Our baby's first hometown

Springfield, Oregon is celebrating 125 years in 2010, so I thought I would pay a little tribute to our fine little town with some fun facts. After all, this is the first place our little peanut will live... Springfield Pride!!

Springfield began with Elias and Mary Briggs taking up a land claim and building a cabin on the east bank of the Willamette River in 1859 for 640 acres.

The Briggs' claim included a spring in a field. The town of Springfield was named for that spring that still exists on the corner of 2nd and B streets. It is now capped and covered to protect it.

Many of the early settlers of the area included members of the ill-fated Lost Wagon Train of 1853.

In 1892, George and Lulu Dorris planted filbert (hazelnut) trees from Spain, sold their crops and shipped trees throughout the US, initiating the nation's filbert industry.

Weyerhaeuser (paper company) opened its Springfield mill complex in 1949, granting Lane County the title of Timber Capital of the World," and Springfield was dubbed "Lunch Bucket City."

Clint Eastwood lived and worked in Springfield at Weyerhaeuser for about one year when he was 19 years old.

Author Ken Kesey (of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) grew up in Springfield.

Matt Groening was inspired by our little town to create the Simpsons (the town has a plaque signed by the man himself with a sketch of Bart saying, "Yo to Springfield, Oregon... the REAL Springfield! Your Pal Matt Groening, Proud Oregonian 2007).


In other news besides my hometown pride, not much new to report except I am alone this weekend with Eliot in Ireland for the William Kennedy Piping Festival. I am hoping he makes it there and back ok... and brings me some of those delicious roast chicken flavored chips! Yum! Luckily, lots of people are coming over to keep me company... Mom, Grandma and Pappy, Jodi and Jake, and I'll go see Nathan and Lindy on Sunday. Yay for company!

I feel pretty sick in the mornings right now, especially if my stomach is empty. I try to eat all throughout the day to keep the "morning" sickness at bay, but sometimes it gets the better of me. It's not too bad usually, but it can get worse if I don't eat/sleep/drink well.

I am just happy that everything seems to be going well with this pregnancy so far... what a blessing this little one is to our family! :-)