So, as most people know, Dave and I went on what was supposed to be a lovely vacation last week. A much deserved and long-awaited vacation, for both of us. Something that we'd looked forward to, and that carried us through the tough times at work. Monday night, we packed the car, and got food ready, etc. Tuesday morning, we loaded everything up into the new Subaru, and headed out to the Oregon coast. The drive was lovely, and I was happy to let Dave drive most of the way. We stopped in seaside upon arriving there, just to walk around and see it again. My mom had lived there when I was little, so I like walking around it a little bit, just for memory's sake. We stopped in a shop and saw some really cool metal, handmade, watches. Then, we walked on the sand and swung on the swings that have been on the beach forever.

After grabbing a bite to eat, we decided to head up to Astoria. Dave really wanted to see the Maritime Museum, which ended up being really cool (the photo above was taken through one of the telescopes outside), and I really wanted to see the Peter Iredale shipwreck near Fort Stevens. After the museum, we headed to Fort Stevens to find our campsite, and decided to visit the shipwreck the next morning. We got some wood, and set up the tent, started a fire, and ate dinner. It was lovely. I absolutely love camping with Dave. After dinner, I climbed into the bedding and settled down with my book. It was vacation, after all.



The next morning, we packed up camp, and headed over to the Peter Iredale shipwreck. You can only see one end of the ship now, but from where the masts are, and some poles at the other end, you know it was HUGE. In the museum, there were photos from when the wreck first happened. I thought it was really cool. I absolutely love old abandoned houses, cars, and shipwrecks, if not for the beauty of them, then for the stories they hold.



After the shipwreck, Dave and I headed south. We stopped in Rockaway Beach and grabbed some coffee and candy. I wanted to stop at Cape Lookout to camp for the night, but we missed the exit. For some reason we decided to do the trip without a map. Silly us :) We kept driving and decided to stop in Lincoln city to get some more food for sandwiches. It was here, that our "vacation" became one of the most stressful events ever. Dave called his bank to check his bank balance, just to judge how much he could spend on the rest of the trip. He had intended to treat me to a fantastic Indian restaurant in Eugene on the way back. The operator told him "It appears that you are negative $644".....which meant that his paycheck had bounced. He hung up, as he was shocked, and we were instantly furious and freaking out. I told him to call the bank back, and inquire about what happened, just to make sure it wasn't identity theft. Sure enough, his paycheck had bounced, and multiple phone calls to his manager and boss ensued. We decided to camp one more night and cut our trip two days short.

We got a map and drove down to Beverly Beach, and decided to stay the night there. While still completely, obscenely stressed out, we managed to have an okay time. We went for a walk on the beach and while crossing a bridge over the river, saw a Beaver. I was very excited, as I'd never seen one in the wild before.

The next day, Thursday, we drove south to Newport, where I knew we could cut across to I5 and head north to Portland. However, I had always wanted to go to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, and decided that even though I didn't really want to spend the money, this was probably my only chance. Dave and I had fun at the Aquarium, and it helped settle our nerves a little. Then, it was back to Portland.

Since the bounced check, things have settled down a bit. The bank was able to re-deposit the check, and we will find out today if Dave's boss is going to pay the overdraft fees, or if we will have to go to court and make him pay them, as he is legally liable, since they were a direct result of the bounced check. I'm hoping he just makes good and we don't have to go through any more stress than we already have.

So, our "vacation" was not as relaxing as we had liked. It was somewhat ruined. But this week, I am only working one day, so I have been able to take a vacation from my vacation, which has been wonderful.