because for some reason I haven't made coffee yet...

...Or because I've left all the things I need to do until the last minute (i.e. now), I'm just posting over at Salt + Light today. 

(this has nothing to do with the fact that I wrote in a flash of inspiration at about 2am and woke up with a noticeable lack of inspiration for another post at this more reasonable hour)

Anyway, I'm off to collect goodies for dinner tonight with some lovely ladies at a lovely place (I'm leaning towards sauteed brussels sprouts with pancetta and dried cherries and/or rosemary-balsamic marinated portobello mushrooms). 

And wine. Lots of wine. 

shameless, part vii

sunglasses: H&M

sweater/belt/tank: forever 21; pants: old navy

necklace: anthropologie

ring: somewhere in the depths of pike place market

shoes: gap (last season, but I'm pretty sure they still have similar ones)

hair: the thing that only took me 25 years to figure out how to tame

to hell with anyone who says you can't wear white pants in winter!

I had to celebrate the sunshine on Friday with white pants. And taking photos for another shameless post. 

(this may also correlate slightly with the fact that in the last 10 ten days I have read every post ever on The Daybook and I'm hell-bent on recreating 90% of Sydney's outfits)

On an entirely different note, I've finally been getting Salt + Light off the ground with a couple of posts!

If you're ever interested in guest posting there about matters of faith, spirituality or beliefs drop me a line: lauren.mortonfarmer@gmail.com

Hope everyone's week is off to a great start! Me, oh I'll just buried in wine bottles.

(not complaining)

weekly gratitude

thank you jared's slippers for keeping my toes warm in an otherwise freezing apartment

Is the last week of January finally time to take down the last of your Christmas lights?

I've been denying the fact that it's almost February and had tentatively planned to keep mine up for the foreseeable future, but now that one strand has burned out the twinkle light canopy doesn't quite have the same effect. 

Blerg. 

Maybe it's the universe's way of telling me twenty-five is too old to be using twinkle lights as your main source of illumination?

Whatever. 

I'm leaving the more subtle strand along my bookshelf wall where it is - ambiance and all. 

But more importantly...

-

1. Thank you Robin for getting home safely! True, I haven't seen you yet but knowing that you're back within a 5 mile radius makes me happy. And I think it's time for another Camaraderie Feast to celebrate your return. Yes? I say yes.

2. Thank you for the fact that Michull and Maggie will be here THURSDAY! I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've seen that ginger-bearded face. Michull, I cannot wait to Scuttle at you and froon it up right nice! 

3. Thank you God, once again, for holding me accountable. I've tripped up a couple times this week on my mission to be the woman I want to be, but you know what? I am grateful. I am sincerely grateful that I have Someone who can look at me, tell me that what I've done was wrong and hold me to my word when I said I wanted to be a better person... And then love me anyway! Crazy. I want to continue working toward being the person He wants me to be and I know the only way to do that is if He throws all of my successes AND all of my failures into the spotlight of my life. This is how I live my life without regrets; even though the way certain lessons have been learned may be less than desirable, the good that has come of it far outweighs anything else. Lessons learned the hard way folks... Lessons learned the hard way. (Worth it)

4. Thank you for this honest hunger I have for Him. It's been virtually a lifetime of wishing and praying for that kind of drive to learn more about my faith and the strength to trust in something bigger than me. I'm still learning, still very much a work in progress, but for the first time in my life I crave this. And on that note, thank you for the friend who inspired me (though yes, as you said, the circumstances could have been better, haha). I've always known He works in mysterious ways (just like I've always known how much I love cliches sometimes) but with the help of friends, the help of family and the help of Him, I think I just might be starting to figure this out. 

5. Thank you for Trader Joe's Cocoa Almond Spread. That's all. 

6. Thank you John Mark for your new book! I'm barely into it, but already it's wonderful. I've never dealt with depression, but anxiety and worry are two things I've unfortunately come to regrettably accept as just "part of who I am". Kind of running off that "you can't help how you feel" philosophy... ANATHEMA! No more, dammit! NO MORE! I got a wake up call the other day and then this happened. This morning John Mark spoke on the same topic - why do we let anxiety take up residence in our minds? How are we doing ourselves any good by surrendering to worries? (hint: you know the answer to these questions) And so, I will do the following: 1) take every thought captive, 2) "control your thoughts, or your thoughts control you" and, 3) think instead on what is true - not what might happen (but more often than not, won't). Free yourself! 

7. Thank you for this:

I miss Laura, John & Jack. 

-

My plan for this week is to address my Pinterest addiction. I'm pushing almost a thousand pins and over 700 "likes"... Too much? What's too much?

Oh, and somewhere in there I'm having dinner with Jodi, Mari and Caitlyn at The Dundee Manor. 

Dinner party for the win. 

weekend rodeo

filed under: "strange things to find in your grandmother's jewelry box"

What's that? Hmm? Oh, there's sun in Portland?

SUN. 

IN PORTLAND.

IN JANUARY.

I'll take it!

And so as a delightful alternative for writing a real post today I'm going to do a quick round up (get the rodeo reference now?) here of little amusings I've found on the internets this week. Because I want to go play outside. And I'm severely lacking in Vitamin D. 

-

A wonderful post from the sweet Kate about happiness.

I'm still the little girl who wants a pony for her birthday.  

If I wasn't afraid of tripping over a long skirt at work, I'd totally rock this.

How many times a year is it appropriate to make this? I'm hungry for it again. 

I love everything in Clare's shop (and have six of her prints in my apartment already!)

This is amazing and a true act of repentance.

UNREAL. 

Workin' on my night cheese. 

Oh, and one more food related item. 

Robin comes home tomorrow! Yay! 

-

Also, huge announcement!

It's my dear, sweet Katy's birthday today!

Truly, she is one of the truest, kindest, most inspiring people you could ever hope to meet. 

Plus she's got the sharpest wit in the world.

(and she teaches little munchkins in Los Angeles and for that alone she deserves a medal)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATY ASSNER!!!

(not her real last name)

Love you and miss you!

they are night zombies! they are neighbors! they have come back from the dead! ahhhh!

I got to thinking about zombies last night (I know, my normalcy rating just shot off the charts) and remembered this video made by one of the Indiana kids' old friends. 

I've always loved this song (I kinda want to wrap myself up in the lead singer's voice) and take note: this video is awesome. 

Extra awesome because at various points you see our friend Katie and I can be like, "Hey! I know that zombie!" which is always a fun thing to say.

So hope this doesn't give anyone any nightmares.

And if it does, man up - it's only a video. 

(and don't ever watch The Walking Dead)

-

post title in reference to this sufjan stevens  song, which is also pretty nifty 

born to run

Dean, I hope the title got your attention enough to read this post. 

I dedicate this one to you.

(And to Jon Hamm, because we all know he is so much more than Don Draper) 

Enjoy. 

early morning texting: advisable?

There are certain things you just shouldn't do before 8am.

Or before coffee.

Texting about chores to be done throughout the day is just one item on that massively long list.

(a good argument could be made for brain surgery or practicing your javelin throws, too)

Anyway, when some people ::cough:: Jared ::cough:: choose to blatantly disregard the tail-end of the 7 o'clock hour this is what happens...

7:57am

Jared: When are you thinking about coming over [to do laundry]?

Me: Whenever works for you. I'm off today so I'm flexible.

Jared: I'm trying to get out of bed now so you can come over whenever. 

Me: Haha, ok. I'm still in bed too and it's very cold in my apartment so getting up might be a slow process.

Jared: Yeah, same here.

Me: I can totally do laundry from bed, right? Everything'll get done and I can just stay warm, curled up listening to the rain! And definitely NOT feel like a lazy bum!

Jared: Yeah sure, little elves will come and do it for you.

Me: I knew I kept those little buggers on staff for a reason.

-

And scene. 

oh brother (a birthday tribute)

Recognize this fella?

It's Blake.

My pseudo-brother and best friend (and official ledge-talker-off-er). He's one-half of my other two-thirds (and he's bad at math, just like me).

Also, today is his birthday. 

It should be a national holiday.  

Banks should close!

Foreign dignitaries should be contacted!

Fancy soaps and guest towels should be used!

...Or, we can just look at some pretty pictures of him from his modeling days!

Ah. Yes. Good plan.

 

But fo' real-real (not fo' play -play)...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Love you boyo. Thanks for always being there for me. 

And for being so tall. And coming to visit me when everything fell apart. And for helping me drink margaritas off the countertop. And for that big hug when I needed it most last time we were home. And for making raptor sounds. And for singing "Part of Your World" with a Brooklyn accent on the way to Disneyland. And for that time you made me Frankencake. And that time you and I skipped Leslie's class to go to the art supply store (the first time I ever skipped a class in my life!). And for hours spent watching Will & Grace. And for being Peter Pan sometimes so that I can pretend I'm Wendy when neither of us want to grow up. And for not always being prettier than me. And for your love of fancy cheeses. And Meryl Streep. And for making that stupid poetry class we took bearable. And for all those times we went to the pet store between class to play with puppies. And for GETTING a puppy so that I'd have someone to cuddle with while you and Brig spooned that night we camped out in your old apartment. And for wearing plastic bags over your converse in the snow. And for the drives through the canyons listening to "You Don't Own Me" and "Dark Blue". And for singing Abba with me. And for the time we walked miles up the beach and landed at Neptune's Net (or whatever restaurant that was) and you built your own little Andy Goldsworthy stack of rocks. And for that time in Florence when we sat on the steps of Il Duomo and drank prosecco straight from the bottle. In the rain. And for when you and I recorded the audio for that Marie Antoinette bio-pic you animated in a makeshift sound studio made of couch cushions and a blanket. And for sending me said audio tracks (to be used as blackmail should I ever need it).  And for giving Toni Braxton a run for her money. And for always believing in love. And for hoping for the possibility that maybe, just maybe, that notion of "happily ever after" isn't so unattainable. And for never letting your creativity sit still for too long. And for your insatiable curiosity. And for your wanderlust. And for your wicked, wicked wit. And for that mischievous smile when you know you've done something that will piss me off but not enough that I won't smile too.

And for just being Wonderboy. 

I'll get to work on your birthday poem now.

Let's see... What rhymes with Grey Gardens?

Thank god you don't take yourself too seriously. 

weekly gratitude

thank you neon yellow leg warmers for being excellent stand-ins for my (as of today, nothing but dirty) socks

Oregon's weather patterns are unpredictable. At best.

People ask me all the time when they come up to the winery how long I've lived here and, upon finding out that I'm a native Californian, always go immediately to - "How do you deal with all the rain?!"

I'm the wrong person to ask that question of. 

I love the rain.

Every heard the Rocky Votolato song "She Was Only In It For The Rain"? It's kind of like that. Not really, but in terms of the title, it's like that.

Except I'm in it for other reasons than just the rain (have you any idea how obsessed with food this town is? I'm also in it for that reason).

So the fact that it's been bucketing down rain for the better part of the week (once the snow melted) doesn't exactly have me down - kinda diggin' it, actually. Now granted, after much more than a week of this I'll be craving those December days of sunshine and freezing temperatures (seriously, how wonderful is that cold, crispy kind of weather when the sun is crystal clear in the sky? I LOVE IT!) but until then, I'll happily listen to that pitter patter, pitter patter, whoa-oo-oa-oah! 

And count a few other blessings while I'm at it...

-

1. Thank you for the following text from Robin:

"So I just had to chug 3 pints of Guinness and 3 shots of Jameson to prove myself. Now everyone is afraid of me."

Lady has been back in the midwest for her best friend's wedding and apparently had to teach the boys of the wedding party how it's done! Mixing their whiskey with coke? Cream and/or sugar in their coffee?! ANATHEMA!  After a phone call spent reassuring each other that we're basically just better than the boys because we drink our whiskey straight and our coffee black, it was decided that not only are we better at life than these so-called "men", but our daddies raised us right! Haha.

2. Thank you Shamoo for being so dang sweet sometimes. I made dinner for the boys Tuesday night and since it was a crock-pot situation there was some time to play with while things were crocking. So while I propped up in their living room watching 30 Rock and attempting to make some beaded necklaces (tutorial here!), the macho men headed off to the gym. Anyone who knows our Shamoo knows he's a quiet one, a man of few words ("He's tall, that's all!") but as he headed out the door I hear, "Thank you, Lairen, for all that you do. I really do appreciate everything you do for us." ::smile:: Thank you, Shamoo!

3. Thank you for drinks with Jodi to celebrate all of the exciting new things in her life! I'll leave the details up to her to blog about, but can I just say how proud of her I am?! Ready, fire, aim! You're going to do amazing things lady, so glad we got to raise a glass to your new adventure!

4. Thank you for just an overall good day. Church was packed this morning (at 8am!) which always makes me happy (seriously, Portlanders like their sleep so the early service is usually pretty mellow, open seats pretty easy to scout out, but not today!). The message was awesome (among other things, Matthew 6:34, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." And the one and only Bob Dylan when asked if he was happy, "Those are yuppie words, happiness and unhappiness. It's not happiness or unhappiness. It's blessed or unblessed.") Work was, eh, what it was. Nothing groundbreaking. But after work I picked up Jared, Shamoo and Dean to meet some friends over at Salvador Molly's where a good meal was had by all. And where, I do believe, Jared and Dean worked out some preliminary plans for the eventual Zombie Apocalypse. Ah - yes - priorities. 

5. Thank you for letting me be joyful overall. Hearing John Mark talk about how he's just not one of those people who wakes up on the "right side of the bed" in a good mood everyday just makes me all the more thankful that even when I feel downcast and sullen, I still can't help but be a little happy inside. I can't help it. It's in my nature. 

"I love smiling! Smiling's my favorite!" 

-

One of the other things that John Mark was talking about today was how for him, a lot of his anxiety and depression stemmed from things entirely within his control, one of those things being ingratitude. As a perfectionist he said one of his biggest struggles is thinking things could always be better than they are which, in turn, makes him overlook the beauty of life happening all around him and all of the amazing things he has to be thankful for.

It made me that much happier to have this little outlet for gratitude (and you wonderful readers who listen to my warbling). It really is wonderful to sit down each week, think back and take absolute note of all the things I have to be happy about.

No. Not happy.

Blessed.

-

And though yes, this song is pretty much a downer, I absolutely love it and had to mention Rocky again. I can't wait for him to come back to Portland. 

if peter pan said it, it must be true

Happy weekend-ing. 

(photo via)

indoor kid with an outdoor voice

*preface: this post has absolutely no train of thought but it's a nice reprieve from sorting laundry*

1. The list above is from McSweeney's and it is tremendously entertaining. 

2. My morning dilemma (dilemma here meaning major first world problems) makes me realize I am definitely a Pacific Northwesterner: apparently I didn't grind enough coffee beans resulting in weak coffee (oh, the horror!) which led to me rifling through my fridge in search of kombucha which I eventually found hiding behind a half-eaten can of baby corn and a tub of hummus. So now I'm drinking weak coffee. And kombucha. The baby corn is still in the fridge (waiting until lunch time). 

3. I came to the realization that my reaction to watching Teen Mom 2 is akin to that of men watching sports when their team does something stupid. I yell at the TV, I try to offer helpful advice but they never listen! My heart goes out to these girls, and it seems like a few of them are actually doing the best job they can, but there's one in particular that I desperately want to shake and smack across the face. Guess what honey, going out on Saturday nights and drinking and getting high with your friends does not make you a good mother (nor does wearing your Lady Gaga "Free Bitch" rubber bracelet to a meeting with your college counselor)! I may not have children, but I sure as hell know when I do I will sacrifice everything I can to ensure their lives are everything they deserve. It blows my mind how these girls still think they deserve all of the same liberties they had pre-baby. Oy. 

4. Oh, and there is a baby daddy on the show too that I want to absolutely flay (::cough:: Adam ::cough::)

5.  Seriously, this coffee is pathetic.

6. Is it so wrong to want to be friends with The Pioneer Woman? That gal makes me want to cook nothing but meaty, buttery meals for cowboys for the rest of my life (I'm painfully domestic in case you hadn't noticed). Chicken fried steak? Whiskey BBQ sliders? Cheesy bacon grits and pork tenderloin?! My new goal in life is to cook a meal with her and take pictures of it then write a quippy account of the evening for our adoring fans.

(reality has no place in my world)

7. Remember when it was all snowy and beautiful? Now it's rainy and while still beautiful, it's not snow. Boo. 

8. Go here and thank me later. 

9.  The definite downside of living in the Land of the Evergreens is pine needles. Everywhere. All over my apartment. Couple that with the sensational amount of hair I shed and my vacuum definitely gets more regular workouts than I do. I'm not sure how I feel about this but I'm proud to report that my vacuum's mile time is improving significantly. 

10. Oh good golly, watch this. 

the not-so-bad sandwich chronicles

Guys...

First of all, take a long look at this.

This is a sandwich cake.*

 *If anyone is planning my 26th birthday party (nine months in advance) and would like an idea as to what kind of cake I'd like - BOOM. 

Second of all, there are only two people reading this who will appreciate the title of this post. 

You know who you are. 

-

Now if you don't mind, I need to go stock my fridge with a variety of smoked fish.

Because that's a totally normal thing to do and it doesn't make me sound crazy (or Scandinavian) at all. 

(photo via)

dewey

I went through a phase a while back (read: about a month ago) where I decided it was entirely vital to watch Malcolm in the Middle from beginning to end. 

I'm happy to say it went well.

And by the end of it, my heart belonged to Dewey.

I hope these clips help you understand why.

The first one is by far my favorite because it manages to incorporate ABBA into the mix.

(and now that I've got that out of the way, I can refocus my energy on 30 Rock season 5)

an encounter with the washington state patrol

I have a new item to file under "Lessons Learned The Hard Way".

When your gas gauge reads 1/4 full before you embark on a trip to Seattle, you should probably just go ahead and fill up before you leave town.

Thus begins the harrowing journey that resulted in the faces you see in the photo above. 

Are you the type who likes to flip to the end of a book before you read it so you know how it ends in case you die before you can finish it? (When Harry Met Sally? Anyone? Anyone?)

Well then I'll tell you the gist of this story.

I ran out of gas on I-5 somewhere between Portland and Seattle.

The end.

For you more ambitious readers though, grab some sort of beverage treat and prepare for an entertaining situation (and the full extent of my written loquaciousness).

-

So Robin and I went to Seattle last week just for the hell of it. We're young, we've both got the wanderlust and we both had the day off. That's all the backstory you need.

Early in the morning, coffee in hand and pastries filling our tummies, we had Chuck Ragan wailing through the speakers and  we were good. to. go. 

And yes, like I mentioned, the gas gauge read 1/4 tank left so I figured we'd fill up once we were out of town a little ways and the prices were more reasonable (this has nothing to do with the fact that I am lazy and hate taking the time to get gas) (and never mind about the fact that in Oregon you don't even have to get out of the car because you aren't allowed to pump your own gas) (also never mind the fact that I was apprehensive about waiting until we got to Washington to fill up because I feared I wouldn't remember how to pump my own gas... MOVING ON). 

So we're plugging along, stopping just once at a rest stop across the border because in Washington the rest stops offer free coffee (yeah, free coffee, no strings attached) and clean bathrooms.

This is not the case in the California rest stops I'm used to.

There, you pretty much just hope to use the facilities, not make eye contact with anyone and not die.

Anyway, we were pretty impressed with what good time we were making. We were less than an hour away from our destination and we'd been on the road barely two hours.

We start talking, get into some really good conversation and then... Then... 

We were slowing down... 70mph... 50mph... Oh god, 40mph...

*note: I was not slowing down - the car was slowing down*

Yeah. That little glowing "E" on the dash? Should have been paying attention to that. Also should have been using our indoor voices so that we might hear the clever chime alerting me to our situation.

Neither of those things happened. 

And so with surprising wherewithal in a situation ripe for panic mode, I pulled off to the left shoulder and just made it out of the carpool lane to safety. I turned off the car. I decided it might be a good idea to pull of a little more, just in case. 

Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. I couldn't even get the thing started again. 

So Robin popped out for a smoke while I called Allstate and hoped to find myself in those "good hands" Dennis Haysbert is always going on about.

After about 10 minutes of automated phone tree hell, I get some voice on voice contact which goes something like this:

Allstate: Hi, what seems to be the problem?

Me: I'm out of gas on I-5 just south of Seattle.

Allstate: What town are you in?

Me: Not sure exactly, all I know is that I'm 21 miles south of Seattle, on I-5 heading north.

Allstate: Do you know what zipcode you're in?

Me: (thinking to myself) How the hell do you expect me to know the bloody zipcode when I don't know the town? (speaking) No, I don't, sorry. I think the last major town we went through was Tacoma.

Allstate: OK, well let me transfer you to a company near there and we'll get you squared away.

Cool. Thank you ma'am, I appreciate it. The transfer was made:

Pop-a-Lock (or whatever the name of the company was): Thank you for calling, what can I do for you?

Me: (explaining the situation)

PAL: Uh huh. Well, ok, it seems there's been a glitch in our system with Allstate and we can't access your information so if you'll just hang up and call back so the system will register everything.

Me: (who would rather die than go back through an automated phone tree for 15 minutes) You know what, time is of the essence so I'll just pay out of pocket for gas delivery.

PAL: OK, well where are you exactly?

Me: 21 miles south of Seattle on I-5 North. Sorry, that's all I know. I wasn't paying attention to road signs.

PAL: Well what exit are you near?

Me: I don't know, I wasn't looking at exit numbers. Oh, wait! I am directly across the road from mile marker 145!

PAL: OK, well, we need to get an idea of where you are exactly so what was the last exit you passed?

Me: Not sure, but I am directly across the road from mile marker 145.

PAL: (clearly unsure about life in general) Well, all right, we'll send someone out and find you. 30 minutes or less. Thank you for calling Pop A Lock!

 A few minutes go by. We kill time laughing at this pickle we're in. Then my phone rings...

PAL: Hi, this is Carlos from [We-Will-Be-Absolutely-No-Help-To-You-Auto-Care]! Now where are you exactly?

Me: I AM DIRECTLY ACROSS THE ROAD FROM MILE MARKER 145.

PAL: Well, hmm, what's the next exit ahead of you?

Me: .....

PAL: What's around you, like, are there any landmarks? I'm just trying to figure out where you are so I can bring some gas.

Me: ......

And at this point, an angel appears.

In the form of a Washington State Patrolman named Sergeant J.M. Ross.

Sgt. Ross: Are you ladies okay?

Me: (explains situation)

Sgt. Ross: Oh no! No light on the dash? No bell ringing?

Me: There was, but we were talking and didn't notice and now I feel like an idiot!

Sgt. Ross: (honest-to-god forehead slap) Haha! Well, who are you on the phone with now?

Me: Allstate and whaynot.

Sgt. Ross: Ah, don't worry about that. I'll call DOT and see if we have anyone in the are who can bring some gas out!

Me: Really? So should I hang up with this guy?

Sgt. Ross: Oh yeah, I wouldn't want to pay them to do it! Haha.

So I hang up with the stupidest man alive the Pop A Lock guy and wait for Sgt. Ross to return.

Which he does, with good news! A DOT worker will be there in about 10 minutes! And he'll wait with us and make sure we get back on the road safely!

HALLELUJAH! 

Sure enough, a gal from DOT shows up (and like Sgt. Ross, is as nice as can be), fills up the tank with a couple gallons and we were off!

-

When I got home that night, I did some sleuth work around the web and found an email address for our hero. I sent him a immense dose of gratitude, thanking him for rescuing us and restoring any bit of lost faith in the goodness of humanity.

This was his response:

Good morning Lauren,

You did a great job of detective work!  (Have you thought of a career in law enforcement?) I am glad I was able to help you and your friend.  It is coincidental, I actually had planned on patrolling the south end of the county but when I got to the freeway on-ramp, I turned and went northbound.  In fact I said to myself, "Why did I go north?"

All things do happen for a reason!  In fact, you can consider us even, my shift started early this morning and shall we say, I have had better starts to my days.  But then I opened your email and read your kind words and appreciation.  You have put a smile on my face and NO ONE will ruin the rest of my day.

Thank you very much and please pass along my thanks to your friend.  I will ensure that your kind words reach the DOT worker was there.  Have a great day!

-

So to anyone who thinks the world is going to hell, I say HA!

There is a lot of good in this world.

And I've got proof. 

because the coast had no idea it's january

Are you sick of pictures yet?

No?

Thank God, because here are like 50 more from our day along the Oregon Coast last weekend... Punctuality is another strong point that could use some exercising. 

After Robin, Frankie, Matty, the guys' friend Heather and I piled into the car last Sunday morning and drove a couple hours down 99W, we landed snug along the coast at Depoe Bay for some whale watching. 

You'll have to trust me on this one. We did see whales. Grey whales. Migrating pods in search of warmer waters (doesn't that describe all of us in the Pacific Northwest this time of year?). 

The whales though were a few miles off the coast so binoculars were about all we could rely on to see the blowhole spouts in the distance. 

But seriously, we could not have ordered a better day than if we had been flipping through a catalog of desirable weather patterns. 

Hello high 60's, we'd almost forgotten what you looked like! 

Then, thanks be to Robin and an insatiable lust for lighthouses (there's probably a joke there somewhere), we stopped at the Yaquina Head Lighthouse.  

Oh, and while we were there we saw this bald eagle just chillin' a few hundred feet away. 

Damn.

Seeing that thing was beyond words. Have you ever seen one in the wild in real life?

Outrageous. 

And the lighthouse was incredible! We were all completely captivated by the architecture and majesty. 

And by captivated, I mean completely freaked out at the prospect of climbing this spiral staircase (one at a time, because that was the rule and because that's incredibly reassuring when thinking about the thing's structural integrity).

And below? Cobble Beach.

Absolutely gorgeous, if not a little tedious (you gotta commit to every. single. step. on those bloody rocks or you will fall and you will die).

*I am not overly dramatic at all*

Being challenged in the "don't-fall-to-your-death" department, this photo nicely illustrates my careful foot placement on the rocks. 

See? Calm and excited on the outside - just happy to stand still on the inside. 

Matty is more adventurous than I am. 

Frankie & Matty are so cute it just slays me. 

After our mini-excursion, we made it to Newport and had a phenomenal pub lunch at Nana's Irish Pub (black & tans and an Irish Breakfast are a fine way to spend an afternoon, just throwing that out there)

Laziest sea lion alive. 

And finally, the real reason we went to the coast in the first place: crabbing!

Frankie and Matty have all the equipment needed to catch the little crustaceans so we happily went along for that ride. 

Newport, Oregon is a happy, happy place. 

Salt water taffy! 

We all tried our hand at tossing the net out...

But as our patience ran out - and the sun went down - we got cold and decided to pass the time with a cup of clam chowder from Mo's.

Then, lo and behold, SUCCESS! 

Kinda. 

We caught one little Sebastian (and proceeded to pose with him while he tried in vain to pinch the hell out of us) (ha! foiled!)

Not enough for the crab feast we were hoping for, so we threw him back and decided to call it done!

And with a sunset like that to guide us home, how could we be mad about not getting crabs?

Most people would consider that a pretty good day.