My Love Affair With Oregon..

The Central Oregon Coast

I live in Oregon!  I haven't always lived here.  I was born in the high desert country of southern Utah.  I was raised on the southern coast of California.  I married and lived in California, Arizona, Utah, Illinois and back to California.  After the passing of my first husband, I re-married and moved to New Mexico.  From there, I moved back to southern Utah then onward to Oregon in 1998.

When I first moved to Oregon, I was prepared for nothing but rain.  But Oregon is more than that.  Yes, it rains nearly 8 months out of the year, but we do have winter and we do have summer.  It is the rain that gives Oregon its lush green color year round.  And it is the rain that creates such amazing hiking adventures for Oregonians.

Dean and I love to explore (when we have some free time to do that) and we have discovered only a handful of the amazing beauty that this country has in store for us.  I am going to share some of those hiking adventures here,

Though "hiking" isn't what you think of when you visit the seashore, its miles long beaches do offer some of the most spectacular views of God's amazing creation--the ocean shores of the Pacific.  These are my favorite walks and uplifting to the soul.  There is a song I heard once that says, "When you stand beside the ocean"...you feel so small!  And it is true.  I stand at the edge of the sea and view eternity.

Just twenty minutes east of Lincoln City, there is a beautiful hiking trail.  It is called Drift Creek Falls.  It is a favorite hike for the Mickelson's.  It is just my kind of a hike.  Not too strenuous and not too long.  We like to pack a lunch, enjoy the scenery and then take our refreshments in the beauty under the falls and next to Drift Creek.

Just south of Lincoln Beach, there is a WorldMark Resort--The Resort at Gleneden Beach.  Since we are members, we like to "get away" for a weekend and walk the grounds and feel pampered.  Walking among the beauty of a landscape is another of my favorite things to do.

Another peaceful place to enjoy a leisurely walk in beauty, is the Connie Hanson Gardon in Lincoln City.  I love to stroll the lanes and discover the beauty of the landscape.  We took Dean's Dad here for a walk recently and he loved it.

While we are on the subject of gardens, Oregon has some amazingly beautiful ones.  There are the Rose Gardens in Portland, the Tulip Fields in the Valley, and this year we visited the Dahlia fields near Canby, Oregon.  Though none of these walks through the gardens would be considered a hike, I do like to get my exercise "strolliing" through beauty.

Let's leave the coastal and valley regions for a bit and check out the beauty of the mountains.  Oregon has several beautiful ski areas in Central Oregon.  Dean, Billy and Ingrid spent time on the slopes of Mt. Bachelor, while I enjoyed the peace of the condo below.

Just for fun, I am going to throw in some photos at random and put a title on each one.

Fogarty Creek on Oregon Coast

Hebo Lake, Oregon Coast

Enjoying the walk at Hebo Lake

Dean stopped by L.C. Kite Festival

Kite Festival

Cannon Beach Sand Castle Festival

Sand Castle Festival

Watching a Wind Surfer at L.C. Beavh

A Fall hike to Fall Falls, southern Oregon

I didn't realize there were so many beautiful things to see in Oregon when I moved here.  Every season has its beauty and every season offers a new adventure for us.  I'm getting a little old for the strenuous hikes of yesteryear, but wherever we can find beauty, I am usually game.

One last hike I wanted to share is the one we most recently discovered.,  Right in the middle of Lincoln City, not a mile from our Church, there is a wooded area that we hiked through.  It is mysterious there with tall pines and mossy trees.  The path is covered with the roots of the trees and I gave it the loving name of "Root Canal!"  We shared a picnic lunch there yesterday and some quality family time together.

I'm sure there will be future hikes, walks and strolls for the Mickelson's.  I am glad that God has given me such beauty to enjoy on my journey.

A New Milestone,,,Seventy-five Years, and still ticking...

Three quarters of a century, as tine is calculated by man, this little bald head poked her little head into the world, took her first breath on earth, and cried!

What do I think when I look at this picture?  The first thoughts that come into my head are those of gratitude!  Gratitude first for my Heavenly Father's Plan which introduced to me somewhere in that vastness of space, called Heaven, His great love for His children.  Because of His Divine Plan, each of us are sent to this earth for the purpose of (1) to obtain a body, and (2) to be tested to see if we will do those things that He has asked us to do in order to return to Him.  And I am grateful for my parents who chose "life" for their second-born child; grateful that I was born in a generation when women take having children as a great privilege and blessing, instead of being able to make choices not to have a child.

I began my life in the little town of Cedar City, Utah.  It is where my pioneer ancestors came after their very long trek by ship from England and Scotland to America.  And then another very long trek by covered wagons across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley.  And, on their arrival, they were sent on yet another trek to southern Utah to settle the area.  Life for those early pioneers was hard.  Life for my parents was hard.  And never once did I hear them complain.

When I was 2 years old, my parents went on a trek of their own...to southern California.  Life for me in southern California was not very hard.  I was taught to follow my parents teachings, pay attention in school and eventually I would be prepared to build my own life.  I was, for the most part, an obedient child.

I spent my formative years in Santa Monica, California, graduated from high school, and then began a trek of my own.  I enrolled in Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and never would call Santa Monica my home again.  (Well, except for the 5 short months in 1969, when we stayed with my parents while looking for a place to settle.)  It was at BYU that I met the "man of my dreams"...literally!  He wasn't tall or dark, but he certainly was handsome.  Gerry Henderson was a Graduate Student, studying for his Master's Degree in Geology, and I was a Freshman.  There were 9 years separating us...scary at first, but comforting as time moved on.

Gerry and I were married in the Los Angeles Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1958.  Our moves (trek) took us from Santa Monica to Mesa, Arizona to Sacramento, California to Lodi, California to Salt Lake City, Utah to Champaign/Urbana, Illinois to West Los Angeles, California and finally, to Rowland Heights, California.  The year we settled in Rowland Heights was 1970, and the Henderson's trek was over.

In the interim, we added 5 beautiful children to our family.  Five children who would bless our lives tremendously, try our patience at every turn, and knock us to our knees on more than one occasion.  But my greatest trial that would set my feet upon the path of a new trek was the one which hit me like a Mack Truck going 75 MPH on the Interstate.  It knocked the wind out of my sails.  Gerry, the love of my life, my eternal companion, my teacher, my friend, the father of our children, the man I counted on to keep me traveling on that straight and narrow path, was called home to be with His Father in Heaven.  Emptiness filled my soul and emptiness was all that I could feel.  The year was 1981.

A little over a year later, in 1982, because a prayer of loneliness was answered, my Heavenly Father sent me someone who could fill the void.  He knew my needs and Dean Mickelson met most of them.  Heavenly Father also knew I needed to be challenged some more in my life...to prove to Him and to myself that I would be worthy of an eternal home some day with my family.  And this new marriage tested me...in oh, so many ways.

With Dean, my trek continued.  We started our lives together in Taos, New Mexico; then we moved to Raton, New Mexico (where our son, Billy, joined the family); back to Taos, and in 1988, we separated and went our separate ways.  Dean remained in Taos and I moved to St. George, Utah.  Eleven years later, and through circumstances I won't go into here, we drifted back together.  Our second wedding was in a beautiful rose garden in Eugene, Oregon, under a cherry tree that was over a hundred years old.  We figured perhaps that would be a good omen for a second beginning.

Our Oregon trek has taken us from Eugene to Redmond and Crooked River Ranch to Brookings on the southern coast to Lincoln City on the central coast.  Lincoln City is where we call home today.  We have been here for seven years.

Would I trade a single moment of this long and chock full of experiences of every size, shape and color for any other life?  Never.  Because I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and He knows my life from beginning to end.  He knew I would make the choices I have made in my life, because I am His daughter.  He knows my spirit...He gave it life.
 
I have been blessed in so many ways I will not take the time to number all of them.  I have been blessed with love in my life; I have been blessed with 6 amazing and beautiful children and a sharp step-son that I cannot keep up with; my children have given me 14 grandchildren and 5 step-grandchildren; my grandchildren have given me 6 great-grandchildren and 2 step-great-grandchildren.  What more could any woman ask for.

And so you can see, the trek of my 75 year life has taken me many places, given me unlimited experiences, offered me more than one opportunity to grow and I have kept my promise to my Heavenly Father that I would be "an obedient child" and return to Him one day.  Seventy-five used to be the "age of man" at which time he looked forward to laying this old body by and blending it with mother earth.  That is not so, today!  Today, man's lifespan is more in the 80's (and many live well past 100)...if one is to be blessed with a long life, and if the life is not cut short by disease or accident.

And so, I look forward eagerly for perhaps another 10 years or so to get right the things I may still need to learn and finish whatever it is that I was put here to do; and I have been given a new lease on life for the purpose of finishing it!

A Profound Teacher and Influence In My Life...

Robert C. Crawford
10/19/11 - 12/14/94

There are only a handful of people in my life who have influenced my thought processes, challenged my determination to make something of myself, contributed to the shaping of my character, and who taught me how to think.  One of those was my high school math teacher, Mr. Robert C. Crawford, or "Uncle Fudd," as he liked us to call him.

To many he could be intimidating.  But, not to me.  He would challenge them in class, in front of everybody, to answer a stated math problem before he snapped his fingers.  I found him to be someone whom I wanted to emulate and would meet his challenges head on.  He taught me the art of adding a column of numbers quickly, never questioning my results, and keeping the information in my head.  He quoted often, "If it doesn't kill you, it can't hurt you."

Mr. Crawford called on me a lot, and one afternoon, after class, he called me to his desk.  "Florene," he said, "do you know why I 'pick' on you in class?  It is because you have a very high IQ and I want you to rise up to meet it.  I know you can do the work, and so I challenge you."  I have never forgotten that.  I knew there was a reason why I liked and respected this teacher.  He did the homework on each and every student in his classes.  He knew where you were born.  He knew who our parents were.  And he knew our IQ.

From that day forward, Mr. Crawford would call on me using a pet name he had coined, like: "Cedar City" (the city where I was born), or "Pickle Bill's" (the name of my dad's restaurant).  That always brought a smile to my face.  Only he and I knew the meaning!  I found out that he loved the big dill pickles from Pickle Bill's...and that he ate there often.  So, whenever I thought about it, I would bring him one!  He loved that.

Throughout my life, whenever I am faced with another challenge, I remember Mr. Crawford and his respect and confidence in me, and I say to myself, 'you can to this!  Mr. Crawford said you could!'.  He was good to keep up with my life, mostly because I sent Christmas Cards every year to he and his wife, Natalie.  I will never forget the phone call that I received in June of 1989, when my dad was killed.  It was Mr. Crawford on the line.  He comforted me and told me how sorry he was to hear the news.  He and my dad were friends in Santa Monica and he had a great deal of respect for him.  And then, a few years later, I learned that Mr. Crawford lost his battle with Cancer on December 14, 1994.  I had never lost track of him, and when I received the news, I sent his wife a condolence card.  Natalie and I still keep in touch.  In fact, I last saw her at my class reunion 2 years ago and we hugged and shared our stories of what was going on in our lives.  It was a good reunion, with many tears shed.

The biggest influence in my life is my Savior.  Venture to say, He is the most influential person I have ever invited into my life...however, it took me longer to find Him than it did to find Mr. Crawford.

I was converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a teen-ager, but my life's journey took many turns and detours getting me to where I am today.  I was truly converted to Jesus Christ, as my Savior, and the fact that He has Atoned for my sins over and over again.  He rescued me from near self-destruction in 1975.  And when I opened that door that He had been knocking on for decades, my entire life took a new turn.

Once on the path of repentance, throwing away the old "me" and taking up the new "me," I was able to study the scriptures, where I found my Savior with new vigor, enthusiasm, and understanding.  Getting to know my Savior has been the greatest gift I could have ever have given myself.  I know that He is there for me...all I have to do is ask!  I know He outlined a perfect plan in the scriptures...all I have to do is read (and ponder and study)!  I know that He knows my life from beginning to end...all I have to do is trust!  And, when all is said and done, when I come to the end of my journey, I know that my Savior will be there to meet me...all I have to do is wait!

Yes, we are touched by special people in our lives.  And some of them remain with us forever.  Thank you, Mr. Crawford for all that you taught me.  Thank you for showing a shy high-schooler that there are people out there who see your worth.  And thanks be to my Savior for the Atonement.  Thanks for the scriptures that testify of you.  And thank you for getting me through the many difficult seasons of my life.

My Lord and Savior

                                     

Lois Lorraine Mickelson Miller...You Will Be Missed!

I first met Lorraine when Dean and I, with little Billy in tow (barely 2-years-old), came to Oregon on a vacation.  It was late June or early July, 1986.  Lorraine is Dean's Dad's 1st Cousin.  They were raised close together in Minnesota.  They were very close cousins.  Dad would refer to Lorraine as his "kissing cousin!"  I laugh a lot with Bill Mickelson.

Lorraine met us at the airport and became our tour guide and chauffeur.   I had never been to Oregon, so I was taking it all in.  She drove us up the beautiful, wide Columbia River in her new Mercedes Benz Sedan.  Our first stop was the Dam, where we watched the salmon swimming up river and through the "ladders" to get to the other side of the dam and to their spawning place.  I saw my very first sturgeon--a great fish they had in a special pool at the dam.  It was huge!  It was the size of a small dolphin!

She drove us to Multnomah Falls, where I saw the painting that my Mom and Dad had given me for my home in California in 1970 come to life.  I was enthralled with its beauty--especially learning that it was really a place in Oregon.

She took us to lunch at a wonderful restaurant (whose name has escaped me) situated in the trees.  I think it was an old logging camp at one time.  NOTE:  Going out to eat was one of Lorraine's favorite things to do.  Every visit included a wonderful lunch somewhere.  The Truffle House, Heidi's, Elmer's or The Olive Garden were some of her favorites.

For the 4th of July, we drove to a lake (not sure where it was...it was dark and I did not know the area) to watch the fireworks over the water.  It was a wonderful display and even little Billy oo'd and ah'd with every new explosion.

From that first meeting with Lorraine, I knew I loved Oregon--and I knew Lorraine was a special person.  As the years unfolded, I grew to love her as family, friend, a sister who loved the Lord as much as I do, and as a woman I looked up to for her candor, her intelligence, her love for her husband, whom she served 'till the day he died, and her special bond with her two nephews, Dean (my husband) and David (his brother).  Those boys were like the sons she was never blessed with.

I also watched her bond with her three grand nephews, Billy and Eliot (our sons) and Zachary (David's son).  She was an educator and never missed an opportunity to teach any and all of those boys in her life.  Books were her favorite gift to them at Christmas or a birthday.  NOTE:  David has two other children: April and Eric, but I was never privileged to see their relationship with Lorraine.  They were older and lived far, far away.

Lorraine with Dean Billy and Eliot

Lorraine and Eliot

Lorraine with Zachary and Miriam

I loved Lorraine.  We were always welcomed guests in her home. We lovingly called her home "Lorraine's Inn."  She would beam whenever we came to visit.  She loved to share her latest achievement with genealogy--and we shall forever be grateful to her for the many hours of work she put into that work so we could treasure the family ties we have.

She loved her garden and loved to show it off.  I was always so amazed at the beauty she created in her yard.  Of course, Dean's favorite part of her garden were the flourishing blueberry bushes.  We picked them, froze them and enjoyed them through the winter.  That became an annual event for us.  Lorraine always made us a delicious blueberry compote on berry picking visits, and then she served it hot over toast,.  Yummy!

Lorraine with Lori in her garden

Dean and Lori in Lorraine's Garden

The past year has been a hard one for the Mickelson family, as we watched her health fail to the point that she became bedridden in the Gresham Care Facility.  We visited as often as we were able--but looking back, it wasn't nearly often enough.

Billy and Ingrid, hugging Lorraine

Lorraine with Eliot
Look at that smile on her face!

Lorraine with Dean, Billy and Eliot

Lorraine with Lori

Dean with Lorraine

We will forever miss you, Lorraine.  You are forever in our hearts and our cherished memories.  We look forward to the day when we will all be together again in God's Kingdom.  We will miss your "Inn," your delicious blueberry's on toast, your garden, the warmth of your hearth, and most of all, we will miss your warm smile that greeted us with every visit.  Lorraine left this earthly sphere on Saturday, September 6, 2014...just days before her 88th birthday.