An Oregon Life For Me

This is my third Friday living in Bend, Oregon already. Time is flying by! So far I am really liking it here. I am still adjusting to the weather most of all! It’s weird to have to put on a jacket in April. By this time in Florida I was wearing shorts and tank-tops!

I am definitely not sick of the cold like some of the other Bendites are because I didn’t really get to experience winter until moving here! We’ll have to see how I’m doing by next April.

This third week in Bend there are few things in particular that have made me smile. I am linking up with Heather and Clare for today’s Friday Favorites!

1. A closet full of jackets

I went through this phase when I was obsessed with jackets. Every time I went shopping I would always gravitate towards the jackets and end up buying one. The only problem was that I hardly ever got to wear them when I lived in Florida! Maybe once or twice a year the weather would get cool enough to bust out a jacket!

Now that I live in Oregon, I am wearing jackets every single day! I am glad that I went through that jacket phase and ended up with a closet full of jackets!

2. Apple Cider

I have never been much of a hot drink person. I don’t like coffee and for some reason I always manage to burn my tongue when I drink something hot. But, again, living in cold weather has made me really enjoy a nice hot drink, especially apple cider!

I have been using an instant apple cider mix but I am on the hunt for a good spiced apple cider recipe! Anyone have one they can share?

3. These amazing coin bracelets

My sister-in-law Kara has started making (and selling) these awesome bangle bracelets. She customizes them for each person based on colors and types of stones. They are absolutely gorgeous! She previously made me some garnet and gold ones to wear when I’m cheering on my Seminoles, but the latest ones she made for me are extra special!

She came up with the idea to use foreign coins in the bracelet, so I gave her some of the foreign currency I had sitting in a drawer from our previous trips.

When we left for our big move she surprised me with a set of bangles made with the coins! I absolutely love them!! I wear them all the time now and I just love how they remind me of some of our greatest adventures to Switzerland, Bora Bora and South Africa!

Here’s some other styles that she makes! So fun!

4. Spring skiing

We got to go skiing! It is so hard for me to believe that we get to go skiing this time of the year! It snowed here earlier this week and so Wes and I took the day off to go skiing. It was such a gorgeous day and the snow was fantastic! Apparently the mountain stays open into May here!

Being able to ski more was one of the reasons we moved here. We have always taken a trip somewhere out West once a year to ski, but we wanted to see what it would be like to live somewhere we could ski all season long! Needless to say, we are excited about it!

5. The Nightingale

Not the bird, but the book! I have been reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and it is so good! I have read all her books and I am a big fan! This one is set during WWII so it makes it really interesting (I don’t know much about history but WWII fascinates me). If you’re looking for a good book I would recommend it!

Happy Friday!

Do you have any random favorites this week?

What are your weekend plans?