It's My Birthday, I'll Post if I Want to.

I'm basically posting this because I just got back from an amazing mini road trip and I haven't posted in forever and a half and I figure shoving my birthday celebrations in your faces is a great way to come back. (In a nice way I promise. I really just want to say hi and share my joy.)

So, here is the deal, I've been posting only pre-scheduled posts and have been pretty much offline since Friday and I've lived my life since then (until today) something like this...

I really wasn't off the grid. I used my phone and all of its smarts more than I probably should have. No shame. None. Here are some pictures of the trip.

So we our first way-point was Astoria, OR. It is mostly museums so we chose to just drive on through (I'm not a museum-y person.) Here is an attempt at an artsy shot I took through the skylight as we drove under the bridge to Astoria. It is crummy, I know but we were moving and my phone's camera isn't exactly high quality, so cut me some slack. (That black thing at the top? Oh that's just the car roof. I couldn't stretch forward enough with my seat belt.)

Here is the view from the bridge of the umpteen-million logs waiting to be shipped to who knows where.

Yes, yes I know you can't really tell. My apologies. Then we stopped at Cannon Beach because my dear mother missed it very much apparently, I was grudgingly slightly impressed and very traumatized, but we'll get to that in a minute, for know enjoy Haystack rock.

And the view on the other end of the horizon...

Now let's get to the story of my trauma. My family decided to go on a nice beach walk once we got settled in because beach walks are lovely, leisurely and stunningly enjoyable, right? WRONG. At least on Cannon beach. There were birds everywhere. Not just any birds, no they had to be DEAD BIRDS. BIRD CARCASSES EVERYWHERE. EVERYWHERE. I don't think you understand, when I say every everywhere I mean everywhere. Literally every two to three feet there was another body and they were all in varying degrees of decay. Not only were there carcasses littering the beach in every direction, but the living birds had to be CANNIBALS. CANNIBALISTIC BASTARD BIRDS THAT FEED ON THEIR FALLEN BROTHERS AND SISTERS! LOOK AT THIS! 

DO YOU SEE THE DRAG MARKS IN THE SAND FROM THE BIRDS'S PECKING MOVING THE BODY?! I was almost in tears at that point. I hate birds but that is just not ok. Cannibalism is never ok folks. Never. I didn't go out on the beach again after that experience. I stayed and slept in while my parents braved the beach of death without me. After that it was on to Portland, and Voodoo Doughnuts. Food is how I drown my sorrows. 

I'm too lazy to turn the picture so you're just going to have to deal with it. It was to die for. To die for, get it? But really though. We also went to Powell's of course but details on that will have to wait until Saturday for Stacking the Shelves. We finished up with birthday breakfast at my favorite restaurant, Slappy Cakes. There is a griddle on your table and you pick your own batter and toppings to make your pancakes on your table. 

  

I also got candied bacon. CARMALIZED/CANDIED BACON FOLKS. With hazelnuts on top. AKA heaven on a plate.

So yeah, that was my life for the past few days, mostly a lot of food and more than a little bit of trauma. My birthday has been great. I got a lot of books and money to buy books and things to use in books, and ice cream because food is life. So I'm sure you've been sitting there reading this post a little bit like this:

But it's my post and I can boast and chatter if I want to. Thanks if you made it through. I appreciate you, you special nugget you. 

Oh and again...

Sorry I couldn't help it and I really wanted to use that gif too.