny's that night after the game. I know, we're romantic like that.

The truth is, while devouring all of that delicious sugar, I couldn't have been happier! Aaron knows it's the edible little things that get me! Oh, and I can't forget this little excursion...

My favorite donuts are few and far between up here in the Northwest- which is actually a good thing- or is it? I don't think I would have bought a box for me and a box for Aaron if I could have these whenever I wanted... but it was my birthday week so I could do whatever I wanted... Keep in mind, that buying a whole box of donuts for yourself is one of the many perks of ironman training... I mean, I've gotta fuel up on carbs right? ;) {Please don't take my advice}

Back to Oregon... I stumbled upon this beautiful rose garden on one of my runs and it was so pretty I had to drive back to get pictures.

I spy a little monkey in a tree!

Marcus came with me to the rose garden... he made the best of it poor guy...

I spotted this pretty little butterfly and went to take its picture...

And as soon as it flies off Marcus says, "Don't worry! I'll catch him!!!"

The little houses were cute and eclectic.

And there are evergreen trees everywhere you look.

Something I didn't take pictures of was our little excursion to the Nike Employee Store in Beaverton, Oregon right outside of Portland. Sanders, the hitting coach and father of the three little monkeys I'm keeping, has the hook up there and each year when we pass through, we do some major damage.

Everything sold there is brand spankin' new or hasn't even hit the shelves yet and the prices are stupid cheap. For instance, you can purchase a $100 pair of shoes for $40 or a $160 pair of shoes for just $80. All of the clothes are cheaper or the same as outlet prices but they were just introduced in Niketown. Needless to say, we took full advantage and broke the bank. All my christmas shopping is done! And it's only July!! {Aaron's dad said it's going to be the "Nike before Christmas" this year... Ha! He's a jokester!}

Speaking of Christmas in July...

Packages from home are the best... particularly birthday packages... filled with birthday gifts from each of my family members and those little extras like Mississippi magazine and my absolute FAVORITE kind of Doritos {Buffalo and Ranch} because they are not sold up here in the Northwest for some odd reason. {Look, Belle sent her cousin up here to tell me Happy Birthday for her!}

Between birthday gifts, 50 degree weather in Oregon, the Nike store, and all of the snow on Mt. Hood, it really felt like Christmas in July!

Speaking of Mt. Hood, these pretty purple Lupines were all along the road and they made me smile... these are all over Jackson Hole in the spring and summer.

And since we were too close to Mt. Hood for me to get any good pictures, here's one I took from last year.

So there you have it, that's almost everything we saw and did in Oregon last week... Hope you enjoyed the recap!