my family moved to oregon in july of 1999, a few weeks after we moved i left for school. consequently, oregon really isn't home to me; i've only lived there a few weeks. kansas is home, we moved there before i entered first grade and left after i graduated from high school. i never really embraced the beauty of the state while we lived there, its funny how you don't learn to appreciate some things until you lose them. this picture is part of the view if you were sitting on our porch at home. beautiful, eh?
one of my favorite memories is sleeping under the christmas tree next to the fireplace. thanks to the fact that we had a vaulted ceiling, a monsterous (12-14 ft) christmas tree evolved into a family tradition. this isn't a very good picture, but you get the idea.