Gimme a Break ...

... a Spring Break, that is! Here's the recap on our very last Spring Break in Oregon! I don't know what we're going to do every Spring when Grant doesn't automatically have a week off and we don't live within a short drive to these incredibly beautiful locations around the Oregon Coast! We got pretty lucky with weather this year, so we were able to enjoy a breathtaking preview of the Rhododendron Gardens in Portland, as well as some sunny days to explore the coast and state parks. Please forgive the huge amount of pictures; it was just too hard to choose ...

The Rhododendron Gardens in Portland ...

These are Rhododendrons -- stunning bright blossoms that grow on huge bushes. They're all over the place in Oregon, but I've never seen such a wide variety like this ... and we didn't even see them all in bloom. I can only imagine when the garden is in full bloom!

With a little boy, of course we had to do some exploring, and definitely feed the ducks and geese! To get a feel for how excited Eliot was about feeding them, you HAVE to watch the video.

There were so many beautiful birds -- geese and many kinds of ducks, including the pretty "Wood Duck" above, as well as two beautiful blue herons at the end of the log in the photo on the left.

With how busy this semester has been, it was just nice to spend some quiet time together as a family (and don't you just love Eliot's face in the picture with me on the bench?).

I can't imagine there could be a more beautiful place, but like I said, we didn't even see the garden in full bloom!

After the gardens, it was off to the coast, with a stop along the way at a logging museum and restaurant ...

The restaurant at "Camp 18" was an amazing log cabin with GIANT log beams (see upper right with Eliot eating ice), logger memorabilia, and even antique firetrucks parked out front, just for Eliot!

At the coast (Ecola State Park lookouts)...

The views of Cannon Beach from the Ecola State Park lookout were gorgeous as ever!

We really lucked out at Ecola State Park -- we saw a bald eagle, Tufted Puffins (which Grant has been dying to see in the wild ever since we saw them at the Newport Aquarium a couple years ago!), and I even spotted my first gray whale with the help of some extra patient volunteers.

Hiking in Ecola State Park ...

We were happy that weather permitted us to do some hiking at Ecola State Park, too, where Eliot served as our guide. He did a great job, too -- look at the scenery we enjoyed thanks to his navigating!

Seaside, one of our favorite little spots in Oregon ...

In Seaside, we enjoyed walking Broadway and the Promenade (with a obligatory stops at the carousel, candy shops and toy store, of course!), eating at yummy restaurants (this one was fun because it was named "McKeowns," which is Mommy's maiden name, just spelled differently), and even playing on the beach on sunny days ...

On rainy days, it was movies, swimming and ... indoor s'mores -- Eliot's first taste! He loved the taste, but worried about his sticky hands -- that's my boy!

Before and After: Left, Spring Break 2008 (Eliot, 10 months),

Right, Spring Break 2010 (Eliot 34 months)

Nice of me to wear the same jacket so it looks even more authentic (blush!).

We will sure miss not being able to return as frequently to these special places! I think every spring we'll get the itch to head out to the Oregon coast for a few relaxing days ...

Tulip Festival

After living in Oregon for three years, we FINALLY made it to the Tulip Festival, which is held about 20-30 minutes away from us each year. We were lucky enough to catch the festival on a sunny Saturday right at the end of our Spring Break. Good thing, too, since we've had non-stop torrential downpour ever since! We are so happy we got to see this before we leave!

Bright colors with snow-capped Mt. Hood in the background ...

Beautiful!

Looks like spring to me!

Our little "Dutch boy" for the day.

A taste of Holland in Oregon!

Oh, the effort it took to get these photos! ...

And of course there was plenty else to do besides look at flowers, including splashing, swinging, and sliding.

Rows and rows ...

Glowing white and soft peach.

Brilliant hues.

The orangey red ones on the right were stunning in person.

Pretty pinks -- the ones on the bottom, "Margaritas,"

were some of my favorites -- so frilly and delicate.

Other beautiful flowers -- white daffodils,

bright pink rhododendrons, and hyacinths.

Time to Catch Up

"The Balancing Act" by James Christensen

It has been a good month. By putting blogging and other time-stealing activities on hold, at least temporarily, I feel like I've taken the reins back of my life. It was good to remind myself that the demands I place on my time are demands I can take away. I feel invigorated after making the time for some priorities that I have let slip by the wayside. Here's a random list of what I've been up to during my month-long hiatus from the blogging world, in no particular order of importance:

• Got my taxes done. All by myself! I was pretty proud of myself for tackling that one. Taxes have always intimidated me since I am no math whiz (understatement). But it felt good to do something that stretched my brain and even better to get our returns back so early. Wish I could say we're doing something fun with the money -- little miser that I am, I'm stashing it all in our savings so it can earn interest, get us through our summer with no income, and maybe go toward a down payment on a home sometime down the road ... I guess that's kind of fun!
• I am now reading for pleasure more than I have in years. This last month I listened to a young adult fantasy novel, The Goose Girl, and also the first book of Harry Potter, which may be shocking to you that I've never seen/read. I also read Hannah Coulter and Watch With Me by Wendell Berry, which were beautiful, particularly Hannah Coulter. Next on my list, a church book, Broken Things to Mend by Elder Holland. Reading has been a great escape for me and a wonderful way to engage my mind. I'm happy I've made a bigger place for good literature in my life. I've needed something to push myself mentally.
• I have been exercising almost every day, which has been so good for my mind and body. I'm back to my religious/daily Pilates routine, and I discovered/rediscovered Yoga and have enjoyed getting into that a little bit. As a result, my lower back that I struggle to keep pain-free is getting strong again. I'm also building up endurance in my running, my flexibility is coming back, I'm sleeping better, and I have an outlet for the stress that has been an ever-abundant part of our lives lately. I only wish I was seeing the results I'd like to see on the scale. Curse slowing metabolisms that come with getting older ...
• I've been plugging away at Personal Progress for Young Women and hope to earn the new recognition/medallion before we move. There's a lot left to do, so we'll see. Whether I completely finish or not, this has been such a lift to me spiritually. I feel spiritually awakened, almost like I did on my mission, through setting and meeting spiritual goals. My connection with heaven is stronger, I feel more spiritually independent, and I'm learning new things and strengthening my testimony. Some of my favorite goals so far? E-mailing my sister about the role of faith in raising children (thanks, Sherri, for your insights), organizing my recipes into a typed book, and following the promptings of the Spirit as I seek opportunities to serve others -- it has been amazing to see what opportunities present themselves when you pray to see others' needs!
• I completed my long-term goal of reading the standard works cover to cover. About a year and a half ago, as I was finishing The Book of Mormon, I decided I wanted to keep going and read The Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price, and then tackle The Bible. I finished all of them on March 4. I'm really excited about this accomplishment. It's something I wish I would have done on my mission (or before) but never did. I'm now reading The Book of Mormon in Spanish to keep me from losing my Spanish entirely, and then I think I'll go back and read it again in English when I'm done. I loved reading The Bible and gained a lot from reading it straight through, but I've missed The Book of Mormon.
• Eliot and I have had lots of enjoyable one-on-one time. We have been loving the mom-tot swimming class we've been taking at a fabulous facility, the Kroc Center, in Salem. We've been going to the park and story time, having fun play dates and field trips, including a visit to the local fire station. We've been making cookies together, learning about potty training (not ready to commit to the process ourselves just yet, but definitely getting interested!), and participating in the "Snuggle Up and Read" program and earning free books from our local library. We've been on walks and have been enjoying beautiful spring blossoms and flowers. Our mommy-son bonding time has been a blast, and I see the effects on our relationship and Eliot's willingness to listen and mind me -- most of the time (he is still two!).
• We got Grant through midterms and what was probably his busiest week ever in his three years of law school. We all breathed a huge sigh of relief when it was over! During that crazy week, I attended the huge, annual fund-raising auction put on by the student group Grant is president of, and it was incredible. Obviously I'm a bit biased, but of the three years I've attended, this was the classiest overall in terms of the venue, auction items, printed advertising and program -- I was very impressed with Grant and his hard-working team. And all of the proceeds will go to fund fellowships for students who want to work for non-profit organization over the summer -- what a great cause! We're happy that Grant's schedule is going to ease up a bit now so that we can have more time together as a family. We have lots of little adventures we'd like to go on before we leave Oregon.
• We enjoyed a lovely Spring Break trip to the coast. More about that in a later post -- with pictures, of course! We visited some beautiful gardens in Portland on our way out of town, I spotted my first gray whale, we saw a bald eagle, did some hiking at Ecola State Park, ate at yummy, super greasy restaurants, played on the beach, went swimming at the hotel ... minus Eliot's car sickness and grumpiness from lack of sleep, a great trip. We finished off our vacation with a trip to the Tulip Festival, which was beyond breathtaking. I promise to post pictures soon.

So yes, a good month. I have been in a bit of slump for several months now -- just lacking in energy, motivation, etc., and I feel like I've been able to break through my sluggishness and get back on top of my life and accomplish some good things. I've recognized a lot of weaknesses about myself and my use of time, and I hope to avoid my pitfalls in the future. It has felt so good to feed my mind instead of caving into my normal mind-numbing activities. During my month of reevaluation and realigning of priorities, I came across the quote below by Sister Julie B. Beck from the most recent General Relief Society Meeting:

"Most women have many responsibilities and never have sufficient time to do everything their hearts and minds want to do. ... President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught: 'A wise man once distinguished between "the noble art of getting things done" and "a nobler art of leaving things undone."' President Uchtdorf then asked: 'What are the nonessential things that clutter your days and steal your time? What are the habits you may have developed that do not serve a useful purpose? What are the unfinished or unstarted things that could add vigor, meaning, and joy to your life?'" Probably the greatest blessing of my self-imposed "time out" over this past month is that I've realized that I really have to carefully strike a proper balance in my life so that I can attend to the "nobler art of leaving things undone" so that I can have time for the "unfinished or unstarted things" that really do "add vigor, meaning, and joy" to my life.