Pacific Northwest Date

We are back in Dallas and had a great trip. I wasn’t planning on doing a vacation re-cap as I try not to talk about me or day to day stuff, but after a few readers suggested that I do, I thought why not?! Maybe I should do more personal posts to connect more with each of you. I have some highlights, a longer version, as well as some pictures. I apologize that 100% of these pictures I am in my workout clothes with no make-up!

Thank you to Shay, Charity and Amanda for the beautiful guests posts! I am way behind on everyone elses blog, but looking forward to reconnecting.

Also, a friend suggested I wrote a post on how to travel on a budget and how to eat on a budget, so be looking for those in the near future. And, we are already in discussion of our next trip and I would love to hear any ideas or favorite places that you all have too!

Highlights

  • 12 uninterrupted days with Colby
  • Wonderful weather
  • Amazing hikes
  • Beautiful views – God is so creative!
  • Sleep – after the first few days, I was able to sleep in past 5:30!
  • New experiences and places
  • Time with our friend in Seattle
  • Prayer for others – loved being able to pray silently for flight attendants, waitresses, strangers, etc
  • No responsibilities; no cooking and no cleaning!
  • Good food and delicious cocktails
  • Did I mention 12 days with Colby? 😉 I’m addicted; I wish the time together never had to end.

Vancouver

The day we arrived in Vancouver the city was celebrating 125 years of Stanley Park (biggest park in Canada), it was a beautiful day filled with live music, food stands, and a big festival. We did the Grouse Grind hike on Grouse Mountain. Wow, hikers beware; this is not for a beginner. Now I know why there is a warning sign before starting the hike. It’s a 1.8 mile hike STRAIGHT up. The climb is 2,830 stairs. I’m usually winded after 2 flights of stairs, so do the math. 😉 They prohibit hikers from going down because it’s so steep, but just as anything is, it was rewarding when we finished. The hike was the highlight of our time in Vancouver.

Victoria

We loved Victoria as it was a quaint city on the water which made us feel like we were over in Europe. We enjoyed the parks there, went on a 20ish mile bike ride, went whale watching and due to rain, went to a museum!! This is rare for us as we never have been to a museum together, but when the rain started and it was the #1 attraction on tripadvisor we decided to go. We really enjoyed it. The whale watching turned out to be a complete fail. After we couldn’t do it in New Zealand last year due to bad weather, we thought this was our chance. They told us there Is a 95% success of seeing whales, but alas 4 hours later, no whales! It’s funny how easy the worldly part gets a hold of me as I was pretty bummed. After praying through it and realizing, ‘Caroline, you are on an amazing trip, the Lord is present with you, the fact that you didn’t see whales really in the scheme of life, ISN’T that big of a deal’ I was able to cheer up. We have a life time guarantee that we can go back at any time and they will take us back out. Let’s hope if we ever land back in Victoria we remember which whale watching company we were with. 😉

Seattle

We took a ferry over to Seattle where a friend picked us up and took us through the downtown area. We started at the Pikes Market where we saw the original Starbucks and ate lots of food! Side note: All health freak in me goes out the window when traveling. I wish that weren’t the case, but let’s be honest, when you are not at home and constantly on the go it’s hard to eat healthy. It doesn’t help that my husband is a sweets addict and our friend insisted we try all the local foods. The Seattle highlight was spending a full day hiking out by Mt. Rainer which was so gorgeous and awesome.

Portland

In Portland, we went out to Mt Hood and hiked all day out there. We also went to the rose gardens, and did a full day of hiking out by the Columbia Gorge which was so fun! It was about 11 miles of hiking, so by the end of the day we were exhausted. There were actually parts of Oregon that made us feel like we were in New Zealand again, but only for a second 😉 We saw some beautiful sunsets, ate at delicious restaurants and were glad we included Portland in our trip! For those who are interested, friend me on facebook as I posted a lot more pictures there!

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The Grouse Grind.

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Queen Elizabeth Park

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Parliament

Bike ride through Victoria.

Bike Ride

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Mt. Rainer

Tamawanas Falls

Tamawanas Falls

Multnomah Falls - Tallest Waterfall in Oregon

Multnomah Falls

Bridal Veil

Bridal Veil

Wahkeena Falls

Wahkeena Falls

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Portland Sunset

20 Comments
  • Jessica
    Posted at 07:48h, 08 September Reply

    Looks like sure a gorgeous trip. I am so glad you guys got a chance to get away.

  • Emily (eatloveprocreate.blogspot.com)
    Posted at 08:11h, 08 September Reply

    WOWWWWW! Just amazing, those pics! You are making me want to see Oregon (even more), and Wahkeena Falls isn’t too shabby either. So interesting…there is a Brival Veil Falls in Yosemite also. Glad you guys enjoyed your time together. You are too cute together!

  • Jessica
    Posted at 07:47h, 08 September Reply

    Comment

  • Em
    Posted at 10:01h, 08 September Reply

    Workout clothes and no makeup? Sounds like my kind of vacation! You look just lovely…so happy. I’m so glad that the two of you had the chance to get away together. Canada is my absolute dream vacation destination. Someday when that dream comes true, I’ll have to get in touch with you and get your recommendations for what to see and do.

  • Jessah
    Posted at 10:09h, 08 September Reply

    What an amazing vacay! My hubby and I took our first trip together to Portland – loved Multnomah Falls!!! Gorgeous pics. So glad you had such a nice trip together to rejuvenate.

  • Kasey Attianese
    Posted at 10:28h, 08 September Reply

    Welcome home! Your trip sounds like an amazing time! Beautiful pictures as well! We love to travel- our favorite place is Disney World but we’ve had amazing times in Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic!

  • Caroline
    Posted at 09:41h, 08 September Reply

    Yay! So glad you had an awesome trip. Love the pictures. We didn’t eat healthy on our trip either, no worries I think its healthy sometimes!

  • Nat
    Posted at 16:55h, 08 September Reply

    Wow, looks and sounds like you had an AMAZING time! I think you should come to Australia next 😉

  • Mrs. E
    Posted at 18:29h, 08 September Reply

    Welcome back!! It looks like you had a fantastic time. I love the pictures!

  • Aubrey
    Posted at 20:59h, 08 September Reply

    Beautiful pictures (I wouldn’t know in any of them that you don’t have on makeup… Gorgeous!)! Sounds like a great trip 🙂

  • Finley
    Posted at 22:06h, 08 September Reply

    Looks like lots of fun – you two look very active with your holiday – you are right about the scenery – simple gorgeous, our God is awesome!!!

    I love what you said about your hubby. can’t get enough of hubby time and being just the two of you with no distractions, is such a fun holiday!!!

  • Tia
    Posted at 08:53h, 10 September Reply

    You are such a positive person! I love your blog. Looks like you were vacationing in my home – Seattle and Vancouver! Glad you had fun.

  • Kandie
    Posted at 10:14h, 10 September Reply

    Yay! I am happy to see this personal post! Looks like y’all had an amazing trip, so happy for you!

  • Tarrin-Rae
    Posted at 11:46h, 10 September Reply

    beautiful pics! looks like you had a fab time away xx

  • Charity
    Posted at 14:22h, 10 September Reply

    You look gorgeous in all the photos doesn’t matter what you are wearing. Not to mention the scenery was beautiful too. There is just something about being out in God’s creation that brings out the beauty in all of us. Sidenote: I would have totally been bummed about the whales but I am so glad you were able to perk up in spite of it. 12 days with Colby sounds like a blast. I had a week with my husband and it didn’t seem like enough time. I am excited for Christmas just so we can spend more time together. Also I love whatever you share even the stuff about your day, there was already a lesson right in this post, just shows how God can use anything we write with our hearts to share his truths!

  • Becky
    Posted at 15:01h, 10 September Reply

    Welcome back! Looks like you had the BEST time!!! Your post made me excited to head out to Seattle and Vancouver next week! And I agree with the personal posts, LOVE the beauty of day-to-day living. 🙂

  • Ria
    Posted at 17:10h, 10 September Reply

    Glad you had a nice trip! I love that part of the country, though we haven’t been to Vancouver. The picture I use for my blog is from Multnomah Falls a couple of years ago. 🙂
    Enjoyed the guest posts–especially from your hubby–but I’m glad you’re back. Blessings!

  • Megan Davis
    Posted at 18:08h, 10 September Reply

    It looks like an amazing trip!! Glad you and your hubby got that time together! I totally understand not wanting to talk about yourself too much, but it is fun to hear about you and what is going on in your life 🙂

  • Amanda {A Royal Daughter}
    Posted at 22:50h, 12 September Reply

    It looks like y’all had such a great time! Welcome home!!

  • Bridget Meleski
    Posted at 18:20h, 17 September Reply

    Welcome Back ! Wow looks beautiful & sounds like ya’ll had an amazing time!

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