The Warmest Beer I Ever Had Was Warm: February 2012

Before the race! It was chilly!

This morning I ran my first ever 5K. I know to all the runners out there this sounds dorky- but I am super proud of myself. I ran the whole thing...NEVER stopped and even sprinted into the Finish Line. I was proud of my time- not the fastest- but a great place to start.

34:51

I was so nervous all last night- I really wanted to complete the race running----and I did!

My awesome running partner! We did it!

We had a great time, got our exercise in for the day, and had energy to clean, run errands and enjoy the rest of this gorgeous Saturday.

After the race

Well, and enjoy a well deserved cold one with family and friends!

Might just have to give this 5K thing another go!

Oregon is probably one of my favorite states. John said after this trip- its on the rotation of places we have to go to every few years. In the next 5 minutes- I am here to convince you why everyone needs a trip to this magical place.

Oregon really never gets talked about. Its amazing. Its a huge state with very little people. The people that live there are totally laid back and cool. The size of Portland, the largest city by far in Oregon is smaller and less populated than Fort Worth by over 250,000 people. The population of the whole state is just a million more than the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex- with 3.8 million people.

I share this information to prove to you how green, lush, and beautiful this place is. There are trees, grass, mountains, ocean; this is a place where you can really be around the beauty of the Earth. It's the 9th largest state- crazy to think how big this state is and how few people live here.

So, how did we stumble upon this gem? I wanted to take John to a place neither of us had ever been for his 30th birthday 2 years ago. I decided on Oregon-they have wine, they have the ocean- why not?

I am telling you, Sonoma and Napa can NOT compare to the beauty and complexity of the Oregon wineries and wine. The Pinot Noirs are amazing and the views are spectacular. Every winery takes the time to talk about the soil, the craft, and the love that goes into each bottle. If you like Pinots at all- this is the place for you! Its not very crowded and still a little off the beaten "wine" path (although I know it won't be for long).

So, that is the wine country- just 30 miles south of Portland. Then the coast- the fabulous coast. I love the Oregon coast- I love watching the Pacific waves- they are so fierce and hold so much passion. We found a great little town, Lincoln City, only an hour and a half from Portland. They have great restaurants and a great hotel with hot tubs on the balconies. Now, that is a way to enjoy the coast!

As you can see, I am passionate about this place- so it was only right to share the beauty-so, we met my parents there so they could experience it.

And experience it we did! It was a wonderful weekend and a place I hope to travel to again and again.