~Cannon Beach Mini-Vacation~

What a wonderful husband I have - seriously!!!! Not only did he take a day off of work just to spend with me, but he took us (Harley got to come along, too!) over to the coast for 2 days. It was so nice to just get away and spend some time together. Plus, we lucked out with some great weather and headed home just as this nasty - cold, windy, and tons of rain - weather came through. We stayed one night at Surfsand Resort. We highly recommend it. It was a great deal financially, but they also had great service and did all of the little things so well. Not to mention, they are dog-friendly and loved having Harley there. She got spoiled....she didn't even know what to do with all of her excitement. The fact that she got to be at the beach to run around, play in the water, and dig in the sand for 2 whole days AND spend the night in a hotel room was beyond her imagination. That is, if dog's have imaginations.....

We did however get reminded in a HUGE way once again that we are not in control and while we may think we have a great plan for the day, for the week, for the year, for our lives, etc., it is ultimately the Lord who is in control. Within 15 minutes of us pulling into Cannon Beach, Dustin messed up his knee and ended up with a partially torn MCL. Yeah - NO FUN!!! We had just gone out on the beach to let Harley play. She found Maggie, a fellow reddish golden retriever who was about 2 1/2 years old. So as you can imagine, they were full of energy, running around chasing one another. Well, Dustin was in conversation with the other dog owner and didn't even see the girls coming...together they tumbled right into the outside of his left knee. It popped and he collapsed to the ground. So we headed back inside for him to ice and elevate it for a bit. But he was quite the trooper and still spent time out on the beach.

Despite the injury, we made the most of our time away and had a wonderful trip. The details didn't go quite as we had planned (lots of running around together, being active, chasing the dog, etc.), but the time spent together away from the busyiness of life was absolutely fabulous. Thank you, babe, for a superb getaway. :)

Snow on the coastal range on the way over....there was between 3-5 inches which was beautiful.
One of my favorite pictures from the whole weekend. She loves her daddy...even when he can't chase her!
Bribing her with a treat so she'll sit with me for the picture below. :)
Another of my favorites, even though she isn't looking.
There she is...Haystack Rock. No matter how many times I come here, I always snap a picture.
Bummer knee injury.....grrrrr!
This was one of those details they did right that I was talking about....fresh baked cookies, chocolate milk, and puppy treats for Harley waiting for us by a cozy fire in the lobby at 3:30 pm.
So much digging....one of the few places we let her just go to town.
He tried not to let his injury hold him back too much...probably not the smartest thing, but he still had fun and she loved chasing the soccer ball.
More digging.
This dog LOVES the water, even if it's salty freezing cold ocean water.
Yes - another small thing that they did awesome! Harley had her own welcome basket waiting for her in the room when we arrived. Complete with a bed, placemat, bowls, treats, and towels.
DeGroot family photo - November 2011.
Icing once again...trying to keep the swelling down.
Love him with all my heart!!!!!!
This is another one of my favorites. She was probably waiting for Dustin to throw her ball back in the water so she could go fetch it. Love this pup more than I ever could have imagined. Funny how they do that to you, huh?
Look at me, dad!!!!!!
And this is how our vacation ended....not exactly as planned. After a trip to urgent care, he was all braced up and ready to head home. Hoping that he only has to spend some time in this immobilizer and doesn't require surgery.