House Hunting and a tour of Oregon

I think its high time I wrote about our weekend of firsts which occured last weekend.
Herman has 2 friends from Florida who are looking to move out here with their family. They were in town last Thursday evening thru early Monday morning. Their goal in coming out here was to find a home for them to buy.

Herman and I decided to trek along with them, and boy are we glad we did. Even though we've both been in Oregon a while, we had never really ventured around the state. We have either been in the Portland area, or out on the coast. When we were with Herman's friends (who quickly became my friends as well) we drove all over Oregon. Some of the places we stopped to house hunt were, Salem, Lebanon, Albany, Wilemina, Vernonia, and St. Helens. Driving from one destination to the next, we saw such beautiful landscapes. With it being fall, the leaves were an amazing array of colors. We drove through forests, mountains, and rolling hills of farms. We truly saw the beauty of this state, and were amazed.

We enjoyed the house hunting and getting to know the market, because hopefully sometime in the near future we oursleves will be out there, trying to find a home for our family. We saw some wonderful homes that I was prepared to fight Tim and Kaire (from Florida) for. One of my favorites was a huge house, built in 1910. It had so many nooks and crannies, and a ton of character. It was out in Lebanon, which is a bit far for this city gal, but I still fell in love.

After a tiring couple of days of house hunting, we decided to go to the zoo on Sunday while Tim and Kaire figured out what, if any, houses they wanted to put offers on. We hit every exibit, and saw some of the animals doing amazing things.

Overall it was a great weekend, and we look forward to when they can move out here, because then we both will have people we can call not only friends, but also family.

Fall

It has been a beautiful fall here in Portland. The weather has been just what you read about in books, always long for, but seldom see. The sun has been out, the leaves are a blaze of colors, and the air is crisp. We are utterly and completely spoiled. Gone are the memories of wet, rainy fall blending into a wet, rainy winter. For now, Herman and I are just enjoying this gift, getting out whenever we can, and appreciating the beauty we see before us.

Each morning on my way into work I drive through virtually undisturbed farm land. I drive down a long and windy road slicing a path between the trees. I am in awe of the colors the trees turn, and the beauty of the sun peeking its way into the otherwise dark atmosphere. My drive become regenerative and peaceful, allowing me to arrive at school ready to teach, and in happy spirits.

The job is going well. I am settling in and feeling more confident in what I do.

Herman is still working hard, although he's had to take a few days off because he keeps stepping on loose nails. Luckily my work insurance has kicked in, so he's been able to go in for a tetanus booster.

We had a brief scare with our kitty Chatty, but he's ok.

Other than that, life is going well, we are blessed, and happy