I'm Going to Miss This

This is from our last night in Oregon. Having dinner at Mike’s house, watching Pixar movies, puppy cuddling, and potlucking and thinking about what I will miss about this place:

In a chronological order:

1.The first double wide: beautiful… convenient… yet moldy

2. CREATURE!!!! – Mike, Angela, and Andrew…you understand

3. Cape Lookout Hikes: beautiful first view from above of the ocean

 

4. Figuring out tides on the river… remember the great lakes don’t have tides.

5. Crabbing in Garibaldi

6.Sturgeon fishing! (OOOOOOH My GOD)

7: Steelhead fishing… Mike I know it didn’t fight like you thought, but I had a wonderful time.

8. Thanksgiving with Beedle and Frech

9. THE REDWOOD. PERIOD.

10. Oh wait, THE TRIPOD.

11. Water Pillows

12. Wanda’s Riggery Bacon

13. Hebo Omelet

14. TORI. NEIL. BOB. JOE.

15. AWHAT!!!!! JS

16. Wait! I have an idea! MG

17. WHAT I’M TRYING TO SAY IS!!!- AE

18. Julia’s foot stomp to brother bear (MG)

19. The drink holster.

20.  Bedtime Stories.

21.  Sparks

22.  the “Reverse Tripod”

23. Bathroom-kitchen talks
24. The Beach in December

25. The Rainforest 

26. Head butts (cheers mike)

Miss you all on the West Coast. 

Update on the 25 before 25

25 Goals before 25 years old (in no particular order) as seen at Birthday Reflection

Here we are six months in already! Sheesh I'm getting old!

1. Get into Grad School
 -- Application is in, decision comes between January and February.
2. Finish a 5k race
 -- Signed up for the Samson Stomp and Romp in Milwaukee on Jan 15th with Mom!
3. Continue on my weight loss goal (i'll keep my number to myself ;) im already down 15!)
-- Down 5 more!!
4. Find a job/grad school/something where Andrew and I can actually live together!
-- Well.... or we could just increase our distance 1500 miles again...
5. Complete my Fisheries Management Graduate Certificate with OSU
-- DONE!!!!!

Map of the Nestucca River fall Chinook spawning habitat!

6. Publish a report through ODFW
-- Not sure if my report will get published... we shall see.
7. Learn a new knitting pattern
-- knitting myself a cowl!
8. read 25 new books
-- 8 read so far... will do a blog on my favorites and have a list compiled :)
9. buy myself a new nice road bike
-- Got my eye on a hand-me-down from my good friend Jitesh!
10. Purge all my unnecessary crap
-- this move is seriously helping!
11. Learn how to crochet
12. go kayaking
13. go backpacking for fun not just for work
14. Boundary Waters Trip!
15. spend some good quality cousin time
16. actually keep up with my journal. (whoops)
17. Learn how to tie knots. (embarrassing... I know).
18. send a postcard to Myanmar (hey karrrri!)
19. Be better at skype dates... at least one skype date a month!
20. Get back to my localtarian diet... I have been indulging in a lot of bacon lately... ruh roh!
-- Thanks to friend Mike, been eating Oregon blacktail and black bear
21. Watch more documentaries than Rom Com's... I will keep a tally! haha.
-- 180 degrees South... good soundtrack, beautiful cinematography 
22. Hike Mount Hood. Bam.
-- this might not happen.  :(
23. Visit friends in their new homes (Washington, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Utah, Ocon (Jan!)(leave me your new home and I will try and visit you!))
-- Missoula to visit Chuck, Laura and Rodney on our trek across 'Merica
24. Visit a Foreign country (Canada counts! I haven't been there in years!)
25. See some more live music in Portland!
-- Saw B.B. King on November 20th! Happy Birthday Andrew!!

Starting over with a big finish

Photo of the icicles from yesterdays float survey

As I sit here scrambling to finish my capstone paper this song came on my Pandora: "These are the Days" by Jason Collett. The lyrics are just my here and now.

How can you leave me at a time like this
You know the ocean where the sun comes up
Is different than the ocean
Where the sun goes down
These are the days
That were never really meant to be won
...
before you regret the days
that were never really meant to won
now that the day has passed away
here I remain true to you again
The morning breaks, it must be fate
Starting over with a big finish

This whole leaving our Oregon experience is starting to feel real.

T-Minus 10 Days

 

How did we get here? We are 10 days away from leaving Oregon!! We have made a list and are slowly making progress on it. 

We had our end of season party on Friday and the Nestucca Crew dressed up as "White Trash" because our basin is sometimes referred to as the South County Funk Hillbilly Town, so we dressed the part.

Now for a day of cleaning, packing, laundry and working out.

Go Pack!