Last semester, Taylor said that me and Hillary should visit her home in Oregon over “spring break.” [BYU-Idaho has a one week break between the Winter and Spring semesters. It’s not enough to fully recuperate and recharge, but we take what we can get.] What started out as an idea and a longing for adventure eventually turned into a reality. On April 8th we packed up Papa P’s truck and began our journey to the Beaver State.

April 9th – While Taylor spent the day rehearsing for her performance with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Hillary and I made our way to Payson, Utah to see two of our friends get married in the Payson Temple! It was windy and chilly, but it was a great day! The Payson Temple is absolutely gorgeous. I really want to go back and do a session there.

It was so wonderful to see Kyler and Rebecca get married, and I was very humbled that I was able to attend their sealing. I’ve known them both since Fall semester 2014. Kyler was my home teacher during Winter 2015 (he brought me cheesecake for my birthday) and Rebecca was my Relief Society president Spring 2015 (she brought me saltine crackers once when I was having some major stomach issues). Even though I can’t say that I’m super close to both of them, they have been great friends over the past year and a half and are an inspiration to me. Both just radiate the love of the Savior and are true disciples of Jesus Christ. They’re going to do wonderful things in life and I’m so happy that they’re [f i n a l l y] married!

The reception was really quaint and I learned that I’m not that horrible of a dancer! One of Kyler’s brothers, Parker, taught me how the box waltz, and then I danced with this little cutie:I got so dizzy going in circles with him!

We stayed in Provo that evening and I was able to see one of my companions, Hermana Keeler! While we were walking around the BYU campus we saw a snail on the path and just had to send a picture to one of our mutual companions, Hermana Mejia, because she hates snails! [Te quiero, Addi!] To make matters even better, we walked through one of the art buildings and saw a painting of a snail, jaja! I was really thankful that I got to see Hermana Keeler. Having her as my last companion in the mission field was a huge blessing. She’s graduated from BYU now and I’m so proud of all her accomplishments!

April 10th – This was the day Taylor’s choir, the Collegiate Singers, performed with the Mormon Tabernacle choir during Music and the Spoken Word! They did such a fantastic job! I’ve always wanted to attend Music and the Spoken Word live (another bucket list item crossed off!). It was a very fun, laid back, and uplifting atmosphere. And it was fun to walk around Temple Square again. Utah will always have a special place in my heart.

An hour or so after the performance we headed off to Oregon! It was about a 12 hour drive. We passed by my mission, drove through Nevada, and rolled into Taylor’s driveway around 11:30 pm.

April 11th – because we got to Oregon when it was pitch black, we weren’t able to see the green countryside. I’m not going to lie – a part of me was a little nervous about going to Oregon because I love the desert so much. Ohio is green, but it’s humid and the humidity kills me, so I was afraid that Oregon would be the same.

Boy, was I wrong! Taylor took us to Ashland, which isn’t too far from her home, and we wandered around for a bit and just took in the beautiful scenery. The way Ashland is set up reminded me of the towns in England a little bit.

I was honestly surprised at how Oregon wasn’t humid at all! It was wonderful! The temperature was cool. At times I wished I’d brought a jacket (because I don’t think I did), but I think it’s something I could acclimate to. Everything about Oregon was so refreshing! The air felt cleaner, the sunlight looked clearer, everything was just wonderful!

April 12th – This was the day we went to the coast! It was about a two hour drive there and we passed through the very top part of California. The coast is gorgeous! Smelling the sea water made me miss Guam so much. Even though big bodies of water scare me, there’s something about watching the movement of the waves and hearing the water that’s really calming. From high above, that is. We hiked a little hill and looked at the coast from the top. It was still fun to wade in the water, but when the tide started coming up and the waves got bigger and bigger, I started getting more nervous.

We walked among some tide pools and I found a really cool shell stuck to a rock. Taylor showed us these really interesting sea creatures that are green and round and gently suck on your finger or toe. That was a really cool sensation!

It was a little bit overcast, but it was such a wonderful day! It was probably the most magical day for me in Oregon. Part of it was because I got to walk barefoot in the sand again, which was something that I hadn’t realized I missed. Another reason was because we made friends with a squirrel who tried chewing into Taylor’s goldfish box while we were exploring the tide pools. She eventually was able to coax him on her lap! So of course I had to try. AND HE CAME! 

GUYS! A SQUIRREL HAS SAT ON MY LAP! DO YOU KNOW HOW HAPPY THIS MADE ME?!? Another bucket list item crossed off!

But wait! We also saw AN OTTER! Around the time we were leaving I looked down the beach and saw something rolling on the sand. At first I thought it was a dog, but then I recognized the shape of its body. I’ve never seen an otter in the wild before! My brain shut down at that point. I remember vaguely thinking, “You need a picture of this!” but my hands wouldn’t move to my phone. I kept saying over and over, “It’s an otter! Oh my gosh, it’s an otter!” Taylor and Hillary were in stitches because my brain couldn’t compute anything else. But still – I saw a wild otter! Bucket list item = checked!

Afterwards we ate some yummy clam chowder and got a little lost on the way home, jaja. That’s when it started raining on us. But it was probably my favorite day in Oregon!

April 13th – In the morning we were able to attend a session at the Medford Temple! It reminded me a lot of the Columbus Ohio Temple. It was so good to go to a session, though! I personally hadn’t been able to attend the temple in Rexburg for a good week or two, so it was really nice to be in those hallowed walls. It was a very special, sweet experience for me.

We had lunch at a super delicious Chinese restaurant and then went on an adventure to get supplies for Mara’s birthday cake. Hillary was commissioned to make the cake and one of the things it involved was water coloring. In order to do that, you need a small amount of vodka. That was a failed attempt to purchase a small bottle. I never thought I’d walk into a liquor store in an attempt to buy vodka.

But while we were leaving the liquor store I saw an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile in the parking lot of a hotel! No, when I was younger I had a collection of Oscat Mayer Wienermobile whistles that I collected from school carnivals. I had five and even named them all [the only name I remember is Frank, though]. I loved those little whistles and told myself if I ever saw the Wienermobile in person I would take a picture with it. I flipped out when I saw the Wienermobile and asked Taylor if she could pull over. This was, hands down, the second best moment of the entire trip.

It’s the little things in life, y’all.

Later on that day we got some professional photos taken of the three of us to commemorate out friendship!

April 14th – Not a lot happened that day. It was raining pretty much all day and a lot of it was spent inside preparing for Mara’s birthday party that evening. It was grand! I got to meet some friends of the Pulsiphers. I love the environment of that home!

April 15th – The three of us drove up to Portland! While there we walked the grounds of the Portland Temple. Majestic is the only way I know how to describe it! I seriously want to go back and do a session in that temple, too! Then we found some streets named Kimberly. Aww yiiiiis. Of course I had to stop for a picture!

After that we went to Multnomah Falls, which is this really gorgeous water fall, and then to Crown Point, which is super pretty. I was shocked when I saw a plaque stating that it had been built in 1917. It really doesn’t look that old! We ended the day by going to The Grotto, which has some special significance to Taylor. I think she performed here with her high school choir. It was really beautiful! It’s this giant garden with tons of statues of Christ, Mary, apostles, angels, and it’s a place of meditation and quiet. It was so beautiful.

We had dinner, and then I caught a plane to Salt Lake. Dad wasn’t too thrilled with me staying the entire night in the airport, so he helped me get a room for the night at a nearby hotel. It was my first time staying in a hotel room all by myself! Then I got up early in the morning and caught the shuttle back to Rexburg.

It’s hard for me to believe that this trip was almost two months ago! I still miss Oregon and I definitely think I could live there. I really needed that one week break to get away from everything for awhile. I’m beginning to understand why it’s important for us to take vacations and travel. I love going new places and expanding my horizons.

Oregon, I don’t think I’m done with you quite yet.

In my mind is a memory,
Tastes so good, it’s bittersweet.