Love and Long Friendships

 Yesterday was very busy and beautiful!! 

Starting with breakfast at Dan and Brooke's house in the morning, and a chance to visit and catch up, along with rides in Dan's awesome toy!

Then going shopping for wedding stuff, and going back to the Hendry place to change and get ready for the wedding! We took a little walk and picked wild flowers too. 

The wedding itself was just wonderful. The ceremony was beautiful and the pastor's message to the bride and groom was filled with truth and hope for a long and loving marriage. Matthew looked so handsome, and he was just moved to tears by the vision of his beautiful bride. It was a blessing to witness. 

The reception was so much fun. The venue was the home of the bride and it was such a fantastic party! 

Everyone had such a good time! 

Today we spent the day at the Davis' home. Oh my goodness was that special. 

Sarah, Katie, and Haley came with their families, Dad came up, and Pat, Julie and Amanda hosted a wonderful day at their place. We had ordered new t-shirts with the original "Woodchuck" graphic on them and the kids all tie-died theirs. 

We had lunch and then visited while the kids all ran around and got to know each other. It was a blast. Pat grilled burgers and hot dogs, and then we visited some more! 

It was just such a blest day. What a gift to be able to see all those wonderful people again. It's always like we just pick up right where we left off. It's amazing. 

Tomorrow we are going to the ridge for breakfast and then to Mass and then to celebrate the 4th at Dan and Brooke's again. 

Into The West

 Today was filled with the most interesting mix of the old and the new. 

We have traveled from Yakima to Port Angeles and it was a blest day, starting with this absolutely stunning Sunrise! 

Then we headed up through Stevens Pass and across the Cascades. 

Along the way we stopped in Leavenworth, this beautiful little town that is modeled after a Bavarian village. The mountains are so gorgeous up there. 

We came through Edmonds and treated the kids to a ride on the ferry, and then it was a short ride into Port Angeles. We found our AirBNB and have gotten groceries and unpacked. The house is a bit run down, but after settling in we are going to make out fine. 

Laura and Nina grabbed some burgers from Frugals, which is a legendary burger place here in town, and then we all went down to Ediz Hook to eat and let the kids play. It was really cold, as predicted, but it was a beautiful evening, and it ended with a beautiful sunset. 

Tomorrow is the wedding, and we will see so many people that we haven't seen in years! I am so glad for all the special times that we have had so far!

The Trip So Far

 Well. We are three days into this trip and I can't believe that I haven't had a chance to blog our adventure. It has been a whirlwind of driving, hotels and driving again. The kids have been amazing!! I don't know how I got so lucky. ALL the grandkids are amazing travelers. Lilly, and all the Cookes. 

On Monday morning we hit the road from Kyle and headed for Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

It was a long drive, and we had so much rain!! It rained like crazy off and on all day. 

We wanted to stop in Roswell, to get a taste of the UFO fun that they have going there, but we ended up staying in the car and just driving up the street. 

Then, when we went to get gas, I was putting something in the back of the car and I bashed my forehead on the tailgate and it started bleeding. It stopped quickly, and now I just have a bruise, but ugh. We forged ahead and got to our hotel in time to order dinner and let the kids swim for a bit. 

Bed felt REALLY good. I have the girls in my rooms at night and they are just delightful!

Yesterday, Tuesday, we left the hotel early and drove through the rest of New Mexico. It is wild and colorful, and just beautiful in it's own way. 

We drove through several of the Indian communities, and past huge cliffs and mesas. We decided to take time out in Utah to go to Arches National Park and drive through the incredible landscape there. We were SO glad that we did!! It is just breathtaking and no picture can possibly do it justice. The size and scope of the rock formations are just magnificent. I just kept thanking God for His beautiful creation! Here are just a few of the pictures that I took.

Then we drove on through Utah to Layton, which is just north of Salt Lake city and found our hotel. We were all so exhausted from our day that we just went right to bed and to sleep. 

Today, Wednesday, we drove out of Utah and into Idaho. It was very different. We traveled the road that was once the Oregon trail, and it is just so hard to imagine what it must have been like to make that trip in a wagon, behind oxen, and with the dangers that were so common at that time. The land is big and just goes on and on. 

The hills are practically mountains, and water is pretty scarce. The temperature today was over 100 degrees most of the day. We didn't know it was going to be that bad, but it was really awful. I drove a good part of the day. It was pretty easy driving. We got into Washington and then found a park and the kids had KFC and played a bit, even in the heat. We climbed back into the van and made the last leg of the journey. We arrived in Yakima around 8:00 and got into our rooms. I am hoping to give my back a rest tonight, as it is very sore. I hope to be able to blog some more tomorrow night!