May Journal

The Oregon chapter of our lives has closed. The only word that perfectly describes it is Bittersweet. Living in Oregon has stretched us in so many ways, we learned a lot about the world and about ourselves. For that we will always be grateful. We have no regrets about living here and plan to visit in the future! Todd & I both fell in love with the Oregon coast and we dream of having a cottage there one day.

We were able to make the most of our last month here. We revisited old favorites and checked off places we had been wanting to go.

Here is a list of our favorite places to eat and hangout:

•Bo & Vine Restaurant (The BBQ Ranch Salad with Fried Chicken is *chefs kiss*)

•Happy Lamb Hot Pot in Beaverton. Hot Pot was our favorite dinner in China so we were pretty happy to find one that was pretty authentic!

•Lively Station in Salem. It’s an old train depot turned restaurant/cafe tucked into the woods near a mountainside. Make sure to try the Chimichurri vegetables.

•Alderman’s Peony Farm. We went early in the morning and didn’t run into any crowds!

•Schreiner’s Iris Gardens. If you want to feel like you’re in a Jane Austen story, make sure you wear a flowy dress.

•Swan Island Dahlias. Do I really need to convince you to go to a flower farm?

•Mt. View Orchards in Mount Hood. We went in the fall to pick apples and pumpkins. 10/10 views.

•Newport, Oregon. Cutest everything along with our favorite hikes and beaches.

I could really go on forever because I loved everywhere we went in Oregon! If you want more recommendations send me a DM!

We are looking forward to Todd starting his career! He has worked for nearly 7 years to meet the qualifications to practice law. Phoebe will finally have a yard to run wild and free in whenever she wants and I can garden to my heart’s content. Todd and I have not lived by family for a long time, we are excited for Sunday dinners with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Until next time, Oregon!

- These iced apple oat cookies. I made them right before we moved to use up some extra ingredients we had lying around. They are best served warm!

- The Lying Room by Nicci French. A clean suspenseful mystery book about a woman whose secret lover has been murdered. Instead of reporting the crime she decides to clean the apartment of herself, therefore destroying any evidence left by the killer. Except there is one person who knows what she has done...

-Walks without a podcast or music. Usually, each morning I turn on my favorite podcast to begin my walk. Recently I have been leaving my AirPods at home to just listen to the sounds of nature. I find it much more inspiring.