Missing Oregon

I haven't posted anything about Eugene or leaving Eugene because I haven't let myself think about it much because I miss it so much. I'm so grateful to be living by family again and that's ultimately what we wanted, but it doesn't make leaving Eugene easier.

I miss our house. I loved our house. Our old, quirky, ugly-on-the-outside-but-beautiful-on-the-inside house. I miss our wall of windows along the back of the house. I miss sitting on my couch, looking outside, and feeling like I was outside. I miss Drew running around the "circle" in the middle of the house.

I miss our yard. It was big, fully fenced (which was a dream with an active toddler), had a big, covered deck, and it was beautiful. Full, green grass. Gorgeous, tall trees that provided welcome shade on those hot summer days.

Of course I miss living close to these two amazing people. Drew's birthparents are so strong, so beautiful, so wonderful, and we love them so much. (And yes, I have a more current picture of them with Drew, but this one is my favorite. :) Luckily, Oregon isn't too far away so we'll still be able to have visits with them.

But quite possibly the thing I miss most are the friends we made. So many wonderful, amazing, FUN friends! Countless dinners, play dates, walks, parks, lunches, everything.

My girlfriends planned a girl's night the night before we packed up the truck to move. I wish I could've packed them all up and brought them with me. :)

My oh my, how Drew loved his friends! I'm so grateful we moved before he could figure out how to say any of their names because I know he'd still be asking to play with them.

Yes, I love it here in Utah. I love being close to family. And Drew loves his cousins - all 17 of them.

But that doesn't mean I won't have sad days where I miss Oregon so much my heart hurts. Hopefully we'll get to go back soon to visit!

Ducks games

Last Saturday, I was fortunate enough to score a pair of tickets to the Oregon-Cal game right before kickoff! I love going to Ducks games, so my excitement level of getting tickets to this game was comparable to that a little kid getting a puppy for Christmas.
I was going to take Ang with me, but it worked out better for me to take my home boy Blake, instead. The seats were in the student section and we got there a few minutes late, so it was obvious that we would have to stand the whole time (if we were lucky enough to find the space). I have progressed enough in my physical therapy to where I can now walk with a cane (and feel much older in the process), but I still can't stand longer than 15 minutes at a time. Thanks to Blake's smooth skills, we were able to convince security to let us sit in the "patio" at the top of the student section, which is reserved for people with disabilities. We had plenty of space, actual seats to sit in, and no one blocking our view in front of us. Perfect seats!
{Blake and I in our "box" seats}

Possibly one of the most exciting football games I've ever attended. The Ducks destroyed #6 Cal by a score of 42-3! Go Ducks!
{The Ducks in action}

{The Duck was crowd surfing all the way up the stands}

I got quite the sunburn from being at this game. Oh well, it was worth it!