The Proposal!
I was so excited
(yet anxious) to arrive at Champoeg State Park outside Newberg, Oregon mainly
because of the long awaited arrival of David and his girlfriend, Taylor. They were flying into Portland the next day. A week prior, David informed us he had bought
a ring and was planning to "pop the question" while in Oregon. It was difficult for me to contain my
excitement and I was already excited just to see them. The next five days would be filled with fun,
love and lots excitement!
They arrived around
10:00 am after a short two hour flight from California. My tall handsome son looked better than ever
and so did his soon to be fiancée, Taylor!
We greeted them with hugs and happy tears!
David previously made plans to connect with
an acquaintance in downtown Portland he met through a job interview. (He likes to stay connected and network
through the industry) Once again,
finding parking with our big truck Papi is so difficult and downtown Portland's
streets are narrow and busy. After a few
grunts and groans from the driver, one was found along the street. The three of us waited for David in a
brewery, having him join us an hour later at a restaurant.
Though we talk regularly, the rest of the day was getting caught up on
the past 10 months while barbecuing burgers and sipping wine. This was the longest period of time we had
gone without seeing him!
Champoeg State Park
had the true camping feel with campfires, trees and trails everywhere with some
maple leaves changing to fall colors making the park more beautiful.
Mount Hood
The next day would
be a perfect day to make the two hour drive to beautiful Mount Hood with rain
being in the forecast the following day.
As we climbed towards the mountain, the warm air quickly cooled and the
snow covered mountain was soon in sight.
The 11,200' active volcano attracts thousands of visitors every year
including skiers and snowboarders.
Timberline lodge was the furthest destination (besides trails leading to
the summit) on the mountain. We went on
a few trails (one led to the Pacific Crest Trail) and there was plenty of snow
for a few snowball fights and for the dogs to play. Looking for a place to eat our packed
lunches, we were told of Trillium Lake. We found our way only a few miles from
Timberline Lodge with forested trees and several picnic tables. We loved being in this pure nature
environment of many birds and chipmunks with the four of us enjoying each
others company!
The next day, rain
persisted on and off but it didn’t stop us from wine tasting in the nearby area
of Dundee Hills. This area is mostly known for its' Pinot Noir and Penner Ash,
Domain Droughin , Chehalem and White Rose delivered excellent wines as expected.
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| Enjoying newly harvested grapes. Sweet! |
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| Wineries are picturesque |
Most of the wineries were on acres of well
groomed land with rows of soon to be harvested grapes. With "a few" purchases made it was
time to head back resting up for the "big" day along the Oregon
coast.
Proposal day ….cheesy but not too cheesy!
We found a great
place to board the dogs overnight in the town of Newberg. Daisy and Gracie knew what was coming and
reluctantly went with the nice assistant as we reassured them we'd return the
next morning. The cool Saturday morning
had rain in the forecast which was not exactly what David had in mind on this important
day. Taylor's good friend Lanea lives
in Portland and David asked if she
would discreetly take pictures of the
proposal. Taylor hadn't seen Lanea in a
long time and the two planned to see each other the next day. This would be another surprise for
Taylor! Lanea had the day off from work
so it was perfect……we were all hoping the
rain would hold off.
Our first stop was the Tillamook Cheese Factory along the Oregon coast. The cold light rain let up long enough for us to
grab coffee, grilled cheese and tomato soup followed by an ice cream. We got samples of different cheeses while browsing the gift shop.
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| Enjoying lunch at Tillamook |
I asked David
if he was nervous but smiling he said "just excited"-they have been dating for
over four years and everyone knew it was a matter of time before he proposed,
including Taylor!
The guys wanted to
check out a brewery in Tillamook tasting a few local brews before the hour
drive to the (proposal) beach. As we walked out of the brewery there was a full
rainbow in view.
Everything
was working out beautifully and no rain!
David had been texting Lanea to find out where she was hiding (Taylor
would be sooo happy to see her). Taylor
thought we were going to Canon Beach ( actually a ruse but a place she's been
wanting to see) and as far as she knew, that was where we were heading but
David said he first wanted to stop at another beach called Short Sand beach.
Getting out of the car, he whispered to me "This is it"! It was a good half mile walk to the beach through the tree
and moss lined walkway . As planned, I
told them we'd be there shortly having to use the restroom and change my shoes. Perry and I walked down the beautiful tree
covered path toward the beach admiring Oregon's beautiful shoreline.
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| Not looking too nervous! |
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| The "hobbit" like trail leading to the beach |
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| The sign of a good day! |
David proposed at a
quiet spot on the beach (not easy to get to) where we could see them from a
distance.
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| The proposal |
They were hugging (assumed he already asked) and soon we saw
Lanea and Taylor running towards each other.
Hiking to the beach where the three were standing, we joyfully got to be
a part of one of the biggest days of their lives! After taking many pictures we marveled at the
thought of this wonderful girl being our daughter-in-law!
 |
| Just a little excited? |
 |
| Taylor and Lanea |
Working our way towards the truck, we told
Lanea we'd see her the next day for lunch but we had to hurry back for our
dinner reservations at 8:30! These two
seemed to be just as much in love as their first year of dating but there was
an elevated level of excitement, especially as they called family and friends.
I felt so proud of
our son for picking a beautiful ring for Taylor and now taking the next big
lifetime step!
The Dinner
After reading many
reviews, Perry decided on a nice restaurant called The Painted Lady in
Newberg. It was a fixed menu with ten
courses and outstanding customer service.
I couldn't imagine how I could possibly eat a 10 course meal, however
the well presented courses were served in large plates (paired with wine) but served in small
portions. We started the night with a
toast of champagne to the newly engaged couple and ended with a surprise
"congratulations" dessert.
An amazing meal, amazing day and an amazing newly engaged couple.
You can sense my happiness as I write this! I didn't like the idea of them leaving the
next day but their flight wasn't until early evening giving us more time
together.
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| Add caption |
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| The newly engaged couple |
We picked the dogs
up early the next morning, visiting another winery (scenic and relaxing) before
heading towards Portland. The four of us met Lanea
for lunch afterwards walking along
some interesting shops in the Alameda district of Portland. I wasn't looking forward to saying good-bye
after a short and exciting five days,
but we would see them soon. There
is so much to look forward to over this next year!
Perry and I were off the next day to
the Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park along the Oregon coast.
They arrived around
10:00 am after a short two hour flight from California. My tall handsome son looked better than ever
and so did his soon to be fiancée, Taylor!
We greeted them with hugs and happy tears! David previously made plans to connect with
an acquaintance in downtown Portland he met through a job interview. (He likes to stay connected and network
through the industry) Once again,
finding parking with our big truck Papi is so difficult and downtown Portland's
streets are narrow and busy. After a few
grunts and groans from the driver, one was found along the street. The three of us waited for David in a
brewery, having him join us an hour later at a restaurant. 
The 11,200' active volcano attracts thousands of visitors every year
including skiers and snowboarders.
Timberline lodge was the furthest destination (besides trails leading to
the summit) on the mountain. We went on
a few trails (one led to the Pacific Crest Trail) and there was plenty of snow
for a few snowball fights and for the dogs to play. Looking for a place to eat our packed
lunches, we were told of Trillium Lake. We found our way only a few miles from
Timberline Lodge with forested trees and several picnic tables. We loved being in this pure nature
environment of many birds and chipmunks with the four of us enjoying each
others company! 
The next day, rain
persisted on and off but it didn’t stop us from wine tasting in the nearby area
of Dundee Hills. This area is mostly known for its' Pinot Noir and Penner Ash,
Domain Droughin , Chehalem and White Rose delivered excellent wines as expected.
