Bday Girls Trip to the Oregon Coast

I flew into Portland and drove to Manzanita on the Oregon Coast. It was a beautiful two-hour drive through tall Oregon Pines and stunning coastline views. My travel partner and I arrived at a cool, modern beach house full of girlfriends who had a head start on celebrating. It was a wild and fun start to a fabulous weekend with the best women ever!! We were treated to the best homemade dinner by one of the ladies, exceptional shrimp scampi.

**Wowed by our fabulous beach house, Kitesurfer Cottage-MCA #4048, right on the beach. The two buildings are connected by a covered outdoor dining room with a fireplace. Modern and beautiful, all windows and breathtaking views!

The day started with coffee, fresh peaches, and beautiful welcome baskets from the birthday girl! We took a long beach walk with Roy the dog, who was in heaven greeting friendly people and all the beach dogs. Manzanita Beach was stunning, with the sun peeking through the mist. Our rental’s location—just a block from Laneda Ave—was perfect for shopping, where we found great jewelry souvenirs at Finnesterre. We hoped to eat at Yolk but couldn’t find a spot for Roy, so we enjoyed a patio lunch with burritos and frozen margaritas instead. Later, we drove to Cannon Beach, stopped at a packed Pelican Brewery for merch, and wrapped up the day with dinner at Ecola, a low-key place with great fish and chips.

We had such a special morning. Our hostess and birthday girl planned a very special yoga class for us on our back deck. The yoga was deep and gentle, and we worked on creating san culpa, setting intentions through positive "I am" statements. We spent our afternoon laughing and listening to music while decorating baseball hats and having a ball. It's a great activity with a bunch of women! Another home tonight's dinner was a delicious homemade lasagna ala Jenn! We walked just a few minutes to the main street for wine outside on the patio outfitted with fire pits and Adirondacks. Perfect ending to the best day!

My girlfriend and I left the group on day four, and we both realized we should have given ourselves another couple of days with the other ladies who chose to stay longer. Don't give into mom guilt!!! I love Portland airport...easy to navigate and lovely.