Our New Life in the Northwest

Well, here we are in Idaho!  We actually made it!!  After two grueling weeks of packing and notifying our friends and co-workers we were abandoning them, we set off on August 18th.  We were lucky enough to have Suddath (my employer) move us, so they loaded up our stuff on the 17th, and that night, we slept on the floor of our empty two-bedroom apartment.  We got up at 5 AM on the 18th, packed up our dog, Zack, and our cat, Emilia, and we were on the road!

Sweet Emilia was content to sit in my lap for half the trip, and sleep in her kennel for the other half

Day 1 was our longest day.  We drove all the way to Castle Rock, Colorado!  We were blessed enough to stay with my childhood friend, Angie, and her husband and little boy.  It was great to catch up with an old friend.

Day 2 was... torture.  Okay, it wasn't that bad.  But I pre-warned RJ before the trip.  I do NOT like Wyoming.  My sister and I drove through it once before when we moved from Idaho to New Mexico.  It is a sad excuse for a state.  What if I had to live there?  I shudder at the thought.  The best part of Day 2 (and possibly the entire trip) was when we crossed over the border into Montana, and suddenly we were surrounded by plush, green beauty.  Lovely!  We stayed the night in a fabulous, rustic cabin in Columbus, MT.  We walked Zack along the river and felt like we were in Heaven!

Our serene cabin in beautiful Montana

Day 3 was the home stretch.  We only had 9 hours of driving, so we took our time.  We were able to stop in Bozeman (which has the coolest downtown) and Helena (where we found an amazing Irish pub, and RJ declared lamb stew to be his favorite food).  The last four hours were spent on Lolo Pass, and the subsequent downhill drive.  It was beautiful, but we were so incredibly ready to be home by that point that it was tough to enjoy God's country.  

RJ and Zack - finally in Idaho!

Finally, around 7 PM, we made it to Lewiston!!  I cannot tell you how good it felt to pull into the driveway of the house I grew up in.  We poured ourselves some red wine and enjoyed my mom's mashed potatoes.  (I know she made some other stuff too, but all I can remember right now is the mashed potatoes!)

Since the night of our arrival, we have begun to settle in nicely.  The goal is to live with my parents for 3-4 months, then buy a house.  We have just begun the process of looking for a house, and I am actually meeting with our real estate agent tomorrow.  (Yippee!)  RJ started his new job and loves it so far.  We have had the opportunity to see my brother's awesome band, Seven Devils, play twice, including once at Hot August Nights.  They are really, really good!  We also attended a party for my friend Alison, who is getting married in less than two weeks on Orcas Island.  Other than that, I've just been looking for jobs, helping my mom out at the office, and whatever else comes up!

I'm so happy to be able to share all the joys of the Northwest with RJ.  He's like a kid in a candy store.  I think his favorite thing (besides living on two rivers) is FRY SAUCE.  Oh my goodness.  That alone is worth living here for.