This was our first stop, dinner. Well, we actually stopped at Wendy's but this was right next door. We thought it was a funny name for a food place.
Here is Mt. Hood near our future home city, Portland. That's right, it's official, we are moving to Portland in one year, well, less now. We found out on our way home to MO. We'll only be there for a year, but hopefully we will get our fill of Mt. Hood in replacement of Mt. Rainier. AND it's only 100 miles south of where we are now.
We left on a Tuesday night, drove ALL night and into the next day. This is Utah. Oregon (and most of Idaho...at least while I was sleeping) was pretty much in the dark, but it's absolutely beautiful. Idaho was kind of smelly, I woke up without opening my eyes and said what is that smell?! A lot of cows...
I love Utah! SO pretty!!
This is a turbine from the wind turbines they're building all over. We see them all the time in Washington, but you rarely see the turbines on tractor trailers. And until you do, you don't realize HOW BIG THEY ARE!!!! They must plan out their trips from the manufacturer well because you can't just pull off anywhere and go to McDonald's for lunch!
The boys sleeping...
Wyoming.
These are all over the place too, they help with the wind during the winter.
I love tunnels.
Stopped for lunch. He's saying "Cheese".
Now he's helping Daddy with the Jeep. I guess I should say that the day we were planning on leaving town it finally hit 70 degrees! So after we had lunch with our friends Lauren and Jackson, they're moving to South Carolina, we got in the Jeep and needed the AC to cool it off a bit. NO AC. I had a small accident, that ended up doing a lot of damage you couldn't see, in January. Well, needless to say, in 50 degree weather or less, I haven't had to use the AC much. Had no idea that it wasn't working. So we had to drive all the way to MO with the windows down...
We got a little DVD player and here's Mr. Man watching something.
What you're not missing in Nebraska. There's not much there. It looks like this. For 450 miles...however, we did end up stopping in nowhere, NE for a good night's sleep and for my swelling to go back down. My ankles looked like watermelons.
YAY!! The Missouri River!! Flooded as you know what!
There was water practically on the highway!
FINALLY! The MO state line!
Passed out again.
First night at the lake = Skeet jumping in non-stop!!
It was 95 degrees when we got to MO. Reminder: no AC in the Jeep. We hit the lake ASAP! Aaron with Papa driving.
Whitey!
Yeah, well...
Copper loves being out on the water!
Aaron's first time in the lake. It was a momentous occasion, with Twinkie.
Copper doesn't LOVE to swim, but she will. She does this funny thing, you hold her above the water and she starts paddling before she even hits the water. I think most dogs do this if you torture them like this.
He was a little wary of the water, but did great!
Even more wary when he wasn't with Daddy.
We tried to get him to jump off the back of the pontoon boat, but he'd just fall. It was cute.
The dogs anxiously awaiting to be told to fetch. Notice the difference between my dog (the black one) and Papa's dog. Calm...excited...calm...INSANE!
Enjoying the ride back.
Copper on TOP of the dog house. Par for the course. Chuck built a dog house that can fit either dog at our house and neither one of them use it, ever.
We had tickets to the Cards/Royals game at Kauffman Friday night after we got home. It took forever in the Jeep to get there, about 45 minutes, in 95 degree heat without AC. So we started off the game hot and never cooled down. However, I was appalled at all the people with little babies out in that heat! Get a babysitter!!! Notice all the RED???? Actually, this time Royals fans vs. Cards fans was pretty even this night. Usually it's a landslide RED.
This was funny, they dressed people up like hot dog condiments and made them race.
My hero...
Royals win. I think the Cards had their alter egos out there, maybe the farm team players. It was not my usual Red Birds.
Fireworks post-game. It was a nice display.
The next morning, early, I headed to STL with Aaron and the dogs in tow so I could get the AC fixed. Turns out the original fix it place just didn't charge it up enough...stinkin' #($*ifwJ*(^!!
The next morning we went for a bike ride. The one my dad is looking at is his bike, but the one behind it is mine. Take a good look...
You'll never see it again.
Aaron running around before we head to the bike shop to look at shoes and then home.
We rode the Katy Trail. Back in 2002, my dad and I rode the whole thing (225 miles). It was a great trip. This is one end of it so there's a big display with history and such on it. I loved this little bit they wrote under General. Kinda funny.
Aaron found a bike at the bike shop. Still a bit too small, buddy.
Tuesday night we had another date with the Cards, this time in St. Louis! This is the courthouse with the Arch in the background.
This was definitely a momentous occasion, Aaron's first baseball game EVER!!!
My sis, Dana, and her fiancee, Andy, acting like a dork as usual. Isn't she so photogenic? She got the good genes.
CHARGE!!!
Sisters.
My dad doesn't stop taking pictures. People think I'm bad!
Finally, a decent pic!
No, we did not give him beer.
Mom and Dad, with his headphones on. He used to go to games before and play the game on the AM station until we pitched fit so often that he finally started listening to it on headphones. It was SO annoying!!!
Bubba and Daddy making faces at each other...he was getting a little bored.
And tired...
Our family at the ballpark!
We killed 'em!!
The next morning we went for a bike ride, me, Dad, Bubba and Chuck. We saw lots of geese at the lake.
There's going to be a long break here and a skip back to KC. Pretty much everything else in STL was wedding related and, like I said, that will be another post. In the meantime, check out the photographer's blog to see the few she's edited so far! Kelly Pratt
So, before, I mentioned that the bike picture would be the last you ever see of my bike again...well, me too, for that matter. On the way back to KC on the 4th of July, on track for a steak dinner and fireworks, I realize I can't see the tire of my bike. I pull over right away, 100 miles from either my starting point or my destination, and it's gone. Nothing. Unstrapped, nothing broken...bizarre! So, I hop back in the Jeep, turn around, make my way back east 20 miles, turn around again and go back to Columbia, it's no where on the highway in that stretch. I end up calling my parents to make their way toward me and I would make my way toward them and we'd scour the highway. Nothing. We get to KC at 10:45pm, no steak (Mickey D's instead) and no fireworks. That's all I have to say.
Monday night we had a little get together with Chuck's uncle and some cousins. We had a GREAT time! LOOK at Katie's hair, isn't it so cute??
Then, Klay, with his red hair! He gets it from both sides of his family.
Shannon and Jess with Klay and Mr. Smiley, Levi.
Time for some fireworks.
Aunt Kami supervising while I snap away...
Can we say obsessed?? I need to get Aaron one of these right away. I almost stole Papa and Mimi's to bring home with us.
And the Gator!!!!
Kami and Levi smiling for the camera.
Me and Levi. I think he's wondering why Mama's not holding him and behind the camera.
Papa and Levi.
Aaron sat in the mud puddle. I think it rained every day we were in KC. Not much, just to get things wet.
The Papas with the grandies.
Mimi with Levi.
I finally wrangled Noah! Gotcha!
Out on the lake again. Notice Chuck in the background lathering up.
What is this face??
Copper enjoying the lake, again.
And some more...
Aaron had a blast his second day out.
Papa had gotten this blow up wave runner that was misfiring, so we just used it for Aaron to float around on.
I think the ladies were having a sailing lesson out on the lake. They were all going around in circles, not aiming for much of anything...
Chuck and Aaron making more faces at each other.
Look, Ma! No hands!
And our last day on the lake. He did better and better each time.
Papa got the wave runner to work. It's got a little fan underneath so it can actually move and then it has a squirter, which Aaron LOVED!
And they practiced blowing bubbles in the water. First time for this.
Daddy jumping off the back of the boat.
Aaron was out! One of few pics of us together.
Still lounging...
Then it was time for us to go home...we had a long drive home and we weren't planning on pushing it like we did to get to MO.
I'd never seen a crop duster before, but on the trip home we saw 3 or 4 different ones. So cool! They are so fast!
My typical Tarkio pic for Andrea! Andrea, keep reading!
This is South Dakota. Our goal was Rapid City (actually Sturgis) but we decided to make a short detour through the Badlands National Park and this was a huge prairie dog. Weird.
This is the Badlands, so interesting. In the middle of no where, look at those lines!
"Cheese!"
I have a lot more pics of the Badlands, but don't want to bore you. Just know the pics don't do it justice and it was really cool!
This is Wall, SD. They were having a big rodeo.
When we travel (with or without the dogs) they always sleep in a kennel together. Even outside the kennel, in the hotel room, they wanted to spoon.
I thought this was funny. Not a very good job, but you get the effect I was going for...
Then we went through a small town to get to Montana, cut some time off, and apparently they can drive around 4-wheelers on city streets. I thought this was funny!
Silly kid.
Ah! In Missoula! Aaron was just glad to get out of the stinkin' Jeep! This is him and Parker playing together.
Parker took a bath, and look at this super cool towel he had!! It's Woody!!
Lisa was making an apple pie for Mike's birthday so she and Shannon were peeling while Shawn was coring them. Of course Shannon had to hurl peelings at Shawn so he fired back with a core.
Notice the peels on his head.
Andrea! There's a Tarkio, MT!
A coal train.
Aaron looking at the coal train.
Montana is beautiful, too.
Sleepy boy!
The Columbia River. But this isn't actually the river part, there are so many dams on the river it's really just a string of really big lakes.
We saw these in April when we were coming out with my parents. There was only about 3 or so on the side of the highway. They have been busy!!!! There were a TON of them!
Well, I think that's about it! My videos are uploading and I'll be sprinkling them throughout the post as well (haven't done it yet, but I'm sure you have already seen them ALL by now!!! :)). Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the wedding pics and our little adventure BEFORE we left for MO.
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