Life at a "Swell's" pace

This past weekend we took a much-needed road trip and camping trip to the coast. The get-away was a nice break from the "city" life here and I will admit, we were in need of a break from the day-to-day hustle and bustle. We ended up staying in a yurt-named Sixes-right by the beach and the best part was-peace and quiet with only the sound of the rain at night. It was perfect! -We also participated in the Stronger Together March in Newport while we were there.

We got the keys to the yurt and had a lot of daylight still left, so we walked around the park a bit to learn the layout and see what we could find. The walk from the yurt to the beach wasn't a long one, but the rain came and it pushed us back into the yurt for the night. The sound of the rain hitting the sunlight dome on top was a relaxing sound. Just what we needed.

Our dogs are always game for a road trip!

The following morning we woke up and participated in the Stronger Together March n Newport, Oregon.

It was a great opportunity to participate in something that we feel so strongly about. The Mr. standing beside me made me feel appreciated and it was an honor to be part of a great group of people standing up for what is morally, ethically, and humanly right for our nation and the rest of the world.

After the march we spent a few hours down by the beach. The rain came off and on, but overall it was a pretty nice day.

Nothing makes a rainy day better than some beach-side ice cream.

The rain held off long enough for The Mr. to grill us up some dinner and Baz was ready to crash out for all of the walking during the march. I'll admit, we were all ready to crash by the time we laid down inside the yurt.

The following morning we headed over to the showers and wash up for the day and ate some early lunch at a place called The Deep End Cafe. There bay shrimp cocktails were delicious!

Beach artwork is some of the best!

Before heading home we had to eat at the famous Mo's Restaurant. It wasn't raining so the view of the coast was magnificent!

The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse | Active 1871-1874

The new highway sign that sits in Newport, Oregon. Maybe a road trip soon?

#snsroadtrips

It's Friday the thirteenth today. I don't have paraskavedekatriaphobia, but I am going to stay curled up in bed all day, and probably most of the three day weekend, to watch "The Office" and relax. The SNS household is still nursing our bout of the flu and as of right now we are on the uphill climb out of it. I feel like we've been sick for weeks. And we have, but that aside, we are getting better. We have been diffusing tea tree oils and eucalyptus to help keep the air clean. Here's to positive, healing thoughts. Unfortunately, all of the snow is gone as of today and we here in the SNS house are pretty bummed. Up toward Washington they got over a foot and a half and we are extremely jealous! But then again, we are wanting to see more of the sun too, so I guess we need to pick a side. Anyway, here are the things that made this week great.

1. The snow

Of course, I have to share the snow that we did get.

2. Snow ice cream

With all of the snow we had we thought, why not.

Here's how it's made:

• 8 cups packed snow (make sure this is not the first fallen snow of the year. Wait until the third or fourth fall of the year, it's cleaner.)

• 3 cups whole milk

• 4 tbs. pure vanilla extract

• 1 cups of sugar (more if you have a sweet tooth)

• Blend together in a blender and freeze for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

3. Slow-cooker stew

I threw together a quick "stew" earlier in the week and we ate on it a few days while we were under the weather. It consisted of stew meat (could use chicken, or noodles in place of the beef), baby carrots, peas, corn, vegetable stock (32 ounces), and a handful of small red potatoes. Cook in the slow cooker for about three to four hours on high. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

4. Chickadees