We made it to Oregon!

My mom, niece Brianna, Jenna and I flew Wednesday evening out here. The girls did great with the flights, sleeping while we were flying yet wide awake while we had our layover in Vegas. We got into Medford, Oregon at about 1:45 in the morning their time which was like 4:45 our time. That first day was exhausting, but fun. We went sight seeing around Grants Pass with my mom's sister Barb during the day and then went to her and Keith's house for dinner. Let me just say how amazing their home is!! Keith designed & built it and I have never seen anything like it. Every aspect is artistic and creative and the views from their 10 acre mountain top property are breath-taking! We enjoyed a great meal of homemade hummus and shrimp cocktail appetizers, grilled salmon, salad and corn for dinner and ice cream for dessert. It was so nice just all being together.

Jenna has gotten a kick out of my grandparents' dog, Coda, just as much as we all have. He is such a cute little dog who is a Dotson and Chihuahua mix. For a while now I have been asking Jenna, "What does the dogie say?" My response has always been, "woof woof (panting noise)". Jenna now makes the panting noise every time she sees Coda and it is just hilarious!!!



Friday we went into town with my Grandparents and walked the streets looking at shops and saw more of the bears that line the streets during the summer months. Each one is completely different with a completely different theme. We then went to the park so Brianna could play on the slides and swings. She had so much fun!!! That night we went to a potluck dinner at my grandparents community club house. We had some fun entertainment of two women playing the button box. For those of you not familiar with the button box...it is like an accordion, but if you push a button it plays one note as you pull the box out and another as you push it back in. Jenna got a kick out of watching this.


Saturday we went on what has been my favorite part of the trip. We drove through the Red Wood Forest and walked through a neat trail that had educational signs throughout it. What an amazing thing to see in person.

Then we drove over to the Pacific coast where we had a nice picnic and then played on the beach. I can now say I have been coast to coast!!! Jenna got so excited seeing the ocean and kept doing her happy pant! It was a great day but one that I wish Josh could have been with us to be a part of.

That night we had a fun dinner of homemade zucchini fritters and kielbasa or Oregon hot dogs as Brianna called them. The fritters were really tasty and reminded me of my childhood as my grandma used to make them for me then too. It was hilarious watching Jenna try them, but she ate some like a champ!

So many new changes

Well, it has been awhile since my last post and a lot has happened. At the end of June, Grandma Deb and Great Grandma Betty came down from New Jersey to visit their little girl Jenna (Josh and me too)! It was so special getting to she Jenna with her grandma. Deb was so generous with her time and helped so much. She even watched Jenna one night so that Josh and I could go on a date. We went to Ruth's Chris steakhouse, had a fabulous meal and a great bottle of wine.

Then the Tuesday after they left Jenna started daycare part time! She cried when I left her and was excited when I got back. She is only going part time on Tuesday and Thursday, but it is amazing how she has already had the daycare funk every week. She is sick when I get her on Thursday, gets better by Tuesday morning and then is sick again by Thursday. The plus side to daycare though is she is playing with other kids and has started eating table food in small quantities. Jenna being in daycare has allowed me to be able to show homes on those days to clients who don't want kids tagging along. Real estate has still been constant since I have 3 different buyer clients I am working with right now. One of which is under contract on a new construction home. Hopefully, the others will go under contract soon. I have also been able to start working out again at the gym, which has felt awesome!

Then in July my Aunt Barb and her boyfriend Keith came into town from Oregon and stopped by for brunch as they headed to Asheville. We had a good time getting to spend time chatting and eating good food. Then the next week when they headed back to my folks house Jenna and I got to spend some more time with them. We even had another special treat when my mom's brother Jim joined us as well after being in NC on a business trip. It was fun getting to spend time with family I don't see that often.

Another new thing is Jenna loves playing with pillow forts that her mom and dad build for her. She will crawl through them and then knock them down. It is so funny to watch her play with them. She hasn't quite grasped needing to lower her head all the way and will just plow into the pillows.

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Jenna has also started doing this funny scowl look. She looks so funny when she does it and looks a lot like her dad when he is being serious with work when she does it. The funniest part is she will make the face and then start smiling or laughing. So she doesn't do it because she is upset, she just does it to do it. What a funny little girl. Sorry if some of these pictures have been blurry. I need to get a new camera that stays in focus.

This week Josh is in Connecticut for a Stanley Sales Meeting and then this weekend will head to New Jersey to spend time with family and friends. Jenna and I are flying out to Oregon on Wednesday night to go see my mom's parents and my aunt Barb. It should be an adventure and we are looking forward to it! I'll let you know how we make out...