Adventures in Oregon
Probably one of the happiest times in my life was living in and exploring Oregon from 2016–2018.
When I came back to Texas after living in France, I felt completely lost. It was like reverse culture shock. I felt like I had lived an entire lifetime in another country, and coming back to my hometown didn't feel like home anymore. I knew another chapter of my life was waiting for me, I just didn't know where.
Then one random day, I decided to apply for a front desk job at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, a state I had always dreamed of visiting. My deciding factor? Sitting in Houston traffic. I literally said, "Fuck it. I need to get out of here ASAP."
I got the job, packed up my life, and headed west. Looking back, that road trip changed the course of my life in ways I never could have imagined.
My family helped drive me across the country, and we stopped at the Grand Canyon and Death Valley along the way. Nothing beats seeing a Grand Canyon sunrise for the first time. Working at Crater Lake was an adventure all by itself. ( let me tell you , working a 6 month seasonal job is not for the faint hearted). I eventually worked my way up to Front Desk Supervisor, and having one of the most beautiful lakes in the world as my office backdrop never got old. Seeing the Milky Way almost every night was breathtaking. Everything about that place made me feel like I was finally home....in my own little nature paradise.
I hiked, camped, went skydiving, bungee jumping, rode ATVs on the sand dunes, took a hot air balloon ride, went jet skiing, explored the Oregon coast... honestly, if there was an outdoor adventure, I probably did it. I realized I was meant to be outside. I hadn't felt that much "spark for life" since leaving France.
I ended up staying in Oregon. Yes, part of that was because I met my ex-husband there, but if I'm being honest, the biggest reason was that I simply didn't want to go back to Texas. Texas never felt like home. The Pacific Northwest did.
One of the greatest gifts Oregon gave me was helping me rediscover my passion for photography. Once that spark came back, I never looked back. Everything there is so unbelievably green and beautiful that it constantly inspired me to grab my camera and explore. It pushed me far outside my comfort zone, not just creatively, but personally. I was living in a brand-new state, far away from everything familiar, and somehow that felt exactly right.
Around that same time, my chronic illnesses started coming back with a vengeance. Oregon taught me something I still carry with me today: nature is healing. Rest is important, but resting in nature, whether that's lying in a hammock, camping beneath the stars, or sitting quietly by the ocean—is where my body and my mind truly find peace. Photography became my excuse to chase that feeling, and it took me all over Oregon searching for beautiful places that helped me breathe again.
Now that I live in Colorado, I still miss Oregon's endless green forests, the salty sea breeze while whale watching on the coast, and the slower, simpler feeling of life in the Pacific Northwest. Who knows... maybe someday I'll find my way back there.
I'm just grateful for the memories, the adventures, the friendships, and all the life lessons Oregon gave me. Were there hard times? Absolutely. But I don't regret any of it.
Sometimes I think back to that moment sitting in miserable Houston traffic. If I hadn't gotten so frustrated and impulsively applied to Crater Lake, I honestly don't know where I'd be today. I don't know if photography would've become such a huge part of my life, or if traveling would've become one of my greatest passions.
Life has a funny way of changing everything with one spontaneous decision.
Sometimes all it takes is saying "yes."
One of my Favorite Waterfalls in Oregon
Finished my first Skydiving!
Always chasing waterfalls
Waiting to go in a Hot air balloon ride!
Visiting Grand Canyon NOT in a wheelchair! :)
