Back to the Oregon Coast

In the beginning of summer, we'd planned a trip to Newport, OR with Micah's sister Stephanie & her family. We didn't realize that the timing would fall just days before our big move, but it has worked out perfectly. We enjoyed a fantastic mini-break before the big day!

We started out in Portland - Micah played golf with a client while I hung out with Steph and the kids. Micah and Stephanie had collaborated to surprise me with a lovely massage to get me into the relaxing mood!

That night we drove down to Salem to visit with Micah's parents. I can't believe I didn't take any photos with them! I'm sorry! We had a great night and morning visiting with them before we headed west. Our first stop was in Lincoln City to walk along the beach!!We stayed in the Embarcadero condos in Newport Bay. They were lovely! This was our view...Val and Micah enjoyed watching some football while I made soup and sandwiches for dinner! We stayed here one night by ourselves, then the McKelvey crew joined us!We can't go to the coast without having Mo's famous clam chowder!We met the McKelvey's at the Yaquina Bay lighthouse, where we went up for a tour before heading to the beach to play. Kolbie got to borrow Valerie's Ergo carrier... (just in case you're wondering - those are stickers all over her face!).The kids loved running on the sand...And Micah taught them how to jump the dunes!!

Sequence of 3 shots... Sadiyah, Kai and Micah all jumping together!Kai and Kolbie LOVED being buried by Uncle Micah. Once playing in the sand was over, Kolbie indicated (not so subtly) that she wanted to go swimming!So in the pool we went!Thanks to Aunt Stephanie, Valerie got to float around in a killer crab! She loved it! Splish, splash!Back in the condo, Val gets some love from her cousins...We took advantage of the sunny weather to walk into historic downtown Newport (established in 1866, as a fishing village and popular travel destination. The amazing thing is that it didn't get a road until 1927 so all the visitors originally came by boat!). Everyone loved watching the sea lions sunbathe! They barked and even roared at their peers when others tried to join them on the dock. It was fun to watch.We had gorgeous weather (despite predictions of rain and cloudy weather!), and even more lovely sunsets. It was a fantastic time enjoying the coast and enjoying family!