This was the view from my window on the way home from our weekend, which we needed almost as much as we appreciated. I know that I use the word beautiful quite often when I describe the Pacific Northwest, but it is just a gorgeous, breathtaking location. I’ve been here over ten years and I am still thrilled by the majesty of mountains that touch the sky, forests that seem to paint the landscape in infinite green, dancing, clear waterfalls, sculpted plateaus, raging rivers, bubbling streams and the roar of the mighty Pacific Ocean. All of our vacation adventures haven’t been positive in the past (remember when Little A broke her foot during that trip to the coast – definitely NOT good times), but we were all so happy to be doing something we had not done in a long time that this weekend was absolutely excellent.  We had our moments of frustration and imperfection, but we had many more moments of inspiration and discovery. One of my first Washington friends told me that she and her family sometimes went out to a local hotel every now and then, just to have a change of scenery. I did not understand the value of having different surroundings then, but I definitely get it now.  It’s time to whip out my calendar and get to planning for the rest of this Summer, but I’ll be doing it with a much lighter heart and easier mind than when I started this weekend,  and I know that alone is priceless.