Spring Break (or, in the words of James Franco, "Spraaaang Break"): It’s a time for college students to party it up on the beaches of Cabo and do things they will refuse to admit to their parents (and, eventually, their own children). So I booked a flight, packed my bags, and set off to the sandy beaches of... Oregon?

You heard it right, folks. I spent my Spring Break in the wonderfully gloomy state of Oregon and (sorry mom) never wanted to leave. What my Spring Break lacked in margaritas and tan lines, it made up for in homemade dinners and roomie bonding.

So here’s to the Beaver State and the (non-Snapchat) documentation of my (cue James Franco voice) Spraaang Break.

Slappy cakes:

This is the beginning of the end. The end of my diet, that is. Slappy cakes are a beautiful gift from the breakfast gods that give you the power to pick your batter, pick your mixings, and make your own pancakes at your table! With the help of batter bottles, you can be as artistic as your pancake-filled heart desires. We batter-doodled everything from flowers and snails to sunset scenes and good old Donald Trump. Beyond being masterpieces, the pancakes themselves were delicious and by far the best way to kick off my Oregon endeavors.

Hawthorne:

A quirky neighborhood of Portland dedicated to cool thrift shops and a teeny version of Powell’s Bookstore (holla for no sales tax). As I roamed through the racks of vintage prom dresses and shoes I would never wear, I felt the “cool” factor of Portland that everyone has been talking about. Does this make me as cool as them? The question remains unanswered but unfortunately, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t.

Food Carts:

If slappy cakes were the beginning of the end, I don’t even know what the food carts were. Approximately three full street blocks of downtown Portland were jam-packed with tiny food carts, and let me just tell you, great things do come in small packages. My beautiful tour guide (also known as my roommate Anna) and I indulged ourselves in dangerously delicious dumplings from The Dump Truck and homemade heaven from The Grilled Cheese Grill (can you guess what we had there?). With full hearts and even fuller tummies, we set off for the rest of our journey and made our way to the Oregon Coast.

Tillamook:

The name sounds familiar, right? You’ve probably seen it passing through the dairy aisle in the grocery store or indulged in the rich and creamy goodness of their famous cheeses, but I had the pleasure of going to the source of it all, the Tillamook Cheese Factory. What does one do when she goes to a cheese factory? Attend a cheese tour? Eat oodles of cheese? Nope. She eats ice cream. My flavors of choice, mountain huckleberry and cookies and cream, are not a traditional pairing but they made a delicious duo. Bottom line: Tillamook is a Tilla-must.

The Oregon Coast:

As I was packing my bags for Oregon, I asked my roommate, “So which bathing suit should I bring?” She gave me a look that said it all. Needless to say, my bikini never made it into my suitcase and I understood her sassy stare as soon as we stepped foot on the beach. Cold, wet, and gloomy but equally as stunning as the beaches of California, and no sunscreen needed (a redhead’s dream). I was captivated by the rocky beaches, agate searching, and the breezy nights on the deck. Oregon, you have stolen my heart.

Needless to say, I’ll be visiting again. Don’t miss me too much, Oregon. I’ll surely be missing you.