Oregon Coast, sigh...

Thankfully, we live near enough to the Pacific Ocean that we can visit it from time to time. I love the beach.

We try and have a mini vacation at the coast at least once a year. Past two years we went for my birthday/Valentines Day in February. Winter months are obviously more wet and damp, but the rates are fabulous and the storms are worth watching!

This year, James and I got to go (wait for it) ALONE.. (GASP!) for our 10-year wedding anniversary. Oh, it was so relaxing and wonderful! Yes, we did feel guilty leaving the girls, but Grandma Janis, my mother-in-law, (who was awesome enough to fly all the way from Northern Nevada to watch the girls) constantly updated us with phone pics, videos and texts. That made it easier to let go for a while. :)

We stayed at the Inn at Spanish Head in Lincoln City, Oregon. Arriving to our hotel room, we were welcomed with rose petals sprinkled on the bed and chilled champagne in the refrigerator. 

The weather was not too chilly. In fact, it was too hot in the hotel room on the first day we stayed there, and it wasn't from us! heh heh
We opened up the windows and listened to the waves crashing on the shore right under us.

It was so nice to have room service and enjoy each other again. Our marriage has been quite strained since the birth of our newborn in October. A lot of arguments followed stemming from fatigue, illness, melancholy, feeling of being unattractive mixed with the feeling of helplessness, loneliness, getting used to new routines and a new BODY in the house... dichotomy of sorrow mixed with total happiness. I know that seems like a paradox. But it was such a roller coaster of both extremes. 

Since our mini-vacation, I feel like we have found each other again. Not just lovers but friends again. It was almost like a second honeymoon. We'll definitely be going back.

How Lucky We Really Are... (aka: Instant Gratification)

People whine too much. Okay, let me start over by saying *I* whine too much. Yes I whine. It's human nature to whine and God knows I have done my fair share of it. I like to get my way, who doesn't? Being brought up a spoiled, yet polite, girl, I want what I want when I want it.

However

If we really take a deep breath, step back and take a look at our lives, we find that we usually have all we really need. ("Princess and the Frog" even states that, thank you, Disney.)

For example, I complain about this that and the other thing, but in reality, all the pros outweigh the cons. By uncountable measures.
I have a beautiful family, a loving goober of a husband for 10 years, two gorgeous/smart daughters, a roof over my head, food in the fridge, cars to drive, gas in the cars, jobs to get to complain about (LOL I really do love my job), friends to complain *to* not *about*. Financially we are a little better off than we were last year, a lot better off than we were 10 years ago and WAY better off than some families in other countries.

Yet I will always complain about what I cannot have at the exact moment I want it. No instant gratification. My wantings may wane over time and I may not want whatever it is anymore. Isn't that the irony?

We are so immersed in a culture of instant gratification that we expect nothing less. And when something doesn't go our way at that same moment, it's hard to let it ride out.