{2nd} Wedding Anniversary

Learning new things

I am learning new things. Since I need to be sitting around with my feet up anyways, I thought I would bring my laptop out to the living room, kick my feet up, and play around with Photoshop Elements.
After watching a tutorial video over and over and over, and hitting the 'undo' button a LOT, I finally ended up with this! And I think I could even do it again. hehe
I love summer for that reason. I can sit and play and learn and end up with something great!
I also love summer for other reasons:
sitting outside in the sun and reading books (even if they are boring books that you really just want to be done with).
painting our bedroom and bathroom (and having it turn out great!).
cooking dinner for my husband and trying new recipes.
watching Oprah nearly every day.
talking to friends on the phone.
walking with friends each morning (or nearly every morning).

Summer is great! Enjoy yours-

I {heart} barns

I love old barns. They have always been a favorite of mine to photograph.
They have history.
They know stories and have seen important events.
They know people and the hardships those people endured.
They have texture and character.
They protect.
They hold warmth.
They watch quietly.
They listen.

I think I like barns for the same reason I like grandmas and grandpas; they hold many of the same qualities.
This barn belongs to Brandon's aunt and uncle. I wonder what stories it holds....

Olive Lake {2nd anniversary}

Brandon and I have started a tradition of camping for our wedding anniversary. It's relatively cheap and allows us to just be with each other, with no distractions. Last year we were in Central Oregon, and this year we decided to head further East for a road trip style trip. Once we got our spot picked out at Olive Lake, we decided we didn't want to leave! We have both grown up coming to Olive Lake, but always for day trips. I had never camped there before, I think next time we'll stay at the Fremont Power House and bring out boat!

The view from our trailer.

Hanging out on the dock.

Duke enjoying the water while we hung out on the dock.

Brandon carved Brandon {heart} Becky 2006 into the dock when we were here a few years ago. (It's hard to see in this picture)

We spent an evening out on the dock... it was so romantic.

The evenings were wonderful. We couldn't have picked a better spot to celebrate and rejuvenate ourselves.

Happy 4th of July

wishing you a happy 4th of July.

We're back

and we had a great time! As was expected, it was a crazy fun time with lots of unexpected detours.
Friday night we left Albany at 7pm, getting up to the Paradise Campground at around 9:30 or so. Luckily my great friend Lane was already up there and had a space saved for our camp trailer. We visited with Lane and had a beer (or several) and finally hit the hay around midnight. Saturday morning we slept in and visited some more with Lane and were on the road again at 11am. We made it to Redmond for lunch at Sonic and some grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. From there on our trip was laid back and fun. We stopped here and there, took pictures, let the dog out, and just relaxed. It was fun to stop at places that we wouldn't have otherwise felt we had time to see. We pulled into the John Day Fossil Beds interpretive building for awhile and also at a campground just outside of Mt. Vernon to fill up our water tanks. (It was hot!)
We stopped in Prairie City for dinner, and waited a little extra longer so that Brandon's parents could meet up and eat with us. They had been out and about in that part of the country looking at timber sales. I decided that I could live in Prairie City, it smells so sweet there! I loved it! After dinner we were on our way to Olive Lake. We ended up getting there about 9:30 again and it was pretty full because it was a Saturday night. But there was one spot that would work for the night, so we took it and slept soundly.
Sunday morning we went for a hike to Jump Off Joe Lake (where Brandon caught the fish you see above) and I got SO sunburned. It was a fun day and when we got back we found the BEST camp spot by the lake, so we moved our trailer and settled in for the evening. We cooked our fresh trout and decided it was so pretty, and we had such a great spot, we would spend the rest of the week there, rather than going somewhere else. So there we stayed.
Monday we drove to Granite, Sumpter, and then in to Baker City to get some more groceries and to look around. We had a great time and I decided I could also live in Baker City. =)
Tuesday we drove to Anthony Lakes for a picnic and saw snow on the ground still. It was pretty chilly there, so we didn't stay long, but on the way back we though we would hike to Baldy Lake. That is a LONG story, so you will have to call me if you want to hear that one! haha
Wednesday we went for a short hike up to the Upper Reservoir at Olive Lake, only to find that it is now a meadow, not a lake. It was so pretty up there though. We hung out for awhile and then came back to our camp site and fished, read in the sun and just relaxed.
Thursday morning we got up early and headed back to Albany! We went back through the mountains again, but this time didn't stop as much. I am glad to be home! A big bed, long hot showers, clean feet and room to move around are things that I am enjoying. =)