EDUCATION WEEK!! So wonderful!!

 We just spent a week in Provo, UT on the BYU campus with Sonja and Randy and our friends Randell and Nancy Penrod. We stayed in the really nice dorms at Heritage Halls. We each had our own bedroom  with 2 bathrooms to share. For $112 a person for a week, it was a great bargain. We loved staying right on campus where we could walk back and forth easily and not have to worry about finding parking.

We drove from Eagar with the Penrod's and Sonja & Randy were already there visiting Shane's family the week before.

We started at 8:30am and went to classes all day and it went by so fast!  We packed snacks in our backpacks and at the end of the day we would eat at the BYU Cougar-eat. So Fun. 

One evening after classes we went to the Provo City Center Temple. Some of us went to a big BYU football activity. We also got to enjoy a live performance of 'Sound of Music', which was wonderful.

We all had an AMAZING time and will hopefully go again next year! Now we just need to apply all the great things we learned!

OREGON-- Chasing Waterfalls with my girls!

 This year for our annual mother-daughter trip, we decided on seeing lots of waterfalls in Oregon. We saw so many different, unique, amazing, gorgeous and wondrous waterfalls that pictures just don't do them justice. Of course, the very best ones were the ones we had to hike the furtherest to see.

DAY 1

We flew into Eugene, OR on Sunday July 31st.

We were starving by the time we landed.

We ate at Tacovore!  Way Yummy!!

Then we walked around a little.

We stayed at a really cute airbnb, ate Tillamook ice cream and had a good, quiet nights sleep and got up and left early for our first hike.

DAY 2

We had a 1 1/2 hour drive to 'The trail of 10 Falls' in Silver Falls State Park. It was a total of 7+ miles of hiking to see them all.

The weather was supposed to be pretty hot, but it wasn't to bad.

After hiking over 7 miles, we drove 44 miles and then as far as we could on a terrible road to find Abiqua Falls. It was over 3 miles on a road walking and then .7 miles down a rough trail to the falls. Then we had to walk back, so that hike was about 7 miles too. I was BEAT!

In some places we had to hang onto ropes to get down and back up the steep trail!

But when we finally reached the end and saw this beautiful falls, it all seemed worth it!!

Again we were starving and found a great place with fantastic, huge, yummy burgers and milkshakes!!

Then we were on to Damascus to another really cute airbnb. We stayed here for the next 3 days.

DAY 3

This day was our Columbia River Gorge Day. We rented e-bikes for 3 hours and rode to about 6 different waterfalls. It was so FUN!!

We saw Latourell, Bridal Vale, Wahkeena, upper Oneonta Gorge, Horse tail and Famous Multnomah Falls!

After returning our bikes, we decided to hike to Triple Falls and it was quite a climb up and up, but always worth it!!

At the end of the day, we were always hungry!

Day 4

Aug.3, Lisa's birthday!

We had to leave the house at 7am (and I could barely walk I was so sore!) to drive 45 min. to do a 7 mile loop to Ramona Falls. Part of the trail was shady and in the trees and parts were in the sun. 

At one point on the trail we had to cross a raging river!!

Then we finally came to Ramona Falls and WOW!!

It was nice and cool by the falls. We met hikers on the trail that were doing the Pacific Crest Trail and had been hiking for 3 months.

After eating our lunch of tuna packets, carrots, apples and chocolate, we headed to Trillium Lake where we were supposed to rent stand up paddle boards (SUP's), but they didn't have any left, so the girls got a kayak while I drove back and got Tami who had to work a couple a hours down in town where they had internet service. 

Mount Hood in the background.

Lisa wanted to drive into Portland for her birthday dinner and we found a good Thai place to eat. We had to wait an hour, so we walked around a little and found some cute little shops. 

And of course after dinner we hit a couple of ice cream places!

Day 5

Our last day was a day of relaxing. We took a short little hike close by and found a bunch of ripe blackberries. We checked out at 11am and drove the 2 hours back to Eugene and did some fun things there. 

I got the girls a couple of fun things for our trip.

I got them 'Sisters heart bracelets' and Cute matching T-shirts

We found a great breakfast place and of course we hit VooDoo donuts!

I

After each trip I always think it was the BEST one yet! Its so fun to go with my daughters, they are such a joy to me. I'm thankful I was able to keep up with them and that they have patience with me. We have explored lots of Oregon and have loved every minute of it!