Learning New Things and Loving It (AKA Living Life)

I don't like feeling like a failure. I like checklists and I like to check things off of those checklists. I make them for things I need to get done at work, chores around the house on the weekend, things I need to remember to do during the week, shopping lists, lists to keep track of things my brain can't, etc., etc. You get the idea. I hate when my lists are left undone, which is pretty much always because things are constantly being added to the list. Every once in a while I will get a time when there are things that could be done, but nothing has to be done. Quite frankly, I don't know what to do with these times. Sometimes deadlines motivate me, and with a lack of deadlines I will be unmotivated (take that to mean lazy at times). 

My husband can tell you that when nothing on a list gets done, I am very hard on myself. I get frustrated with myself and get a little down in the dumps. Just this week I left work multiple times without actually completing anything. Things got done, but only parts of lots of little things. Nothing could be completely forgotten and checked off the list. Everything still had to stay in my over-active, over-crowded brain. I got home on Friday night and felt like an absolute zombie. My brain likes things put nicely in boxes and tied up with a string, and that hadn't happened. The house needed to be cleaned, weeds needed to be pulled, seeds needed to be planted...and that was just at home. I also needed to finish up things at work. So what did I find myself pulled towards? Writing on a blog that very few people read as a sort of therapy for myself. I started replacing things on my list with things that had been done- new things that I had never done before and was happy about. That meant my list got smaller and smaller even though not everything that I originally wanted to do was completed. I have the rest of my life to swim with dolphins and get my rock climbing muscles back in shape and to try and learn how to fly fish. That doesn't discount the Blazers game, trying ballroom dancing and my latest adventure---tearing out a deck.

That's right, as we begin repairs on our house, I have a feeling that I will very quickly be adding many things to this blog that are new experiences. I have never remodeled a house, and my summer proves to bring many trips to home repair shops. Guess I better get used to physical labor. I have always appreciated people who do physical labor all day long. My body isn't cut out for it. I have a weak back that tenses up quickly and carries that tension everywhere. What a gift that there are people willing (or who have to) who do the physical labor that provides so many of my needs and wants. 

Over a few days of "vacation" my husband and I attacked the rotting back deck on our home. We plan on several weekend projects and one of the first was to get the deck out of the way so that our dog can safely roam the backyard without breaking a leg (we would prefer to avoid this same fate for ourselves as well). Of course, it was rainy and we had to alternate inside and outside work to avoid the downpours, but with a little help of a saw and some brute strength, that deck came out so that we now have a lovely, perfectly safe mud patch and pile of rotting wood with rusty screws and nails (please note the sarcasm).

5 items and 5 months

1. Visit Crater Lake

2. Visit ZooLights (Washington Park Zoo)

3. Visit Multnomah Falls

4. Visit Newport Aquarium

5. Visit the Oregon Gardens

6. Go skydiving

7. Swim with dolphins

8. Try oysters

9. Hike part of the Pacific Crest Trail

10. Go see a Blazers Game

11. Try snowshoeing or cross-country skiing

12. Finish my Masters Degree 

13. Climb the Astoria Column

14. Visit Mt. St. Helens

15. Go clamming

16. Visit Timberline Lodge

17. Ride on a motorcycle

18. Move into my own place

19. Learn to change the oil in my car

20. Go whale watching on the Oregon Coast

21. Try Ballroom Dancing

22. Visit Silver Creek Falls

23. Visit the Chinese Garden in Portland

24. Go for a helicopter ride

25. Learn about photography (resulting in justifying buying a better camera)

26. Go to a Timbers game

27. Run the Warrior Dash- done twice!

28. Get another stamp in my passport

29. Take an out-of-state trip with friends (road trip?)

30. GET MARRIED!!!

Back-up ideas (for fun): Learn to skateboard, visit the Oregon Interpretive Center, trek through Ape Caves, learn the Thriller Dance, visit the John Day Fossil Beds, visit Malheur Wildlife Refugee, go to an Oregon Native American powwow, try Voo Doo Doughnuts, Go rock climbing at Smith Rock, learn how to go fly fishing, tear out a deck

Breaking Out of Comfort Zones on Valentine's Day

Ok, ok, I know. This is classic Fairlight. I create this post several weeks ago and I am just now posting it. That is to say, I created a blank post document and put a title on it, totally intending to come back and write, but didn't. And so now, I am stepping up and writing this post after an extremely long day where I worked for 8.5 hours and then went to class for another 4. Finally home and trying to decompress, while avoiding other forms of social media---on which I am attempting to spend less time. Apparently this translates in to "catching up on blog posts."

As the title gives away- this is a post on Valentine's Day. Don't worry. If you are single or otherwise frustrated with Valentine's Day this is not a mushy post about my amazing husband (although he did pick a restaurant with an Argentinian twist because of my time spent in Argentina--a wonderful and thoughtful surprise). It is a post about breaking out of comfort zones. It is a post about pushing myself and trying not to worry about judgement.

For Valentine's Day, my hubby and I decided to try something we had never done together. We went ballroom dancing. Now neither of us will claim to be a dancer. I imagine myself a dancer. I spent hours, when no one else was home, dancing around the living room in high school. Okay, and maybe in college. And maybe even now, when no one is watching. I would never try out for "So You Think You Can Dance?" because I know that I can't dance. I do have that much self awareness. But I always imagined that if I had only taken dance classes, I would be a wonderful dancer. Put aside the fact that I'm not awesomely coordinated or graceful, or that dedicated to practice. I love dance. I love the way it can look so beautiful when performed by those who know the steps. I love the connection to music and emotion. I love how steeped in culture dance can be. So, we decided to try ballroom dancing together. I think it actually came from watching "Shall We Dance."

Something you should know about me and my husband. We are both perfectionists. If we are going to do something, we want to do it well. We were running a little late (doesn't seem to go with the previous statement, does it?) and missed the beginning of the instruction time. I was ready to jump in, but Aaron didn't want to---we had missed the first part and wouldn't know what to do. When I realized that they were going to make me rotate partners multiple times, I agreed with Aaron and we slinked off to the corner to watch the instruction and practice without actually joining the "class."

I will admit, I started getting quite nervous. We were in a big room with very few people and lots of mirrors. If you are like me, this translates in to being more obviously seen by people. There was no crowd to hide among as had been the case when I had gone Salsa dancing with friends before even meeting Aaron. There, you struggled with your partner to find enough room on the dance floor to do more than the basic steps.  Here there were wide open spaces, which I guess is good in ballroom dancing. According to the instructor, at a social dance you move around the room counter-clockwise, so I guess you have to have enough room to make that happen.Whatever the case, Aaron and I were going to be dancing steps we didn't know in a large room, easily visible by everyone there and with no more instruction. I tried to put on my brave mentality. Believe me, there was some self-talk going on---"you are never going to see these people again," "everyone starts out this way, no one was born knowing how to ballroom dance," "this night is to have fun with Aaron, focus on that." Ah, the self-talk of a perfectionist, semi-type-A introvert.

I believe that God sent me a little extra social security blanket that night. A nice old man immediately caught on that Aaron and I were new at this. I'm sure it didn't take much time of watching us step on each others' toes and watch those around us fervently. Every once in a while throughout the evening he would step over to us, tell us what type of dance was playing (because they don't announce the dances, so you have to pick up on the dance style from the music--not easy for beginners who don't even know what all the different dances are), and model the dance with me as his partner. That meant that at least for a few moments Aaron and I could perform the basic steps of a dance. It definitely took courage on my part to step up and not do it correctly in front of several couples who were beautiful to watch. I even envied another couple who invented their own steps, obviously at the same level as we were.    

After an hour or two we headed out to our dinner reservations, putting our first dancing evening behind us. Was it failure because we still can't really ballroom dance? No. It was a fun evening of seeing if I could actually follow a partner, after years of forcing my little brothers to dance with me and leading them around. An evening of self-talking my way onto a dance floor and a social situation that I had no idea of what the norms were. An evening of learning to focus more on my husband and my intent to have fun than on how other people were going to judge me (or not judge me as was probably more likely the case). Will we go again? Probably. Although we may pick up some dance videos at the library before we do.

P.S. Sorry for the lack of pictures. One of the things we were attempting to do was spend an evening focused on each other and stay in the moment, so no pictures were taken---except in our minds! (man, I sure did use a lot of dashes in my writing tonight---)

#?- Blazer's Game

You know those unforeseen opportunities I talked about a few posts ago? This is one of them.

Buck Williams, Terry Porter, Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey. Cliff Robinson. Those are the Blazer names with which I am most familiar. The era of my childhood. I even have proof of my (limited) following of the Blazers. It was probably partly due to my brother and dad being fans. Even though my brother is younger than I am, I still wanted to do lots of things that he did. And so, at a young age, I was a Portland Trailblazer fan.

 

These are still in my possession---proof I was a Blazer fan.

You might say, I held on to this hometown pride. I would get excited when the Blazers were doing well, but didn’t follow in any particular way. I can name Brian Grant (yes, I loved his hair), and Brandon Roy…two players, who in my eyes, tried to hold together a, at times, pretty depressing team (remember---not a true fan, don’t necessarily have all of my facts straight).

And so it comes to this. I know no names of Blazer players. I don’t know who coaches them any more, or who owns them, or whether they play at the Rose Garden or the Moda Center (okay, kidding about that last one). And yet, I married a true Blazer fan. Someone who checks box scores, knows the different positions and which Blazer plays them, can tell if a guarding match up is in one players favor or another’s, cheers and mourns with the team, but is always faithful. As the season progressed and I heard excited cheers each game evening from my husband as he checked ESPN, I knew what his Christmas present had to be. Especially after once or twice he would talk about the excitement of games and how it was something that we should do together.

Thursday night it was our first ever, date night to the Blazers. Blazers versus the Clippers. It was going to be a good game, and they didn’t disappoint. I won’t put all of the details because those can be easily looked up, complete with highlight clips from the game and people commenting who are much more knowledgeable in this area than me (heck, I know 10-year-olds with more knowledge in this area than me). However, I will say, it was highly entertaining. This team has great 3-point shooters, highly creative passing style, and teamwork. Perhaps that is one of my favorite things. When a team has one really good player and everyone else plays backup to that player, it isn’t quite as exciting as having several good players who support each other.

My Blazer gear- even though I don't really deserve it.

 

“We” were ahead the whole game until the 4^th quarter, when things started going down hill. So much so, that the 2 girls seated next to us decided to leave during a timeout with 10 seconds left in the game and the Blazers down by 3. Bad time to leave, ladies. They came in from the time out and Batum hit a 3-point shot to tie the game, leading to overtime. They battled back and forth, keeping us all on our feet for the entire 5 minutes and won, 116-112, partly due to foul shots (thanks Clippers!). Awesome game. Awesome date. After watching live for the first time (I wanted to get a certificate and button for my first game, but they said it was just for kids) I might be a Blazermaniac. Rip City!

The NEW "30 by the end of 30" countdown

I must admit it. I am a little disappointed. Browsing at a bookstore yesterday I ran across this book:

I Dare Me by Lu Ann Cahn. 

picture courtesy of Amazon.com

It is her story of how she tried something new each day for a year in order to "reboot and recharge" her life. That is what this whole adventure has been for me. A chance to take the life I was given, that I had allowed to become dragged down and depressed, and to get out there and do some new things. Now how am I going to make my millions off of turning this blog into a book?! How will I pay for my mansion and tour of the world?! It will just be considered a repeat idea. No longer will there be a market for the book: "30 by 30: One Girl's Quest to Get Out There and Do Something That Turned Into a Time of Personal Growth and Self Reflection" (I'm still working on the title).

I guess I will have to just live out what this whole experience has taught me over and over and over again. To be truly joyful we must be thankful for what we are given, live fully into who we are created to be, and find adventure, sometimes even in the mundane things of life.

I wasn't able to complete everything by my 30th birthday, but as Aaron's dad declared---why not make it by the end of your time being 30. So, here are the last 8 things on my list (what?!). As always, subject to change because life isn't about a checklist, life is about living in a way that is always open to the possibility that what you never imagined possible could happen right before your very eyes. Who knows- maybe these things won't be done because of some amazing opportunity presenting itself instead. You can't close your eyes to those possibilities just because you are focused on checking things off a list.  

8 items and 9 months to go

1. Visit Crater Lake

2. Visit ZooLights (Washington Park Zoo)

3. Visit Multnomah Falls

4. Visit Newport Aquarium

5. Visit the Oregon Gardens

6. Go skydiving

7. Swim with dolphins

8. Try oysters

9. Hike part of the Pacific Crest Trail

10. Rock climb at Smith Rock

11. Try snowshoeing or cross-country skiing

12. Finish my Masters Degree 

13. Climb the Astoria Column

14. Visit Mt. St. Helens

15. Go clamming

16. Visit Timberline Lodge

17. Ride on a motorcycle

18. Move into my own place

19. Learn to change the oil in my car

20. Go whale watching on the Oregon Coast

21. Learn how to go fly-fishing

22. Visit Silver Creek Falls

23. Visit the Chinese Garden in Portland

24. Go for a helicopter ride

25. Learn about photography (resulting in justifying buying a better camera)

26. Go to a Timbers game

27. Run the Warrior Dash- done twice!

28. Get another stamp in my passport

29. Take an out-of-state trip with friends (road trip?)

30. GET MARRIED!!!

Back-up ideas (for fun): Learn to skateboard, visit the Oregon Interpretive Center, trek through Ape Caves, learn the Thriller Dance, visit the John Day Fossil Beds, visit Malheur Wildlife Refugee, go to an Oregon Native American powwow, try Voo Doo Doughnuts

#8- Try Osyters

Don't they look great?

Can you say amazing?! It just keeps coming. Today after church I was surprised to learn that Aaron had secretly arranged for us to go out to lunch with his brother and sister-in-law. Not only that, but he had arranged for us to go to lunch at an OYSTER BAR! (and it was New Orleans style none-the-less) Nostalgic of past travels with live jazz and an array of oysters for the trying. I will admit that I was a little nervous. However, with the help of our waiter we placed an order to try several different types of oysters. I had no idea that different oysters from different areas had different flavors, but the waiter was absolutely right. The ones he said were saltier, did taste saltier, and there was a definite buttery flavor to one as well. All in all, a very good experience from the fun music and great company, to the (admittedly) delicious oysters and other New Orleans cuisine. All the way to my sister-in-laws soft shell crab sandwich (with two whole crabs nestled between bread). I think my husband just pulled off a very eventful and exciting celebration to the start of my thirties!

Here we go!

Oyster away...I love Aaron's unsure face (and why my eyes are closed like that I have no idea).

The picture doesn't do it justice, but there are 2 full crabs with legs sticking out every-which-way on that sandwich.

#7- Swim with Dolphins?

And the surprises keep on coming! This morning when I was ready to get out of bed I was told I couldn't. Aaron promptly got out of bed, closed the bedroom door and proceeded to do something out in the living room. Well, actually the bathroom, but I didn't know that at the time.

Then I was told that it was time for me to get out of bed and take a shower if I wanted. Does anyone else feel especially suspicious at this point? I was a little nervous to open the shower curtain. There in the bathtub was the scene below. As my thoughtful husband continued to celebrate my birthday this weekend, he attempted to help me accomplish more items on my list. This was in the planning for weeks since he had to order the blow-up dolphins and blow them up (apparently they were ready to go in the trunk of his car, he was just waiting for the right moment). I must admit I was blown away by this surprise. This is the kind of romantic/thoughtful that takes my breath away.  People that show they have been thinking about me and considering what is important/special to me. I married the right man.

The most difficult and one of the least likely to get done this year is swim with dolphins (although I don't know how likely it is that I will rock climb at Smith Rock either). He made it possible...at least in theory (they were all removed before I took my shower). So...do I cross this one off the list or not?

#5- Visit the Oregon Gardens

My hubby is super dedicated. He knew I wanted something big for my 30th. He knew I had put off working on my 30 before 30 list because I as planning our wedding with him and looking forward to starting our life together. So...for my 30th he was on the top of his game. He planned a "dessert in the park" time with my family which was lots of fun watching niece and nephews running around and playing. He planned lunch on the Sternwheeler (pics below) as a fun outing for the two of us---something that probably should have been on the list. And, as a thrown in surprise, he took me to the Oregon Gardens for a sunny afternoon of walking through creative, beautiful, well-thought out gardens. I was especially intrigued by the Lewis and Clark expedition garden (can you tell I am a teacher) and the creative model garden on different ways to design vegetable raised beds for families.  Thanks hubby! I think you are amazing!

Time for a fun lunch on the river

Steering the Sternwheeler with the captain

The old Oak grove--"much the way it would have been when the Native Americans were living on the land" (oh the teacher in me is excited!)

Basking in the sun at the Oregon Gardens

Watching my hubby play in the fountain. Beautiful day!

Happy 30th To Me!

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For some reason, when thinking about my 30^th birthday, I felt the need to do something BIG! But, as this journey has taught me, I stepped back and tried to examine where that desire came from? Was I going to feel any less special on my birthday if it were dinner and cake with my sweetie? What was it about 30 that needed something bigger than before? Am I really that selfish? (Okay, I am a little selfish. I think birthdays are big deals). Does this desire just come from all my peers’ posts on social media about the awesome things they are doing for their 30^th birthdays? I mean, come on, I just had a wonderful celebration with friends and family that I had been planning for 5 months and I spent 2 wonderful weeks in Italy, thanks to the skillful planning of my hubby. Was I now going to ask him to whip up a big birthday bash in the midst of him returning to work?

What do I really want to do? Spend time with family. Celebrate the journey God has taken me on so far. Have the spotlight for just a little bit (and then hand it over to someone else).

A wise friend of mine posted recently (and she admits she was on a soap box): "I'm voting we ban the word and concept of "failure," hearing far too much of it from my internal dialogue and my friends' verbal dialogue. Failure doesn't motivate us to do better, it drowns us in our own self-loathing, it's looking at our progress that moves us forward!" 

That is the stance I would like to take on my 30 before 30 list. It has been almost 2 years since I started this list and I have done things that I hadn’t done before. It has encouraged me to go out and do things I had been wanting to do for a while, but had never done. I mean, I went skydiving!

And yet, it is a “failure.” I didn’t finish it. It did not get completed. The deadline is here. And somehow that is okay. If I stop and think about it I might get a little upset, or I might wonder if people look down on me for not finishing it. However, how can people look down on you for not completing a list of fun activities? The real measurement is what was accomplished. Was the journey a success? Did I have fun?

Those questions are answered with a resounding YES!!!

I camped at (and swam in) Crater Lake- a beautiful creation.

I faced my fear of heights, countered by my desire to experience flying and went skydiving.

I spent valuable time with a friend by going to the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

My hubby and I got to know each other better through dates that involved several of these activities…

And who can forget when you cross off an item on a wish list and get proposed to at the same time?!

This list is not a failure. It is progress—I actually believe this introvert is more able to attend unknown social events because of gained confidence through getting out and doing things. I know that sounds silly (especially to extroverts), but it is true. I have grown as a person through this list. I am more able to reflect on things I actually want to do instead of things I think I need to do because everyone else is doing them. I have more confidence. And I might just get out of the house a little more.

That all said, the new and improved “30 by the end of 30” list will be coming out shortly (thanks family for your ideas on how to extend the list). I plan on taking the 30 before 30 list and tweaking it to be things that I want to do that I think can actually be accomplished during my first year of marriage.

Look for the journey to continue in the coming year!

Birthday in the park with family--and boy does my hubby know how to pick a delicious cake!

 

#28- Get a New Stamp In My Passport

You are probably dying to know what my new stamp says! Well, maybe that isn't a burning question to too many people as this blog is more for my own enjoyment based on the fact that very few people actually read it. However, the irony of my new stamp is that the stamp is for a country in which I didn't step foot in outside of the airport. Long story, but the fact is--I have a new stamp in my passport (Zurich, Switzerland), and I have spent time in a new country.

ITALY!!!!!

My new hubby is amazing. I have never before sat back and had someone else plan my entire trip. Literally all I did was give a little bit of feedback on hotels and showed up at the airport with a packed bag and a passport. It was lovely! One of the best gifts he could have given me. Besides the fact that I got to spend 2 weeks hanging out with my best friend everyday, and traveling with him. That too was wonderful.

Instead of filling this posting with lots of words (you know I could go on and on forever), I will simply say, we were able to visit Venice, Florence, Lucca (the homeland of my hubby's family), and Rome. We walked miles and miles in those two weeks. We saw things we expected to see and, by swerving off the beaten path a bit, saw things we never knew existed--including adding to a community art installation in Venice. We explored art museums, tourist sites and back roads. We took trains, buses, boats, taxis and airplanes. We got really hot, drank lots of water, and once got soaked by the rain. We ate good food and had good conversation.

Our tips- enjoy a little Rick Steves (do I get some kind of extra bonus points for promoting him?), decide what attractions you would be sad to miss (you can't always see everything), spend some time walking away from all the other people, and get a little lost (maybe not the best tactic in case you end up in sketchier parts of a big city, but as Rick Steves says about Venice---It's an island, you can't get off, so wander around).

I'll just leave you with a sampling of our hundreds of pictures we took. Happy travels (near and far) to you and yours!

The community art installation- "Otherwise Occupied"

Our contribution- in the tree

The Grand Canal

Dinner at a canal-side restaurant (loved the waiters!)

The Bridge of Sighs (from the opposite side of most pictures-less crowded)

Burano- an island by Venice (our favorite with all the bright colors)

The Italian countryside from the train on the way to Lucca

What?! Neil Young was in Lucca at the same time as we were and we didn't even know it till after the fact!

My hubby in the land of his ancestors- Ponte a Moriano

Looking over Lucca (the day we got drenched!)

Last night in Lucca--enjoying dessert and coffee

Public fountains...took a little courage on my part to drink from these since I have been to so many countries where the water is not safe. But love that we could fill up water bottles without always having to pay for water.

Florence- The Duomo

The view from our hotel- This is Rome

The Pantheon--HUGE!

Trevi Fountain- one of my favorite sites, especially if it hadn't been as crowded (although watching hundreds of people take tourist photos is its own entertainment)

Audrey Hepburn picture on the Spanish Steps (one of the only ones without a million people in it...don't know how my hubby pulled this one off)

La Bocca della Verita (another Audrey Hepburn reference)

The Vatican

St. Peter's Basilica (Thank you Rick Steves for your tip on getting in)

The Colosseum--from the outside...

...and on the inside

Heading home (trying to look like a real traveler with my backpack and all)

#30- Getting Married

Marriage was never on the 30 before 30 list. Some people might make that a goal. Not me. Have you noticed a pattern in my reflections and my life? No? Let me clue you in: God never follows MY plan. For some reason He insists on His plan instead. I didn’t plan to go to language school in Costa Rica—it was God. I didn’t plan to live in Mexico for 6 months (nor did I plan to get deported…)—it was God. I didn’t plan to become a bilingual teacher—again God. In fact, if you had asked me in high school or even college what I thought about becoming a bilingual teacher I would have laughed at you, telling you that I only got As in Spanish because I knew how to follow directions and fill out worksheets—not because I could speak Spanish well. But God had a different plan for me, and I love it!

And so, I never would have set a time-limit for when I was going to get married (cause, actually, that time-limit passed about 8 years ago). If you ask certain friends, they can tell you that at one point (when I was 25, I believe) I really felt God telling me that “28 is a good age to get married.” That was enough for me to sit back and try to enjoy single life for a few more years.  This list was actually part of that sitting back and waiting. It seems whenever I get in a rut of waiting around for something to happen, God challenges me to get out and do something (first language school, then this list). Well, as you might have figured out, 28 came and went without a wedding (however, for those of you clever folks out there, you will note that I met Aaron when I was 28). Thus, I would not make it a "to do" list item to get married. Who knew? Maybe it wasn't going to happen at all.

All this to say, I didn’t plan to spend my last year of my 20s planning a wedding, but it happened. And it might not have been on the list from the beginning, but it deserves an honorary spot because it has consumed a lot of my time in the last several months. Heck, several of the original items aren’t even on the list anymore, so why not add a new one?

In fact, getting married is one reason the list has not gotten much attention lately and one reason the list will not be completed “on time.”  Therefore, I declare “Getting Married” an honorary item and, I think, the most joyful thing I have ever done. I am so excited to spend the rest of my life journeying with my best friend!

Photo copyright Heather Hurt Photography

#20- Go whale watching on the Oregon Coast

The first several days of Spring Break, my entire family trekked out to the Oregon Coast to spend a few days in close-proximity to each other, while enjoying the classic Oregon weather at the beach.  Okay, that makes it sound like it was an awful time.  Really, it wasn't.  It was full of memories that harken back to my days as a kid.  Years have passed since we have been able to spend this much time together as an entire family, and I thoroughly enjoyed, not only getting to spend extended time with my fiance, but also the chance to get to know my siblings better in their new roles as spouses and parents.  The three children under 3 were great entertainment, and made us all play a little more than we might have been inclined to do without them.  Meals were spent gathered around the table (two joined tables actually- as is sometimes necessary with twelve people) sharing stories and homemade meals.  Frequent trips were made down to the beach so that the little ones (and the big ones) could see the "sand, ocean, beach!" as my young niece declared.  However, the stories of holding and making my 2-month old nephew smile or how confusing it is for the Tillamook Cheese Factory to deal with an order of 12 ice cream cones (or is it more confusing for those ordering?) are not the stories that this blog post is supposed to be about.  It is in fact, just the introduction to how my fiance and I ended up whale watching.
Spring Break in Oregon happens to correspond with the official spring whale watching week on the coast.  This is the time when those that "speak" whale watching volunteer to man several sites along the Oregon coast to help you spot whales during two specific weeks of the year (one in March and one in December).  You can find a list of whale watching sites here: http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/PARKS/WhaleWatchingCenter/pages/watch_sites.aspx
The state of Oregon Parks and Recreation Department site has several resources related to whale watching.  The only problem is that the volunteers are only at the sites from 10am until 1pm, which did not correspond well with either of my trips out to the beach during the week of Spring Break.
Nevertheless, when the fun with the family at the beach ended, Aaron and I decided that we were not quite ready to head straight home (not having babies that needed naps or consistent feeding/diaper change schedules), so we drove down the coast and sidetracked to the Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint.  We watched for a while, sin binoculars, and then did a little bit of light hiking to see the Octopus Tree and several different viewpoints from the lighthouse as well as the overlooks.  No whales were seen, not by us without binoculars, nor by those who were carrying binoculars (although I was watching them closely as well for the tall-tale signs of whale spotting).
 It was a slight disappointment, although I probably wouldn't have seen much detail way out in the ocean without something to make the image larger (i.e. binoculars).  I think what was really frustrating to me was that without the volunteers I didn't know what I was looking for, how far out to look, or to have anyone to answer my myriad questions that arose while I was gazing out at the beautiful blue ocean (we were blessed with a lovely day at the Oregon coast that day).  I wasn't even sure that I was whale watching.  Aaron thought the contrary and told me, just because we didn't see whales, does not mean we didn't go whale watching.  It is true.  You can go fishing without catching a fish, and you can go whale watching without ever seeing a whale.  So, yes, technically, this one can be crossed off the list.  However, next year I would like to make sure and make it out to a viewpoint with a volunteer during one of the official migrating weeks.  That way I can be more likely to see a whale.  And perhaps I will still need to make another trip this spring (soon) out to Depoe Bay where the official Whale Watching Center is- with whale watching experts available year-round.  For some reason, just going whale watching is not enough, but I guess I wasn't that specific in my list making, so...#20 is sort-of-officially,-at-least-in-theory crossed off the list.