Two Months In

Well it has been a little over two months since we moved to this beautiful state. It is a strange feeling, it feels like home as much as it doesn't. We have definitely made amazing memories already while we have lived here, and we see the potential of wonderful new experiences and professional growth. But at the same time, we both miss all our family and friends back home. It's truly bittersweet when you leave everything you know for something new. But I think we feel a lot better about our future here compared to where we were 8 weeks ago.

So what have we been up to? The most notable experience includes us visiting Samantha's uncle Paul and aunt Carol in Seattle for Thanksgiving. They were very gracious hosts. They took us ALL OVER Seattle. Some places we visited were the Space Needle and Pike's Place. It was a wonderful visit and the city was very beautiful, especially downtown. And the food we ate was amazing. Truly, Seattle really felt like a city we would like to raise a family one day.

Other noticeable things we did include visiting Silver Falls State Park, going to a 60s soul music themed dance party, and trying delicious new eateries in Eugene. To help us make it through the holidays, we set up a Christmas tree and Christmas lights within our home and started working out together to keep the weight down while we eat some good food in the upcoming weeks.

It has only been two months, but we have done so much already. We are looking forward to seeing what we experience in the next two months. Thank you for taking the time to keep up with us through our blog. If you are in Springfield reading this, we miss you! Please come visit soon. Cheers!

Fun photo we took at the Space Needle with Samantha's Aunt Carol

Yep, we found a Kenyan staple in Eugene, Tusker Beer

Samantha at Mt Pisgah

Enjoying the view with Kermit the Frog

Paul and I hanging out at Microsoft. Unfortunately, we couldn't find Bill Gates.

Just hanging out

Yeah, we love Seattle. I think it is our dream city.

Samantha standing in front of the original Star Bucks.

I think Zamora has taking a liking to Oregon.

We love our first fireplace.

Our Christmas tree

Us at Silver Falls State Park, a majestic place.

Samantha likes to live on the edge.

At the top of the waterfall.

Having too much fun.

Isn't Zamora so cute?

Weeks 5-6

Weeks 5-6 went by quickly. We spent most of the time working as usual but we made sure to have a little fun too. The most eventful thing we participated in was going to Comic Con in Eugene. There were so many cool costumes and wonderful people there. Other activities we participated in include attending group fitness at our gym, trying new restaurants, and visiting Skinner Butte which provides an excellent view of Eugene. It is crazy to think that we have lived in Eugene for over a month and Thanksgiving is around the corner. We miss Missouri like crazy, but with each passing day, Oregon is settling into our souls.

Some decorative toys at the Laughing Planet Cafe, an excellent eatery in Eugene. 

Standing in line at Comic Con in Eugene.  

Some awesome pixel bead artwork for sale. 

More awesome pixel bead art for sale.  

Us in our Transformer t-shirts

Me and Barrett from FF7. 

Samantha and Wonder Woman 

Samantha and Maleficent

Me and the gang

A city view of Eugene from Skinner Butte

Samantha and Boba Fett

Samantha and Magneto 

Hanging out with a storm trooper and his storm trooper daughter. 

Master Chief and the Oregon Ducks Mascot

Our 4th Week

Much of our 4th week was spent working, but we made sure to have fun during our free time. After work on Wednesday, we participated in Trivia Night at a video game bar. Although we lost soundly, it was still fun. Afterwards, we went to the famous VooDoo Donuts. These donuts remind me of Hurts Donuts back in Springfield, MO. 

Halloween was a very busy day for us. We started out by visiting the coastal town of Newport, OR. Exploring Newport was an enjoyable experience. We stopped by the beach and ate some fish and chips at a fantastic restaurant. We also visited the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum and watched a live dive at an under water theater. 

Later that night, we celebrated Halloween by meeting up with some new friends we made at a local venue called HiFi. Samantha was Crazy Eyes from the television show Orange is the New Black and I was a Rebel X-Wing Fighter. We didn't go trick-or-treating, but we got to dance and listen to some good live music. It was a fun night for sure!

I apologize for all of the photos pictured below. Our 4th week was full of activity and it was difficult to narrow down the best pictures.

Voodoo Donuts, Delicious 

Some very vocal sea lions in Newport

Selfie with the sea lions

Hanging out with Spock at the Wax Museum in Newport

Samantha and Johnny Depp

Poor Han Solo

How cool is this?

Yes, that is Elvis made from hair

Newport is a really cool coastal town

Deep thinking

Hanging out on the dock

Samantha on American Idol

Samantha nailed Crazy Eyes for Halloween

Going out for Halloween

Our 3rd Week

It felt like our 3rd week went by quickly. I would say at this point we have really settled into a weekday routine with work. We both are starting to get a better feel for our coworkers and becoming more familiar driving around in Eugene. Over the weekend, we experienced our first major rainy day. It was actually very nice sleeping in with pleasant rainy noise in the background. One cool thing we did during the week was attend the annual mushroom festival at Mount Pisgah in Eugene. We didn't know much about mushrooms going in, but we still enjoyed ourselves at the festival. There were lots of mushroom enthusiasts, food, and live music that entertained us. We also got to socialize with others with my coworker and her friends after work on Friday at Hops Valley. Have I mentioned Eugene has a lot of fantastic breweries and eateries? Anyway, we still miss family back in Missouri terribly, but the readjusting is getting a little easier day by day. 

Selfie at the Mushroom Festival

Walking on the trails at Mount Pisgah

Randomness

Mushroom enthusiasts

Mushroom display

Our 2nd Week

Our second week was less exciting than our first week as we focused much of our time on our jobs and continuing to develop a daily routine. Work continues to go well for us as we continue to train and learn more about our co-workers. One cool thing we got to do included going to a movie with one of my colleagues and their fiancé. Did you know in Eugene you can purchase beer at the movie theaters? That is pretty cool in my opinion. Anyway, other fun activities we did during our second week included hiking at Spencer's Butte and going thrift store shopping in Eugene. All in all, it was a chill week and allowed us to recharge our batteries a little bit. We hope to continue to learn more at our new jobs and make friends. Cheers!

At the top of Spencer's Butte, literally just about a five minute drive from our house. 

Hiking trail at Spencer's Butte

Beautiful Samantha

Oregon sunset

There are lots of cool thrift stores in Eugene. 

Samantha hanging on for dear life on this steep trail. 

As I parked in front of a client's house, a flock of wild turkey came right in front of my car. 

Hiking goodness

Zamora vs. the Halloween cat

A bad hair day in Springfield, MO. A good hair day in Eugene, OR. 

Yep, that is Zamora on the neighbor's roof. She has definitely made her presence known in this neighborhood.