San Diego

Have I mentioned how much I like Steven's job? Well, thanks to them we got to spend the days leading up to our anniversary in sunny (ish) San Diego. Steven had to attend conference sessions, but we still had a lot of time to do fun things together.

                     Drivin' California!

First thing we did was drive to Coronado. Being the weekend it was crazy busy. We drove in, looked from the car, then drove out. Very nifty island. Neat churches and fun shops.

            

Our hotel was awesome. It was within walking distance of many attractions. Plus, it had great views. 

                 Lunch at Seaport village

The U.S.S. Midway. A little pricey, but totally worth it! It's a self guided tour that takes you all over the aircraft carrier. 

We got to go all down below and up top. Down below gets quite hot and humid, I wilted in minutes. I don't know how all those men could stand it, but I'm grateful they did and still do. 

                            :) 

The Star of India; claims to be the oldest of its kind still in operation.

                        Baby ducks!

Did I mention our awesome hotel room? The views of the bay and city were awesome. We saw naval ships passing by almost every time we looked out.

Oh Cinnabon, why for didst though leave Utah?? (A definite highlight of this first day; yes, I'm pathetic:) 

4 Years!!!!

       Four awesome years of marriage.

Thanks Steven for making it the best four years ever! I love you way more than I did four years ago (and that was a lot then!)

                             :)

Portland Temple

      Before we headed home we took a small tour of the hospital where Jesse is doing his residency, and went to see the Portland temple.

               View from the hospital

   I wish we'd had time to do a session, but I'm happy we at least got to go see it

    It's a beautiful temple that is surrounded by the rich Oregon forests. We were both pretty captivated by it :)

                   Piper and Miles

     The wedding waiting room is like a botanical garden, it was so neat. 

Then we had to say goodbye to Jesse and his family. We really miss them, but we're happy they're in such a neat place they they love.

     We also passed the Boise temple on our way home :)

                       Hopefully. 

Portlandia

Our last full day we spent exploring Portland.

We ate at Jam. Portland has sooo many unique restaurants. This place was funky and hip (for lack of a better description). My waffles with blueberry and hazel nuts were yummy, but Stevens pancakes infused with lemon and ricotta were addictingly delicious. 

Washington park is a beautiful area. We went to the international rose test garden.

I would love to see the gardens in the spring when everything is in full bloom, but all they still had was beautiful and vibrant. 

A short walk from the gardens is the Oregon Holocaust memorial. It's very sobering and respectfully put together. I'm glad Steven and I spent some time there. 

Powell's! Aside from the fantastic name, this book store is overwhelmingly awesome! I mean really, a whole city block, 5(ish) stories, full of new and used books of every kind, yes and yes! 

You could even get a stuffed uterus, brain, or heart! Now that's a bookstore :)

I wish I had more pictures of all the books, but I was too awe struck to remember to take them. Needless to say we spent a lot of time and money there :)

While everyone else went to the pool, Steven and I walked around Portland's pearl district. We didn't do much, just walked and enjoyed the city. We decided that if we lived there we would go broke ( and get fat) from eating out and buying books all the time. 

We had a very nice dinner with Steven's parents and uncle Dave and aunt Darlene who I hadn't met yet. It was cool to get to know them.

Well done Portland, I'm impressed. 

On to Portlandia!

Our last view of the coast as we drove away. On to Portland, with one stop along the way.

The Tillamook valley is beautiful. So green! It's no wonder the cheese is so good, coming from such a scenic place :)

We toured the factory, ate many cheese samples, and had the best grilled cheese sandwich ever made.

   Oh, and of course we got ice cream! 

And it's free to go inside! Probably because they know you'll spend a bunch of money on their yummy food, cheese, and ice cream...

By the time we got to Portland and got settled it was kind of late. Steven and I stayed with Jesse, Annie, and the kids. They have a food truck village right across the street from them. Oh how I wish those would catch on here! So many good options. We got some incredible Thai food for a great price. 

We miss the nice weather from the coast, Portland was warmer, but not as hot as Salt Lake has been! (But I don't miss the humidity)