Elle + Wiggy's April Photo Diary

April was a fun and productive month. It started with celebrating Greg's big 3-0 and ended with a trip to Oregon to visit my family. I accomplished most of my April goals (see HERE) and read 9 books, which is the most I have ever read in one month (see book reviews HERE). 

April started with a big celebration. I surprised Greg with an active day since he love sports and being active.  We went to a park where we played frisbee, then he taught me how to shoot a basketball properly on the basketball courts at the park. He totally schooled me at H-O-R-S-E, thought I did get some good shots thanks to his prior shooting lessons.  We enjoyed a picnic that I had prepared in advance and then we went on a nearby hike at Eisenhower Park. We did the Hillview trail, which is a comfortable 2.6 miles of rugged trails, without way too much incline. It was a warm Texas day and we got a little sunburned, but it was worth it to see him enjoying his birthday. I had to pat myself on the back afterwards because I managed to keep the surprise. I am known to leak my own surprises, but I kept my lips zipped about this and the outcome was totally worth it! 

On April 17, we celebrated 6 months of marriage! It ended up being a cloudy and rainy day, but we still had a nice time exploring the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. It was our first time there and we definitely want to go again! That weekend, I reminisced about lessons I learned the first 6 months of marriage (see post HERE). 

At the end of the month, I surprised my parents with a visit to Oregon. My mom had absolutely no idea I was even thinking about coming, so her reaction is priceless. Greg joined me two days later due to having a really busy week at work that he couldn't get away from until Thursday night.

Last year, I took my mom and grandma to the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens. She wanted to make a tradition out of it since she enjoyed the garden so much. We knew that I would likely be getting married soon (unbeknownst to me, Greg proposed a few weeks later), but I said that even if I was living in Texas the following year, I would try to visit in April so we could go again to see the lilac gardens. She  forgot about that comment and was trying to get my sisters to go the first few weeks of April, but they (knowing about my plans to visit) held her off so that I could surprise her and take her there myself. It was a cloudy day and a lot of the lilacs had dried up, but we still enjoyed our morning together with my grandma and my sister. 

The next day, I met with several friends, a co-worker at her beautiful farm, and the clinic I used to work at prior to getting married and moving to Texas last fall. It was a sweet day catching up with people I care about so much. I wish I would have taken photos that day, but my phone battery died midway through the day. 

Greg arrived that Thursday night and then we spent that Friday in Hood River for a date. I have a huge family and as much as we love spending time with them and catching up with friends, we like to carve out one day during our Oregon visits to have a date together since quality time is a very important love language for us. So, we drove one hour east to the beautiful town of Hood River. Though it was raining in Portland, the skies were clear in Hood River!

We started off with lunch at a pizza place we enjoyed the last time we visited Hood River, Solstice Woodfire Cafe & Bar. We each ordered GF pizzas and shared a salad. YUM!

After we were well-fed and ready for adventure, we walked around the downtown area, which is a main street lined with adorable shops, restaurants, and cafes. We then headed to my favorite spot in Hood River, The Gorge White House. We love their fruity ciders (cherry, pear, and mixed berries are our favorites) and the beautiful grounds where they have fruit trees, berries, and flowers. 

 

Once we left, we drove uphill for a few miles through winding roads of picturesque farms and rolling hills until we got to Panorama Point, which boasts a spectacular 360* panoramic view of Hood River.

 

We eventually started driving back west towards Portland, but had a few pitstops on the way. First, we stopped a few miles down from Hood River at the historic Columbia Gorge Hotel to walk around the jaw-dropping manicured gardens and stunning view of the gorge. One day, we'd love to spend a night there, but for now, we were very happy to just walk around and soak in all that beauty. 

We stopped at Starvation Creek Falls and ate some of our snacks we brought along (kinda ironic with the name, haha) and enjoyed the sound of rushing waters and rustling leaves. 

Our last stop was at the Bonneville Dam Fish Hatchery, where I stopped so I could show Greg what a 10-foot sturgeon looks like. 

It was a beautiful day and I loved showing Greg some of my favorite spots in the gorgeous Columbia Gorge! We had a lot of quality time together and made some sweet memories there. 

The next day, we celebrated the engagement of a dear friend and her mister at Troutdale's Riverview Restaurant. Their wedding will be on the east coast next month, so they had a big lunch with Oregon friends and family since many wouldn't be able to travel for the wedding. It was a very sweet time. We were very happy to celebrate them as well as excited to catch up with a lot of friends.

We had a great month, full of adventures together. I am excited to see what the next few months have in store!