Oh Bend, Oh Christmas Tree!

When I think back about living in Portland, I can honestly say I enjoyed a lot of "city living" perks. Good Food. Great Entertainment. Inexpensive Dates with lots of Options! I enjoyed my job with Mira and Ian. I loved our apartment and neighborhood. But when I begin to think back, and then really think back, it becomes apparent for me to see how unhappy I was. When I compare the first two years of living in Portland to the first two days of living in Bend, I know, without a doubt, that I am home.

For days I have mentally wrote a post of all the reasons I love living in Bend. And I eventually plan on posting my reasons, but it seems as though there is never an end to my list. Every day Bend gets better and I find something to add. Perhaps one of my favorite things about living here is that Bend has it's own subdivision of Wallowa County people. 

I have mentioned before how I can't imagine marrying someone who isn't from the place I grew up because of it's uniqueness. I think it's quite possible I felt that same passion about where I wanted to settle for the rest of my life and didn't even realize it. I can recall thousands of conversations with Tyler about living in Portland and feelings so overstimulated and uncomfortable. I would mope, complain, and then question where we would live in the future.The topic always ended when my ever-so patient and loving husband would ask, "Well, Em. Where do you want to live?" and of course I would always respond with, "I'm not sure." 

So maybe...my actual favorite thing about living in Bend is now that we are living in a place we want to be, in a community of people we can relate to, we are actually and finally, living! 

We have done things that we have never done before and I am loving it. Part because we are newly weds,  part because we are home owners, but mostly, a huge, great, big portion of it, is because we are living here. We have gone backpacking, had dinner parties, went to local events, made friends, and even went Christmas tree hunting. 

Our First Christmas Tree. 

Great Friends.