Vacations Are Good.
I spent the last week on the Oregon coast with my family. We (my Mom and I and my Dad and Chris) took over a thousand photos.
One of my favorite memories is eating dinner with the whole family at a pizza place and looking over my parents and stopping time for an instant. In that moment I thought about being a kid and dreaming forward to a time when each of us kids would have our own families. I caught my breath as I thought about how fast time really flies and how thankful I am for times like this when we all get the chance to be together.
Here are some of my favorite shots:
Cousin Henry (and my cousin Rob's son Aidan) hitting golf balls.
My brother getting down low to capture the action.
We spent one whole afternoon out on the north spit eating freshly cooked crab that my Dad caught in this boat. He ferried all of us out there in batches in his driftboat and pulled up crab pots in between. This is something we used to do when we were kids - so fun to bring this tradition to our own children.
There is really nothing quite like eating Dungeness crab fresh from the ocean cooked in a pot right on the beach.
And there's nothing quite like getting to play chase with your cousins on the beach.
Hello sand.
These three baby girls were all born within less than a year of each other.
Another day was spent with a picnic on a golf course. These four LOVE golf.
Cousin Lucy is so close to walking on her own consistently.
My kids.
Me, Anna, and Lily.
Us.
The girls - walking the trails at Shore Acres.
Henry & Simon.
There are so many more. I can't wait to take some of these and pair them with photos from when I was a kid in these very same locations.
Right now it's back to the business of cleaning up the house, making lists of things that need to be taken care of in the next couple of days, and getting back to our "normal" routine. Coming home from vacation is always a bit of a shock to the system.
And, oh yea, doing a bit of celebrating: Chris was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Oregon State Senate yesterday. He will move from the Oregon House of Representatives to the Oregon Senate once he has been sworn in - sometime in the next 30 days or so. I am very, very proud of him.
Great photos...I'm so jealous about the dungeness crab. My husband and I were in Oregon last week for a vacation and I could only find them on the menu in one restaurant which wasn't enough for me. They are my favorite food!
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Awesome family pictures Ali! Thanks for sharing and congrats to Chris! What awesome news indeed!
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Family vacations are absolutely the best. And BIG contratulations to Chris!
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Wow sounds like a awsome vacation! Thanks for sharing with us!
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Whoo hoo! Congrats to Senator Edwards! Your vacation looks lovely and your family is beautiful.
Peace. Susan
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I can't believe how big Anna is! Sitting up on her own! Great family photo! Congrats to Chris.
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I can't believe how much Henry has grown! It seems like just yesterday there were pics of him in CK as a tiny peanut. I have a preemie little guy as well, who is a big boy now, so I always have a special place in my heart for Henry.
It looks like you had a beautiful time, and a huge "congrats!" to Chris!
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can't believe how much cousing henry has grown. i remember you sharing photos of him as a baby. i would love to have a mini-family reunion/vacation time. hmmm...great idea! it's cute to see the boys are about the same age as well as the girls~similar to my neices and nephew. love the photos and congrats on Chris's new role. have a great weekend!
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Congratulations to Chris - very cool !! You have a beautiful family - looks like a great vacation !!!
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Oh man you are making me homesick for the beach I left behind in San Diego two weeks ago! I hope you all had a great time and congrats to Chris on his appointment!
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The pictures make me want to sweep up my family and head to the beach!
Only, our beaches don't have cliffs.
And congrats to Chris! That is awesome! You guys are some of my favorite Democrats:)
kellicrowe
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Fun photos. The great thing is your awarness of time and the value of being IN the moment. A rare gift.
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Anna is adorable! Happy Back from Vacation ... hoping it's as calm as possible. Congrats to Chris, that is incredible news! I love reading "Ali Updates" - almost my favorite part of the day sometimes. As always, thank you for sharing!
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Looks like you had some days with sun too - yay! Congrats to Chris. :)
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Such a wonderful family...congratulations to Chris and this great opportunity!
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Congrats to Chris! Your vacation photos are awesome.
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beautiful photos, beautiful family
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Congratulations to Chris and may he represent the people of Oregon with dignity, respect and honesty each and every day!
Your vacation at the beach looks stunning and I can only dream of such a beautiful place!
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You are so talented! Love all pics!
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Great, great great photos! What a beautiful place! :)
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What a lovely vacation, but big congratulations to Chris! What an honor!
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Congratulations to your husband! That's a great opportunity.
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Ali, love the pic's of Simon and his cousins! So natural. Anna is so great with the camera. I love the pic of you and her! Thanks for sharing!!
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Ahh, awesome photos as always! Anna has the same ears as her big brother, right??
Also, congrats on your husband's new Senate position. So great!
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Wow. Beautiful family photos! These make m want to come back out to to the west coast! Congrats to Chris!
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