My Favorite Anniversary...

The Raw(e) challenge this week is water.

Click on the logo above to see other water entries!

This photo makes me say ahhhhhhhhhhhhh....

Just looking at this picture brings up so many great feelings!

Joy, Contentment, Awe, Love, Amazement, but above all PEACE.

This is the view of Cannon Beach from Ecola State Park in Oregon.

My husband, Shaun, and I visited Portland, Oregon last July to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary.

We live in South Carolina, and neither one of us had ever been to the west coast, so we decided that we were going to take a day trip while in Portland to see thePacific Ocean! We are so glad that we did!

On our anniversary morning, we hopped onto a MAX (light rail train) and headed to the PDX airport to rent a car for the day. Of course we stopped at Starbucks to get some fuel first:) Once in the car, we headed out of Portland. We traveled through Astoria, OR to see the "Goonies" house and landmarks, had lunch at small riverside fish camp, and then headed westward to Cannon Beach.

OH! Cannon Beach! It is a small beachside town with lots of eclectic artsy shops, unique restaurants (not a single chain or franchise in sight), and a sprinkling of rental cottages. I completely fell in love with this little town! We spent a few hours browsing through the colorful shops, taking in all of the creativity and talent this town had to offer. We grabbed a slice of pizza at a walk-up pizza window, and enjoyed some chocolate ice-cream at the local scoop shop. Then we decided to go out onto the beach. It was amazing! The beach itself was huge (the length of a football field from shore to ocean)! Lush mountains stood just behind the white sandy shores, and the ocean was studded with rocks and huge boulders! It was overcast and brisk! The temp had to be 50 (in JULY!), and the water was so cold your legs would cramp when you put your feet in it! BUT the beauty! We walked together on the beach. We laughed together, dreamed together, talked about the future together, saw a bonfire (on the beach!) discussed the possibility of moving there, took lots of pictures, held hands, he carried my purse and my shoes:) SOOOO much fun!!!!!

We got back into the car, and headed up the road about a mile, saw a sign for Ecola State Park, and decided to check it out! We followed a winding road to a large open parking/ picnic area. We got out of the car, walked out onto the grassy bald in front of us, and this is the view that awaited us!!!

BREATHTAKING still today!

God is amazing! He is the ultimate Artist! He made this beautiful beach! I stand in AMAZEMENT!

Shaun and I have decided that a vacation (kid-free) every year on our anniversary is a tradition worthy of keeping.

AND I will be adding more pics from our Cannon Beach experience to my blog, so check back to see them!