4th of July!

This year we celebrated the 4th of July in Gowrie, Iowa (where Jake's grandma, Ruth lives). It was very much what you might imagine for a smalltown celebration, and it was amazing! 

We started the day with Elayna's very first parade. She LOVED it. She was so excited while we waited for the parade to start, it was priceless. During the parade she was very into it all. She put her hand over her heart when the memorial flag floats went by, she danced when the music played, she waved at everyone, and she ran and collected the candy when it was thrown. What a great parade!

After the parade we spent the day with some family (Megan even flew in from Portland and totally surprised us!!) and enjoyed a lot of good food and laughs before letting Elayna go on her first festival rides. She was very excited about the alligator rollercoaster, but once she got on there it wasn't her favorite. She did, however, loooove a flying plane ride that spun around and went up and down. That was her favorite, I think. She also liked the carousel and the little car ride. Many smiles were had at the festival.

Later that night we let Elayna chase fireflies and watch real fireworks for the first time. She was mesmerized.

What a wonderful day. 

It made me tear up when we were sitting and waiting for the parade, because it really took me back. I remember so well sitting with my sister Patti, my mom, and my grandma Elaine, and waiting for our parade. We would set up our lawn chairs out front of our house (since we were lucky enough to be on a parade route) and we would wait in anticipation of the fun and candy that was headed our way. We absolutely loved those mornings spent together, and the afternoons spent at the fair. It was such a clear memory of such a simple happiness that it really got to me.... I am so glad that Elayna got to have a day like that. I hope she has many more. :)

Anyway, here are some (read: total overshare!) shots from our day. It was definitely one to remember.

 * I have to give credit to my brother-in-law Ted Sandeen (who is a fabulous local photographer), since the photo of Elayna and Anthony up above in the plane is his.  **I am also adding a special photo of his below (with his permission) that was achieved on the 4th using sparklers. It turned out so well!!  GO STATE!!  

One Year Later...

It's officially been a year since we moved to Iowa. A year since I chose to leave the place and people that I grew up with behind. It doesn't seem like it was so long ago already. Time is sneaky like that.

This last week has been a little sentimental. I think things like, "It's been a year since Elayna played on the coast." "It's been a year since I was a Portlander."

I don't know where to feel at home anymore (both places seem like they could be homes to me), but maybe I should focus on what I do know. 

I know that I no longer feel as though I can only exist in one place. I was worried about that. I was worried I would be sad if I were too far from the ocean, or from Portland itself. Although I miss those things, I have also realized that a place is just a place. What is going to make me happy is my little family. 

I could live anywhere with Jake and Elayna and find myself settling in. I wouldn't say I feel completely at home in Iowa yet, but I truly like it here. It grows on you. Most days I would say that it feels right for us. Elayna is happy here. SO happy. That has been the best thing to watch. I'm thankful for that. 

I will probably miss Oregon forever, but I think we made a good choice for us.

Anyway, here are a few images from our last months before the move. I never got around to sharing them before, but they are a few of the pictures that I feel sum up the beauty of Oregon for me. The trees, the ocean, the city, my college campus downtown... these are the places that I think of when I remember Oregon. 

One Year Ago...

So, being that I was thinking about the big move that we made a year ago, I (finally!) edited a few shots from our roadtrip from Oregon to Iowa and thought I would share.

I have to add that Elayna was a perfect angel for this 30 hours car trip (over 10 hours a day in the car, for three full days). It was almost weird how good she was. She never complained, didn't cry, just enjoyed our adventure with us. In fact, I would say that she complains more in the car when I am driving to the grocery store than she did on this huge treck! Haha! I guess I just have to say that I appreciated that from her..... it made our trip a fun one. :)

Saying goodbye to all the big trees and the mountains (taken in Montana), followed by being silly at Wall Drug, and then enjoying the beauty of The Badlands.