Pacific Northwest: Part 2

Here's part two of our adventure to the Pacific Northwest! We left Missoula, Montana Sunday morning and took the Lolo Pass over into northern Idaho. It is absolutely beautiful, but it's also about four hours of a winding canyon road. Most of it is the journey Lewis and Clark took more than 200 years ago, and it has changed very little since then.

There are very few towns along the Lolo Pass, and those that are still populated are old mining towns that have maybe 20 people. It's very peaceful, and you feel like you've stepped back in time. I loved it.

From the end of the Lolo Pass, we drove north about a half hour to Moscow, Idaho, which is where I was born. Pronounced Moss-CO (not like the city in Russia), it is a cute little town that also houses the University of Idaho. Since my parents moved to southern Idaho when I was two years old, I really don't remember living there, and the last time we visited was when I was seven. So of course we had to take a trip down memory lane and visit

the tiny basement apartment where I grew up (complete with a tabby that reminded me of our old cat, Nash)

the park across the street where I swung and played as a toddler,

and the University of Idaho, where my dad got his master's degree. The campus is absolutely gorgeous. The buildings are all red brick, and many are covered in ivy. Unfortunately, taking pictures at 3 in the afternoon means shadowy buildings and blinding sunlight (hence the black and white filter).

Moscow also has miles of rolling wheat fields outside of it, and I was completely smitten. I could have taken hundreds of pictures of the fields and never gotten tired of them. It's obvious that I'm a country girl at heart.

We made a quick stop in Coeur d'Alene to wade in the lake and check out the beautiful waterfront. Unfortunately, the bright light reflecting off the water at about 5 p.m. didn't let us take great pictures, but the weather was perfect.

Then we drove up to Spokane, Washington, where we stayed for the night. Spokane is a really interesting city with a river that runs right through the middle of it. I love Riverfront Park, which was created for the World's Fair in 1974 — and the giant wire canopy they left behind when the fair was over.

We unfortunately didn't have a lot of time in Spokane because it was already getting dark by the time we got there, but we liked walking around the park and checking out the bridges! I'd love to bring Andrew back sometime to do some more exploring.

Part three will be up soon! I hope you had a wonderful weekend — and if you've been to any of these places, please weigh in. I love talking to people who enjoy the Pacific Northwest as much as I do. :)

Idaho, how I love thee

Idaho's sunsets are unparalleled.

I'm back! Andrew and I headed up to Idaho to see my family for an extended weekend (we got back at about 2 a.m. Tuesday morning). It was actually a fantastic time to head up there, because for once I didn't feel like I'd missed out on a bunch of family stuff since I live four hours away. Here's the lowdown:

My sister got engaged! She is marrying Tom, a great guy from Burley, Idaho (about 2.5 hours east) in February, since she's about to head to Jerusalem (!) until December. Funny story: Tom had actually planned to propose on their hike to Table Rock Saturday morning. When Lauren (who had no idea what he was planning) asked if she could bring her roommate along, Tom sent a text to his mom, griping that he couldn't propose if another girl was there — except that he sent it to Lauren by mistake. He realized his mistake and proposed to her early, so she was caught completely off-guard. It's pretty funny, and it'll be a great story they can tell their kids! 

P.S. My sister HATES having her picture taken and ruined many pictures we tried to take of her and Tom this weekend. But since she doesn't read my blog, I don't feel bad putting this up. 

They were a little sunburned from the hike.

I got to meet baby Evelynn for the first time. I know I am her aunt and am more than a little biased, but she is seriously the most beautiful baby. She just turned three weeks old, but she's still tiny and wonderfully snuggly. Evelynn screamed for a few minutes when I was trying to take pictures of her, and then she fell asleep almost immediately when I laid her against my chest. Megan (my sister-in-law) thinks maybe she could just sense my heartbeat and it calmed her down — for about 20 minutes anyway.

We floated the river and went huckleberry picking with my family. For some reason, Andrew and I have been married nearly three years and I've never taken him on one of my favorite summer pastimes: floating the fork of the Snake River that runs through my town. While it was a lot more shallow this year and we had to get up and stumble over river rocks several times to find faster-moving water, it was relaxing — and Andrew actually wanted to go again before we left (but we didn't get a chance to). We also picked huckleberries about a half hour away from my parents' home and have the horsefly bites and scratches to prove it.

We watched my dad and my brother perform Les Miserables. With my dad as Javert and Reggie as Marius, it was a wonderful production. I actually teared up during Eponine's "A Little Fall of Rain" since my brother is so great at conveying emotion. And my dad's version of "Stars" was beautiful, too. I feel lucky to be part of such a talented family. If you're in Idaho, you can still see the play through Saturday! :)

It was a fun way to spend the weekend. I hope yours was as great (even though we're halfway to another one now)!

It was all yellow

We decided to take a few days off for Jackson Hole and Yellowstone this weekend, so here are just a few of our favorite photos from the trip.

Going up there always makes me a little homesick for Idaho, because memories of going there with my family and spending so much of my life in the surrounding areas come flooding back. I was again struck by the beauty of this area and how blessed I was to grow up there.

We loved touring Yellowstone again and seeing the beautiful fall colors of Star Valley and Jackson, Wyoming, and we're already planning an even longer trip for next fall!

Also, due to the request of a co-worker who wants to see photos of all of the beautiful places in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana that I always talk about when I come home from road trips like this, I'm going to start a travel blog with photos of my favorite spots. Stay tuned for that!

I hope you all get a chance to see Yellowstone if you haven't already. It's incredible, and it makes me so happy each time we visit.

Randall's wedding

Andrew and I drove to Idaho Friday night to attend my brother Randall's wedding in the Idaho Falls Temple on July 30. It was a beautiful ceremony, and the reception and wedding luncheon, held at a friend's house just outside of St. Anthony, were stunning. Even the weather cooperated!

Here are a few of the photos Andrew took at the reception. I was manning the guest book and handing out favors. :) Congratulations, Randall and Meg! We're excited for you to start your new life together.

Water, water everywhere

This past weekend was the first time I've been away from Andrew since we've been married! It was kind of weird to make the drive up to Idaho by myself and to not have him with me while I visited with my family. But I'm glad I went up there to get to know my future sister-in-law better.

After camping in Firth Friday night for the Mortensen family reunion, I went shopping in Rexburg and helped my mom with the bridal shower for Megan, my brother's fiancee. It was fun to hang out with family and remember my own bridal shower, which happened about the same time last year.

It was also a rather eventful week because of this:

This is a picture from KSL of a parking lot in our condo's complex that was flooded Friday morning by the Little Cottonwood Creek, which also flooded Murray Park and caused our neighbor's sewer to back up. Every morning when we left the house for work, we were putting all of our belongings up on the table, couch or bed and praying we wouldn't come home to a flooded apartment. It looks like the worst has passed, but we're praying that the water doesn't get any higher! :)

Thankful

We have officially hit winter! Despite all of the snow, we did have a lovely weekend -- unfortunately, we neglected to take any pictures, so I decided this photo from last January would have to do until we take some new pictures.

The week didn't start out so well, however. The bank wouldn't let Andrew leave work early during the blizzard on Tuesday, (Overstock was letting people go at 3 o'clock so they'd make it home safely) and he got hit twice on the way home from work. He wasn't hurt at all, thank goodness, but he was shaken up and the passenger door is completely smashed in. To rub salt in the wound, the insurance company has claimed that he is at fault (even though he was hit by a guy going too fast on the icy roads), so now we're responsible for the deductible. Happy Thanksgiving!

Once I calmed down from that one, we were able to enjoy Thanksgiving with Andrew's family! Every one of his siblings and all of their kids, including our sweet new nephew, Camden, were there -- which hasn't happened in years, Andrew told me. It was fun to have everyone together and enjoy way too much food.

We drove up to Idaho after Andrew got off work on Friday for another Thanksgiving celebration. It was fun to see the new Harry Potter movie with my parents and sister (my brothers were being sticks-in-the-mud), spend time with my good friend Abby and run into friends from BYU-I unexpectedly. Even though our trips to Idaho are usually short and sweet, I always relish them.

I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving! Happy snowy weather!

Four states in four days

After a long work week, Andrew and I got away from the big city and drove up to Idaho Thursday night for an extended weekend! We started off with a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, stopping along the way in Driggs, Idaho, for a cute little farmer's market. I got a new fur-lined hoodie that I have become obsessed with, and Andrew and I ate yummy Mexican at the Merry Piglets.

Next, we drove over to Grand Teton National Park to go to my very favorite lake, Jenny Lake. It was the perfect day -- sunny, warm and peaceful. The Tetons were really pretty, too, and it was Andrew's first trip to Jackson in quite awhile. We finished off the day with a visit to his sister's house in Rexburg.

The next morning, sort of bright and early, we packed my parents' Home Alone van with camping stuff and a cooler full of food to go to YELLOWSTONE! Of course, my dad had to show us the south entrance of the park, so we spent about an hour and a half on a bumpy gravel/dirt/boulder road in the blue van. We finally made it to the park entrance and drove through, stopping at plenty of spots along the way. It was the perfect time to see animals! We saw a grizzly bear and two cubs, two black bears, TONS of elk, a few deer, some antelope and a bunch of bison.

Once we'd seen as much of the park as we could cram into one day, my dad drove us into Paradise Valley, Montana, where we spent the night at the nicest KOA I have ever seen! Our cabin was right next to the Yellowstone River, and the campground had an indoor swimming pool, playground and even outdoor exercise equipment (which I should have used to work off all the candy I ate along the way).

We finished our trip the next morning with brunch at Chico Hot Springs and a stop at Howard Springs in Island Park, Idaho, for fresh spring water. Then Andrew drove us back to Utah to begin another week.

It was a wonderful, peaceful weekend, and it was fun to be with my sweetheart in places that have always been dear to me. We always have fun together, even if we're in a tiny cabin in Livingston, Montana.

S' Wonderful

I had a lovely weekend with Andrew in beautiful IDAHO!! Of course, it didn't start out too lovely...

After Andrew drove for three hours through horrible construction zones and standstill traffic, we ended up stopping in Pocatello to get our marriage license -- only to go through metal detectors and find out that with 15 minutes before closing time, we were $5 short in cash for the license. As Andrew ran to an ATM downstairs in the courthouse, I furiously filled out the form (my hands were shaking so badly I could barely write) and gave the woman my driver's license.

Once we'd made things official, we raced to Rexburg, making it to the distribution center with only 5 minutes to spare so I could buy my temple clothes. Andrew and I snarfed down Arby's (the only food we'd had in hours), and I got into my wedding dress for some quick bridal pictures in the BYU-Idaho gardens. Once we'd gotten a few pictures and the mosquitoes were biting us, Andrew and I finally made it to St. Anthony -- at about 9:30 at night. Our short trip (if traffic isn't too heavy, I can make it home in about 3 1/2 hours) had worn us out.

After I stayed up talking to my sister until about 1 a.m., I finally fell asleep -- and woke up at 5:30 when she decided to get up an HOUR AND A HALF early to make it to a class in Idaho Falls. I was not exactly happy -- but my time in the temple more than made up for it! We hurried home for a bridal shower that ended up being really fun, and then Andrew and I escaped for a trip to Mesa Falls, my FAVORITE PLACE in the world!

We finished off Saturday with a barbecue with Becky and Brandt and their cute kids. They shot me with Nerf guns (the kids, not Becky and Brandt) and dropped plastic spiders in my lap. Good times. :)

Two weeks from tomorrow, we will be MARRIED in Idaho Falls! I can't believe it's almost here! Andrew will be my husband for eternity, and we'll start keeping house and fixing plumbing problems and cooking and praying that we can scrape by with two meager incomes. But most of all, we'll be loving each other and working our hardest to make each other happy forever.

As George Gershwin would say, "S' wonderful. S' marvelous." It really is.

A perfect match

Every weekend I blog about seems to get better and better! Andrew and I spent most of Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Idaho celebrating his cousin Kalissa's baptism with his family and hanging out with mine. It was a lot of fun. I love going on road trips with Andrew and having him stay at the house I grew up in.

Yesterday, we went to a dinner that turned out to be a celebration of the women in the 48th ward, which was unexpected and made me feel kind of awkward. A lot of the guys in the ward were serving this fancy dinner and then they showed a slide show of guys from the ward, including the bishopric and former bishop, talking about the purity of womanhood.

Some of the things that were said made me laugh; others made me cringe because they seemed so crazy. But one of the bishopric members said something that really meant a lot to me.

"My wife is a perfect match for me," he said. "I like who I am when I'm with her."

I feel the same way about Andrew. Sometimes I'm too impatient, too quick to get mad and too quick to say something that hurts someone's feelings. But when I'm with Andrew, I feel like we fit. I'm at peace, and I don't have to worry about trying to impress him or anyone else, because he thinks I'm beautiful and special -- and he doesn't try to make me into something I'm not.

We played Memory on his phone the other day, and I couldn't help thinking that life and love are sometimes a lot like Memory. We have to turn over a lot of cards, not knowing what they hold, to find the right paths and people in our lives. But when we do find a perfect match, it makes finding another match that much easier.

I've found a match -- and I'm happier than I've ever been before.

Home is where the heart is

Andrew and I had a GREAT weekend in Idaho! I showed him my favorite bridge (which is where most of these pictures were taken), my favorite park, and my favorite people -- my family and friends, of course! We got to hang out in fabulous St. Anthony for two days, driving my cute little car all around town.

My mom made her famous cinnamon rolls (they aren't really famous, but they should be), pizza and Italian chicken. She even made crepes, my favorite. I felt like I was a little kid again. And on Saturday morning, she came into my room and gave me a hug in my bed, just like she used to do when I lived at home. I have a really nice mom -- and a really nice dad. He went through my owner's manual with a fine-toothed comb and discovered that my anti-lock brakes were not working (and I thought that red light meant they WERE).

And after my brother shot me in the eye with a Nerf gun and my sister and I sang the entire "Poor Unfortunate Souls" song before church, it was time to hit the road again and come back to Salt Lake City.

I realized something when I drove back into town this time, though. I miss Idaho. I'll probably always miss it. For 22 years, it was my home. But Salt Lake is my home, too -- and I love living here, too.

Aren't road trips just fantastic? :)

Song of the week!

I had a fabulous weekend and wanted to share a picture with you all! Andrew and I went to a Jazz game to celebrate our friend Katie's birthday, and it was really fun. It was my first Jazz game and my first time inside the Energy Solutions Arena (even though I lived next to it for five months one summer -- go figure), so I was SO EXCITED! This was my excited face. :)

Andrew also had a GREAT idea for my blog, since I'm so obsessed with music -- a song of the week feature! So from now on, I'm going to put a different song on my blog each week for you to check out. It may be a new artist I'm currently into, or it may be an oldie that I love. It just depends on what I'm feeling.

I'm REALLY, REALLY excited about this, because I finally have my iPod back in my car! Andrew took apart my car stereo tonight and helped me hook up a cable so I can actually play my iPod again, so now I'm going to have to hit up Amazon again for more music. I just love that boy SO much! And I'm thrilled that I have an excuse to share the songs and artists I love with you all.

In other news, I am heading up to Idaho this weekend, so if any of you will be around and want to say hi, speak now or forever hold your peace! I am excited to come back after a three-month absence. I've been missing the peace of St. Anthony, my three-minute commute to work, and especially my family and my wonderful friends. Peace be da journey! I hope you are all doing well!

Happy Holidays

It's the most wonderful time of the year, right? Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow? Wrong. Whoever wrote that song had clearly never been to Idaho in the middle of winter.

I have been at home for exactly two days, and already I have had to crawl along the road and the highway going 40 so I don't slide off the road. As if that weren't bad enough, I forgot to start the dishwasher at my apartment before leaving for Christmas break, which means there is an entire load of dirty dishes just sitting there gathering bacteria. For someone with OCD tendencies, this is like the kiss of death.

And to top it off, I mysteriously got a flat tire (gee, I wonder if the mounds of snow and sharp black ice had anything to do with that) and we can't find our air pump, so I am stuck here at my house until we can get it pumped up enough to go to Les Schwab, at which point I will also have to buy new tires, since mine are bald.

OK, this sounds very angry and Grinchy. I really do like Christmastime and I love being with my family. I love how falling snow looks, and I like being bundled up in warm socks and blankets drinking hot chocolate and watching corny chick flicks with my mom.

I just want to get back down there and clean those dishes and maybe do some Christmas shopping. That's all I ask.