Summer Roadtrip 2012

Last week we enjoyed a road-trip through Washington and Oregon.  My heartfelt thanks goes out to both my aunt who gave us her family discount for the hotel chain she works at (HUGE savings) and to Janice and Lisa who shared advice and suggestions about where to take my gang on this trip!   Each one had a big part in assisting Scott and I to create a fun filled family trip!

Most Memorable Moments:

• The American Girl Store & Bistro ~ I had as much fun as Megan!   We celebrated her 7th Birthday with a delicious cake and a new outfit for her doll "Holly" that she received on her actual birthday.

• Safeco Field ~ Wow!  What an amazing stadium... This was the only time we saw rain on our trip (not even a glimpse of fog - even on the coast), so I was happy we were undercover.   It was "Family Night" and our tickets were only $12. The bonus was that with each ticket we received either a hotdog and drink or $8 food credit - making the ticket to the game, only $4.

• The Space Needle ~ a first for all of us - unbelievable views!

• Powell's Books in Portland ~ a landmark in the city that fills an entire city block with both new and used books!  The boys went to the Portland Timbers soccer game while Megan and I searched to find all the books on my long wish list.  

• Eating a large, delicious piece of 'White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle' Cheesecake Factory cheesecake, while waiting for the Fireworks.   We sat outside OMSI and had a beautiful view across the river of Portland's city centre.

• Florence ~ the dunes were spectacular!  Bigger, and more stunning that I could ever have imagined.  Although I took a pretty bad tumble while "sand-boarding" I enjoy watching the kids successfully surfing the dunes.  As well, we ate dinner in Florence at The Firehouse Restaurant.   Although, I cannot attest to the inside of this restaurant, as we sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine and views of the quaint Bay street, the food was top-notch.  I had the crab cake dinner and it was amazing!  The kids had the children's grilled cheese meals (which were huge) for only $3.  Dinner for the four of us was only $34!

• Lincoln City ~ We fully supported the USA economy at the Tanger Outlets and were pleasantly surprised to find a coupon to our oceanfront hotel Surftides in the Tanger Outlet coupon book for $79.  The Surftides hotel is located right on the beach and has some neat features such as a courtyard with fire pits where kids can make Smores (you can purchase kits at the Front Desk).  We loved that you could open your hotel sliding door and have spectacular views of the ocean... listening to waves was so soothing!   The kids had fun flying kites on the windy beach.   We also made a family blown glass float at one of the many Glass Stores in town.   What a neat experience!

• The Tillamook Cheese Factory ~ Not only free tours, but the best Grilled Cheese sandwiches ever and the ice-cream - Yummy!

• Seaside ~ Arcades, bumper cars, riding a four person bike around town, playing in the sand, eating "Elephant's Ears" to name a few, were some of the fun activities we partook, in this bustling town.   Unfortunately we witnessed widespread homelessness throughout Oregon.  It was a real 'eye-opener' for my children and myself.  While returning to our van (parked in the hotel lot) to retrieve water bottles and some snacks, we saw a homeless man in the dumpster ripping open garbage bags, searching for food.   This was a pivotal learning experience for my kids, who like so many others of their generation, live lives full of abundance (especially on a family trip where they had many treats such as ice-cream, candy, and so on).   When Matt and Megan realized why the man was doing what he was (I had to quietly explain to them and they could tell it was serious from the welled-up tears in my eyes), they both suggested we give the man some water, food, and money (which we did).   This sparked several discussions with them about gratitude, poverty, and ultimately how they could respond to what they saw and take action to promote change such as donating to food banks, and working in soup kitchens, etc.   I hope to facilitate some form of volunteering in this realm for M&M in the near future.   

• The time spent talking with Scott and the kids was cherished.   Megan was a true ham and had us all laughing as she belted out songs.  Matthew brought us up to speed on all the goings on in the sports world and speculation on Luongo, as well asked many interesting and thoughtful questions.   Scott and I caught up and enjoyed the time to just be together both alone (Yes, my kids are still prone to falling asleep in the car - at least once on any car trip over an hour) and with the kids.

Disclaimer:  Matthew is not visible in this video as much as his sister - NOT due to favouritism ~ but due to his incessant unwillingness to have his photograph taken or his inappropriate faces captured within far too many images!  My boy can be very silly!