Wow, what a vacation! It wasn’t long enough but boy did we enjoy ourselves! We first stopped in at Grants Pass, Oregon to see our very dear friends. Went to a beautiful park along the Rogue River that had some really neat ponds. Got some duck pictures and even captured two cute turtles hanging out on a nearby log. Of couse, being a photographer, I was walking around going “oh gosh look at the light over there!” and “This spot would be perfect for portraits!”. Haha! So I was given a new nickname, photoJENic! Get it? Photogenic? LOL! I died laughing, but I guess it fits ok. Thanks Chris!

Next stop, we visited with Matt’s grandpa in Sutherlin then off it was to Depoe Bay, Oregon! If you’ve never been to the Oregon Coast, you’ve got to add that to your bucket list! It’s BEAUTIFUL! If you followed any of my Instagram stories you would’ve saw the view we had from the room. My grandparents are owners with WorldMark, so we stayed at the Condo’s there. They are literally just yards away from the ocean. Very therapeutic! First day there we hit up J’s Fish and Chips for lunch then over to the Lincoln City outlets! Had fun shopping, then stopped by the Glass Blowing place so the kiddos could see how they make glass sculptures. It was neat!

Next day it started to rain, but that didn’t stop us! We spent some time at the bayfront in Newport, then celebrated my Dad’s birthday at a restaurant called Izzy’s. They had a pretty good buffet! I hadn’t been to a buffet in years… After the birthday lunch we just headed back to the condos and hung out the rest of the day. The kids enjoyed the rec room and played ping pong and several games of pool. I was just sitting in the chair staring at the ocean when it dawned on me…the LIGHT right by this window is GORGEOUS! So yep, you guess it, I grabbed up my camera and took portraits of the kiddos in that chair (scroll down to see). Matt snapped a few of me sitting there as well. The hats we found in Lincoln City the day prior and I am not much of a hat person, but for some reason I just LOVE this hat! It’s so fun!

The next day we had to pack up and head home. It was still raining a bit but the waves were awesome! It’s always hard to say our good byes. We don’t get to see our grandparents very often and when we’re all together it’s hard to leave. Especially now that grandpa is fighting with cancer. He’s doing great, but it’s still scary and the future is always uncertain. But I thank God for every moment we get to spend with them and I leave the rest of the unknown up to God! :) We’re looking forward to going back to Depoe Bay next year! That’s for certain!!

-Jen