Oden Adventures

32 weeks and all's well, says the doctor at my check-up this week!  Baby O. is kicking like mad which gives me near-constant reassurance of his well-being.  We're on the home stretch now, but it feels both so close & so far away until when we'll meet our little guy.  But I know we'll blink and it'll feel like he was always part of our family.

My belly grew a lot just during the three weeks we were traveling, and Patrick & I are both pretty sure that I'm bigger now than I ever was with Vianne.  We snapped this picture at 30 weeks, while up at my mom's house...Vianne's helping me with my big belly.

After two weeks of so much fun in Oregon, it was - alas! - time to return to "real life"...but not before we enjoyed some more adventuring with just the three (technically four ;-) ) of us.  Monday morning we packed everything back into the Subaru, snapped a few parting shots...

 

...and were on the road by about 10am, heading southwestward to the Oregon Coast.  Vianne discovered a tent could be made in the car as well as on beds & couches (a favorite pastime since Mindy's visit).

Our goal was to camp along the coast on the way home, and our first destination was the highly recommended Sunset Bay State Park south of Coos Bay, OR - a locale that didn't disappoint!  The only four hour trip there was not our smoothest; for reasons that remain a mystery (sad to say goodbye to family?  rough night?  feeling sick? teething? - the guessing game of every parent), Vianne was rather out of sorts the whole way and a bit of a handful once we arrived...though, you see, very happy to be out of the car...

 Ever the helper, Vianne enjoyed the set-up process a bit more than Mama & Daddy...

 ...and paused from her labors to indulge Mama in a photo shoot of this fun tree in our campsite.

 A little exploring...

Sunset Bay is a smaller campground with a very woodsy feel, and we thought it was great! We snagged what we deemed the best campsite in the place of the available ones (gotta remember B15).  While others value proximity to bathrooms/showers, we introverts just like our space.  We also learned that campsites are like airplane seats: People will avoid being next to you once they see your small child. :-)  One truck pulled into the site next to us during a (well-timed, we thought) meltdown on Vianne's part, and then within a couple minutes was pulling back out...heh heh heh...

 And then there's this perfect little cove for water-lovin' babies and parents' peace-of-mind!

 Back to camp for a warm shower.  Vianne was a bit obsessed with her pockets and the pennies they held.  Makes for a cute little amble.

 Dinner time!

 And a little diversion...

Though there were some fun moments in the evening (like S'mores & SkipBo), overall, it was a bit of a challenge to keep Vianne entertained during the set-up and tear down...and she was none too thrilled with our plans for her to sleep in the pack n' play, which meant a floor bed for Daddy and a wiggly bed companion for Mama.  Then, it took a lot longer to pack back up in the morning than anticipated, which meant a late start...but still a beautiful drive along the 101...

 ...with a really fortunate lunch-stop find in Brookings, OR.  Great seafood and we picked up some original driftwood artwork from a loitering artist.

 Another stop along the way at the Redwood Information Center, with this gorgeous backyard...

And, although Vianne was back to her cheery traveler self, we didn't quite make our goal to the next campground and settled for a Comfort Inn about an hour shy of Humboldt Redwoods State Park.  Less work, breakfast included, and nice beds helped repair the nearly sleepless previous night and motivate us for Day 3 on the road.  We were all set to try camping again, Vianne was delightful and self-entertaining, and our path took us, with a stop for lunch & Slurpees in Cloverdale, through the Bay Area south towards Big Sur, merging onto Hwy 1, which was gorgeous, especially through Carmel, and terrifying, when other drivers decided to set a slow pace for everyone else (arg!).  We arrived at our destination, still prepared to camp...to find the campground full (we knew this was a risk).  Well, it wasn't really full, but the remaining campsites were treeless and surrounded by others and we just couldn't do it.

What to do now?  Vianne needed dinner and had been in her car seat for hours.  Only a few expensive and/or booked hotels right there and the next sign of civilization (that we could afford, anyway) was 1 1/2 hrs away.  Flustered and wondering if we were completely screwed and sending silent, desperate prayers to Heaven, we finally decided to risk the drive south to San Simeon.  We experienced an outpouring of grace as Vianne's waning patience turned to cheer - and then a nap! - and even more so when, despite the cheesy sign, we decided to give this place a try...

...and were surprised by a low rate for a lovely, clean room, including breakfast...and this view from our beds!! A humbling, powerful experience of learning to entrust our ways & our family, together, to God's provision.

 Road Trip Rock Star!

We decided to make Thursday our last day of travel, and took a leisurely drive of the last four or so hours to home.  We were thoroughly enchanted with Morro Bay, CA - and have placed it on our list of potential future places to live...or at least definitely revisit...

 Just a short stop to get our toes wet and see the downtown...

 

 Enjoyed watching this elegant egret

 

Then another hour or so to the charming city of Solvang.  We had a great Danish lunch plus these scrumptious aebleskivers for dessert...

 Vianne was very wiggly all through lunch...and especially for this photo attempt...

 Getting up close & personal with Hans Christian Andersen

 And we had to stop in at least one of the Danish bakeries!

 Vianne, of course, picked the "pink one with sprinkles" of all the choices :-)

 And one more short stop along the way:  Santa Barbara!  Because it's always a taste of paradise in Santa Barbara, and this day was no different.

 The Shoreline Cafe for dinner - very pleasant!  We had so many meals out this trip that Vianne got the system down:  she now opens the menu and says, "What are you having, Mama?" :-D

 And then, with full bellies...