3,100 miles

...of love and fun. We had an incredible jaunt around the Northwest. Unfortunately, our camera broke on day three of our fifteen days on the road. Thanks to some surrogate cameras and sharing, we have a little bit of proof that we DID make this journey. Otherwise, the moments will have to be preserved by words in this entry, stories we will tell of adventures had along the way, and of course the images burned into our memories.

Highlight Canyon- Bozeman, MT

First, we started in Montana. We had one night in Missoula where we had the chance to enjoy dinner with some great friends (Mason, Anna, Ian, Adam, Kathy, and Hazel), meet their amazing new family additions, and let enough of that Missoula charm sink in to get us thinking about how great it would be live there again.

Then, we visited Bozeman, where we also got to visit with special people (Sarah, Tanda, Justin, Kelsey, Michelle, and Dan), eat a grilled masterpiece as we did so many times with this crowd when they lived in Portland, got a hike in, and explored this town which is quickly taking a top spot on our short list of places to live.


Next stop, a mini reunion with the Eddy St girls centered around the beautiful wedding of Amy and her now husband, Andy. What an adorable couple- seriously. Pictures to come of this one. My favorite story of this weekend- Amy getting a call on Friday from her cake person explaining that the night before a bear broke into the garage where Amy's cupcakes were stored...and ate them all- She was trying her best to get them all made again. HA! Only in MT, eh? I really do miss this state. Otherwise, awesome times were had all weekend catching up with the girls and other college friends in stunning Red Lodge. Congrats to Amy and Andy!


Next, on to Chico Hot Springs with mom and dad DuRoss for a night (a special treat and gem of a location they discovered years ago...I swear, they have a nose for cool places) and then on down to Driggs for two more nights. We didn't necessarily intend to go this far, but we hiked 10.5 miles and almost 3,ooo vertical ft. of elevation one day. Green lakes was our destination and well, once DuRoss boys get on a mission, it is hard to turn them around even if it is really hot, you are 5 months pregnant with twins, and others barely have cartilage left in their knee joints. Just kidding...it was a beautiful day and the desire to complete the mission was shared by all. :)



Salt Lake City was the next destination, also filled with lots of hugs, laughter, memories, and smiles. In a lot of ways it felt like we never left our home town of 8 years and amazing playmates and friends made there. And in other ways, there were so many new (or a lot more grown up) members of families, new homes, and other things to catch up on! Our dear friend, Katy, hosted a baby shower for us at her house. It was really special and meant so much to us that so many people came out to show their support and celebrate our pregnancy with us. We were/are very touched. And, to top it off, the rain (yes, rain in Aug in UT- unheard of in itself) cleared in time for the party to be held outside AND created the perfect conditions for us to get a huge DOUBLE RAINBOW across the sky. I told Katy she really went above and beyond it getting that all ordered. I mean, the cupcakes were really enough. Several hikes and BBQs later, we were forced to leave this comfy spot on our trip, hoping for job opportunities here too, and the chance to return sooner than later.

Finally, we rolled into Lake Tahoe after spending a night with Katy's parents in Reno on the way. In Tahoe we stayed with with one of Chip's classmates (or ex-classmates I should say...maybe colleague is the best word) who lives on Donner Pass and happens to have a spare house slopeside. The accommodations were luxurious and it was the perfect mellow end to our whirlwind visiting tour.

We were glad to roll back into Portland, sleep in our own bed, and not have to get in the car for more than a commute. So, here we are, trying to figure out what the next step is. Or, maybe the next step is trying to find us. Either way, we'll let you know what happens next as far as jobs and whether we are making a move or not.