The Oregon Trip

I came home from Oregon, so excited to blog about our first trip since diagnosis.
But, as my first week home passed, I began to feel the weight of emotion of coming back into the routines of the Southern California life. The thoughts over the traffic, the amount of people and their diversity, the compacted life will live in the big city. I feel as if I have returned to chaos. Life is so busy. Our vacation was so peaceful and the days just seemed longer. 

I look through photographs taken from our trip and can feel all the wonderful emotions as if they are still with me. I do not ever want to forget these memories. The tranquility of taking a road trip honestly re-charges oneself. You are reminded of the surroundings and of so much more than your little small world you thrive in day to day. The experiences gained through traveling are worth much more than the money that was spent. Our boys have had their eyes opened to so much more and so have we. Reflecting back now on my week at home... We are less shallow, less envious, truly happy with what God has provided us with. It wasn't just a vacation, It was us as a family getting closer, bonding, sharing, loving each other, just the four of us. It was perfect!

We didn't forget about Diabetes, it didn't let us. Our lancet pen decided to break at dinner time on our first night. Hubby to the rescue and bought disposable lancets as the boys and I waited to eat our dinner until he returned. That was a nervous 15 minutes. Then there was the change in Lantus moving from 9pm to 7 am. Each day on our trip was 3 hours sooner and my phone alarms seemed to be going off non-stop. We managed. Daniel had his highs. Maybe it was the excitement or maybe just his diabetes.

We spent our first day in Oregon visiting family. It was Valentine's Day and we headed to the historic town of Jacksonville for the evening. What a beautiful little place. Old architecture, restored buildings, small unique shops, and a unique mix of restaurants. The perfect hidden small town gem in southern Oregon. 

Our Valentine's dinner was spent here in Jacksonville with my sweet little boys. I couldn't be happier. My perfect dates. And the food, was the best Thai food I've ever had. Amazing since we were in such a small town far from a freeway or a large city. When we make it back to Jacksonville, OR I'll be right back at the Thai House. 

We headed to the Oregon coast the next morning and decided to take the long way home. The scenic route was worth all the extra hours on the road. It was breathtaking. Running creeks, flowing rivers, natural waterfalls, forests that suddenly open up to the coastline, and the most untouched beaches. 

Lunch on the beach before heading into the Redwood State Park. The boys had a blast climbing tree trunks and fallen down redwoods. We visited every tourist spot along the coastline that was in the tourist pamphlet. I never knew those little pamphlets in the hotels really are worth picking up and following. This was I believe the funniest part of the trip for us. Daniel tried climbing a fallen tree over 6 feet in diameter, Landon stepped in elk poop while watching them graze in a meadow, the boys played inside a redwood tree trunk, Daniel said he felt like Tarzan as the boys ran along the empty highway thru the forest, and we drove thru a tree. It was off season so we had the forest to ourselves for the moment. It was so quite. Only the sound of the water flowing down the  river. The night sky lit up with thousands of stars. 

Our final spot on our way home was San Francisco. Daniel wanted to see the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. The weather was beautiful and the bay was clear. We made it in perfect timing as the fog rolled back in as we were leaving. We drove down the famous crooked Lombard Street, ate lunch at Fishermans Wharf, walked along the water, drove on the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay bridge. 

It was just spectacular! I'm ready to plan our next vacation. Life with Type 1 Diabetes is just wonderful. I have a completely different outlook now. The vacation did this Mom good.