Oregon Christmas Tree

Oregon Noble Fir

Oregon Top 10

Now that I have lived in Oregon for 5 weeks, I have picked up on a few differences from the other places I've lived (Texas and Oklahoma).  

Here are my top 10:

1. It really does rain everyday.
2. No one uses umbrellas.  The locals say it's too much of a hassle and that it's too windy. (I really don't think it's that windy compared to TX and OK but I'm just going with it.)
3. Instead of deer crossing the roads they have elk.
4. No one in Oregon pumps their own gas.  As a way to make new jobs, all gas stations have workers to pump your gas.  Too bad it increases the price per gallon :(
5. I have not seen a single person in high heels.
6. They don't have Hobby Lobbys.
7. They don't have very many chain restaurants.  The bigger towns do of course, but in Newport the only chains are McDonalds, Subway, Taco Bell, and Quiznos.
8. Coffee shops. Enough said.
9. I have seen very few big trucks and SUVs. People are much more economical here.
10.  You can go clamming or crabbing right outside your door. (At least on the coast)

Above all I have learned that people take for granted where they live.  I have had many people tell me that they haven't even been to the beach in years and it is right there! I guess the grass is always greener (well it really is in Oregon)!

Friends spread apart

Missing my wonderful friends this week.  After a rough day sometimes you just need your girlfriends and a night out (or a night in with a bottle of wine).  It is hard not being able to do that!

 

 I can't believe that most of them I didn't even know until I started PT school in 2009.  Now we have all gone our separate ways for jobs and loved ones.  It is crazy to think how spread apart we all are.  I have friends all over the country - Nashville, Kansas City, Dallas/Fort Worth, Tulsa, Southeast OK, Oklahoma City and everywhere in between.  I hope that we will once all be together again! 

Miss you all!

"Though miles may lie between us, we're never far apart, for friendship doesn't count the miles, it's measured by the heart." - Anonymous

Fishin'

Went deep sea fishing today for lingcod and rockfish.  I have only ever fished on the lake so I was excited/nervous to go out in the ocean. It was a great trip and couldn't have asked for better weather! I got my limit of lingcod (2) and 5 rockfish.  Out of the other 8 people on board I had the biggest ling at 25 pounds!  I will be sore tomorrow from reeling it in---seriously way harder than I thought! Great day!

http://www.captainsreel.com/ 

Headed out of the bay and under the bridge

 

Fish on! First rockfish

Huge lingcod!

Open water

View of the bay

Sea lions at the dock

My ling!

25 pounds!

My catch!

I will be eating fish for awhile!

Georgie's

I have had many patients tell me about Georgie's Beachside Grill in Newport, which is located just down the street from my house.  The sun was out after work today so I decided to head that way to enjoy a glass of wine and dinner watching the sunset (I have figured out that you have to take advantage of these days).  I had a great dinner with an incredible view.  I just can't get used to being able to look one direction and see a lighthouse on top of a cliff and then look the opposite direction and see boats coming and going from the bay....all with a sunset.

Montinore pinot noir

Dungeness crab stuffed mushrooms

Blackened sea scallops with a sweet and spicy chili sauce

http://www.georgiesbeachsidegrill.com
http://www.montinore.com/

Day without rain

Finally a day without rain! Glad I got to take advantage of this pretty sunset!

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do."   - Eleanor Roosevelt

I will be honest, I love my alone time but I hate doing things alone.  I think it is just because I have been so used to having people constantly around that I could hang out with and talk to. I went from high school to college to grad school and then all of the sudden that security blanket is gone.  You are on your own, working, and finally have time to do things other than study.  Obviously I knew that one of the challenges of this job would be having to learn to be alone in a town where you really don't know anyone.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being alone and I think it is really important be comfortable being by yourself.  Traveling is a little harder than that.  I am really trying to work on being comfortable visiting all the sites alone and have the confidence to take myself out on dinner dates.  It is definitely a struggle and something that I will have to work on.  Luckily, I love a challenge. So when was the last time you challenged yourself? 

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Harbor Seals

Okay these seals are crazy!  My friend Eric told me about these seals and how loud they are but I did not believe him until I heard them myself.  Mom and I went to dinner on my first night here, got out of the car and all we could hear were the seals "barking"!  They sit on the rocks in the bay or on the beach and just chat away.  Both harbor seals and sea lions, which are supposedly the louder ones, hang out in the bay area.

I'm posting a video so you can hear them but in person they are 10x louder!  Apparently this isn't even the hot spot for them...there is a place called Seal Rock and there are sea lion caves not too far away that I will have to check out.

Look closely. You can see the seals & sea lions on the rocks