Fresno Roadtrip

Went on a road trip with the boyfriend down to Fresno, (the armpit of) California to meet his extended family. His grandma who has apparently not cooked in 8 years cooked us a pot roast dinner upon arrival. Paul figured since she never cooks that it wouldn't matter if he told her I was vegetarian or not. She also is apparently the kind of woman who doubles the item of food that you don't put on your plate and forces you to eat it. I spent the entire evening pretending to eat the pot roast while actually dropping it onto a napkin in my lap. Just like the movies.

All in all it was a pretty good trip. It was nice meeting all of the rest of the Cookinghams and seeing where Paul's parents grew up. We used his uncle's giant pool the whole time and visited their hotel sized home for a BBQ. Being in the scorching desert area just made me realize how much I love Oregon.For most of my life, I have dreamt of getting away from Oregon and finding bigger and better places that I could move to. I've always hated Oregon since I could remember. I hated the people, the weather, and how there was never anything to do.

Since traveling to Fresno, California, dying from the heat, boredom, and dust, I have realized that really there isn't a place that I'd rather be than Oregon. Honestly, Oregon is gorgeous. It has the mountains and the beach, it has all four seasons, not just the freezing cold or just the scorching heat, it has places to camp/hike, no sales tax, you don't have to pump your own gas, our recycling cans are bigger than our garbage cans, we have lower cost of living, better air quality, farmers markets, and more.Obviously, like any place it has it's downsides (killer allergies!!!), but I've come to realize the perks outweigh the minor downsides.

Maybe I won't stay in my hometown, but I know that I don't want to live in any other state because Oregon has my heart and home just happens to be where the heart is.

Here are some pictures from the trip: