I like free cheese

I realize that Amy and I need to get some new routines...if you have been following this blog for a while, then this is not your first trip to the Oregon Coast and Tillamook cheese factory. But can you really say no to free cheese and about 60 flavors of really good ice cream? Plus, my parents were in town and they haven't been there before, so it seemed like a natural match. I promise next summer we will go somewhere different. Unless some of you are coming to visit and want to see the cheese.

Last time we went to the cheese factory, we went on a Saturday and there was no actual cheese production going on. There were still samples, so it wasn't a total waste, but nothing like the assembly line heaven we saw before us on this trip. The boys were pretty fascinated with following the lines of cheese to see where they would go next. And by boys, I include myself. I also spent a lot of time thinking about how depressing/delicious it would be to spend 8 hours a day working in the cheese assembly line.

There were plenty of fake cows for classy photo ops, but trying to get my Mom, Lila and Noel to all look at the camera proved a little difficult. Jonah was in one of his moods and refused to stand still for pictures, so we got a lot of these:

After cheese watching and cheese sampling, there was much ice cream eating. My dad offered to buy, so I got a DOUBLE and a WAFFLE CONE. I know not to pass up a freebee. In case you are wondering (I know you were, Lisa) my two ice cream flavors were chocolate peanut butter pie and sticky bun. Mmmmmmmmm.....sticky bun.......

After getting the boys some pressed pennies and some other random souvenir that they begged for we headed down the highway to find some actual coast. Tillamook is a few miles inland, and we wanted to see the water. We passed this store on the way

but we had just picked up some stuff at Costco and the things we had were still fresh, so we didn't need to stop.

I think it was in Bay City that we found some beach access. It was appropriately gray and windy and gorgeous like the coast here is. We prayed that Jonah wouldn't fall in the water, as he is want to do anytime there is water around and no changes of clothes. And miracle of miracles, he didn't!

Lila was in her typical "woman on a mission" mode and was determined to eat as many seashells and as much sand as time would allow.

Jonah and Noel were filling their pockets with seashells including some crab shells that were clearly left over from some sort of crab bake someone had done on the beach - gross. I mean collecting the shells was kinda gross, not eating crab on the beach. I am all for that.

It was a long but fun day. And the ocean was amazing. What is it about the ocean that makes we want to spend my life there. I think my Mom and Dad were sufficiently impressed with the state that they won't get annoyed anymore when we talk about how much we like it here.

It was great to have them come visit. The kids had a lot of fun seeing them and visitors always force us to get out of our routine and go do some fun things, which is always nice.