Happy Anniversary to us!

This weekend, Zach surprised me with a late overnight anniversary trip since our 1 year anniversary (August 1) was spent recovering from a C-Section with our 18 day old preemie. He had told me nothing about the trip other than that we would be spending a night away somewhere and that I should bring warm clothes for Charis and me.

After we got in the car, Zach finally told me where we were going: Parkdale, Oregon. My guess is that no one reading this blog has ever heard of Parkdale, Oregon, considering it is a rural town of about 200 people, but Zach and I had actually been to this very place previously. Two years ago, we were driving around that area of the state looking desperately for somewhere to eat, and we came upon a quaint little bed and breakfast: The Old Parkdale Inn. We stopped there to ask for directions, and we were graciously directed across the street to a tiny little pub (the only restaurant in Parkdale, I'm asssuming). Since that night, we have talked and joked about returning to Parkdale, and we have particularly discussed going back to that bed and breakfast. You can only imagine my excitement, then, when Zach told me that we had reservations at the Old Parkdale Inn for that evening.

We stopped for lunch in Eugene (at Chipotle, of course) and then headed east on Historic Highway 30 toward Hood River. Along the way, we stopped at a few waterfalls (Multnomah falls was definitely a favorite) and ate dinner in Hood River. From there it was about a 20 minute drive south into Parkdale, and around that time it began to snow. Hard. We crawled toward Parkdale in the blizzard conditions, and when we finally arrived, the quaint little town was already a winter wonderland.

After drying our shoes by the fire, we went up to our room and had a wonderful evening being spoiled by the wonderful accommodations and our very well-behaved baby. It really could not have been more perfect, and the fact that we were in Parkdale made it even more special. In the morning, we had a wonderful breakfast and took Charis on a snowy walk (much to her amazement!). We then headed back for a quick lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings (Zach's favorite) in Portland, and returned to Roseburg this evening. What a wonderful trip it was!


I can't believe we're at the Old Parkdale Inn!


The bed and breakfast from the outside


Charis was quite excited to be there, too :)


Zach and Charis in front of Mt. Hood (this is in the front yard of the Old Parkdale Inn)


This is Charis' reaction to the snow and 15 degree weather.


At beautiful Multnomah Falls


And. . . Charis' reaction to Multnomah Falls :)




Getting some loving from Mom and Dad at lunchtime.

To my love: thank you for an incredible trip! It was charmed and perfect. I love you!