The Northwest Coast

As I alluded in my previous post, I just got back from a simply phenomenal vacation in Washington. Allow me to spam you with my 42 best pictures and limited commentary. 

The Salt Lake City airport isn't home to my fondest memories, seeing as all my flight delays have been there and the last time I traveled through I happened to be in the throes of influenza, but this time was my first time of actually seeing the lake. Wow...

Mom's house served as home base. And home to this gorgeous rhododendron.  

The morning after I arrived Katie and I set off for worlds unknown, Olympic National Park. 

On the way we realized we were driving right next to the ocean. This called for a quick detour, some splashing in the FRIGID water, and a little shell collecting. 

Eventually we arrived in Hoh National Rainforest. I have wanted to see the rainforest since I first learned of its existence when I was 12. I was not disappointed. 

I have never seen anything like it. Truly amazing and beyond words. 

We got to the campground early enough to set up our tent and go on an evening hike. The evening sunlight shafting through the trees proved to be the best lighting for the forest. 

Seriously though, if you ever get a chance you need to go see this place. 

It is truly a magical place all to its own. 

Everything in the forest is growing. This is an up-close picture of a fallen cedar. None of the growth here is over 2" tall, a sort of mini forest in the forest. 

I was also fascinated by the 'nurselogs' or fallen trees that then became fertile ground for young trees. 

After a night in the rainforest, we set out for the coast again in search of tidepools. On the way we stopped in Forks, where the infamous Twilight books and movies are set. While we were a little underwhelmed by Forks' main claim to fame (not being fans), we were pleased to discover they had wonderful coffee... 

Fifteen minutes from the small town of Forks we discovered a new kind of paradise. The forest provided an enchanted campsite. 

And 5 minutes away we discovered this. The untamed Northwest Coast. The pounding surf, piles of driftwood and rocky shoreline seemed like yet another planet. 

After scoping out the territory for tidepooling, we went back to camp where Katie played girlscout with the fire and I had fun warming our dinner up in cans... 

We got up early in the morning to go tidepooling. They said not to jump from rock to rock... Wonder why... 

I don't know if these were good tidepools or bad tidepools, but for this Nebraska girl they were amazing. 

Here I wished for Josh's waterproof phone case so I could capture the intense green color. 

I wanted so badly to find one stranded on the beach and do my good deed and throw it back in the ocean. But all the seastars in Washington were too smart to need rescue it seemed. 

Completely covered in mollusks. We didn't jump on this one either... 

We hiked through the 'hole in the wall' and then took the overland route back to the regular beach. Eventually the tide came back in and we went back on the road. 

On the north side of the park we ran across Lake Crescent. We promptly added it to the "we are coming back here" list... 

Our northern route took us through Port Angeles, where I caught my first glimpse of Canada. You have to really look hard, but there are some Canadian mountains in the background there... 

After our outdoors adventures, we returned to Seattle where I settled into playing tourist. I love Seattle deeply, partly because some people I love live there and partly because it is my favorite place ever to play tourist. As always, I had spectacular tour guides. One of the first things they did was satisfy my deep longing for seafood. Salmon chowder and crab sandwich anyone? 

Seattle is such a good place to tourist. You can see things like rock bookends... (Wishlist, in case anyone was wondering). 

It is also the only place I have ever seen shrunken heads... 

Your dinner could look like someone's seashell collection. 

You might get to watch someone make this... 

With spray paint. 

Or see the world's most creative kaleidoscopes. 

Or be engulfed in spring. I mean flowers. 

Or stumble upon a beautiful woman who also happens to be amazing and a really good friend. 

Or ride a ferry to an island. 

Or finally get a giant pretzel. 

 Or eat an artichoke for the first time ever. 

 On our last evening we took a little hike to the Puget Sound. It is only about 10 minutes from Mom and Richard's and the evening was gorgeous.  

 We had far more than our fair share of fun chasing poor innocent crabs.  

 I finally came to Seattle when the weather was perfect and I could enjoy the sound. I have never seen it so beautiful. 

 Sadly, all amazing things come to an end and I had to say goodbye to this wonderful lady and head back home. Fortunately, I was rather pining after my amazing man and my little house so the trip home was happy. 

 Until next time, Seattle!! 

Good Times

 After my last post, I have been continually reminded of how incredibly blessed I am. In fact, over the last week or two, Josh and I both keep finding ourselves saying, "We are so blessed! We must be the luckiest people in the world..." So, here are a few things that lately have evoked smiles on our faces and gratefulness in our hearts. 

When we bought our first motorcycle together, we joked that for a few years maybe we would have bikes instead of kids. Well, we happily welcomed our third to the family last weekend... 

I am so blessed by being an Auntie 12 times over. I love my nieces and nephew so much!! Not to mention, they are all enormously adorable.

Our house came with this magnificent tree. At first I was afraid it was dead, but this last week it banished all doubt by bursting forth with leaves. Those of you who know me well know I have a soft spot in my heart for trees (I have been known to hug a few...) and I am beyond delighted to look out my window and see this beauty every day. 

There was some really nasty weather here over the weekend. I woke up from a Sunday afternoon nap and saw this spectacle in the sky. Once again God watched over us. Our house fared beautifully in the wind and we happened to be spending time with family so my car was not where it usually is when one of the neighbor's branches fell right onto my parking spot. 

One of the things we both love about our house is the yard. Someone before us put a great deal of effort into making it beautiful and we are reaping the rewards. A lovely spring evening calls for dinner outside every time...

Another new addition, and one that will be loved for years to come, is the fire ring. The entire experience was fun, researching shapes, buying the bricks, and building it together. Of course, sitting around the fire grilling and talking was pretty fun as well. 

Last week I put in my final hours as a grad assistant for this school year and got my final grades on my first year of grad school. One year ago I had no idea I would even go back to school and now I am nearing the halfway mark! God has been so gracious. I am super excited to return to my assistantship in the fall, and if all goes well, graduate one year from now! 

You should all be proud. I resisted planting anything until Saturday. And even then, I spend half the day in two garden centers and only came out with these... Most of that restraint has to do with a vacation I am about to take, but still, restraint nonetheless! Ps, more on that vacation later. I am heading off to see my partner in crime in Washington and hope to return with many pictures and memories to share with you all. 

When we first started dating, Josh told me he loved anything with two wheels... The feeling seems to be mutual. 

Yesterday we celebrated our first year of marriage. I count myself extremely blessed to be married to a man I not only love more deeply after a year, but also like more after a year! :) It hasn't always been roses, but with my best friend and hero by my side and God watching over us it has been a phenomenal year. Here's to the next 50, babe! 

Bad Times

Life is not all roses, sometimes bad things happen. This past weekend a bad thing happened to us. Someone stole our almost brand new (and very expensive) computer. It was perfect for school, picture collecting (which we do a lot of) and basically a wonderful thing. Just one careless forgetting to lock the car and bam, it was gone. I am not going to lie, I was pretty upset. We were still in the 90 days service contract, I mean, it would have been one thing if it was an old computer or one I didn't use like every day, or not the one I had been dreaming about getting for like 5 years, or not the one we had saved for like 6 months to buy. But no, it was all of those things and gone, just like that. 

 At the same time though, it gave me a chance to reflect a little on our life in general. There is a song I love right now that says, "Bad times make the good times better..." This was a perfect example of that simple truth. Yes, we lost something highly valuable to us, but at the same time, we are healthy, employed, madly in love, and so very blessed. So, I wanted to blog a little of the 'good times', which may seem ordinary yet are made better by the 'bad times' life sometimes throws at us. 

This guy never ceases to amaze me. Last night I mentioned that I was in the mood for ice cream and now that I am done with my cleanse I could actually have some. Stopping by the store wasn't enough for him, he took me to Coldstone for the best ice cream in town... 

 When I was 12, I wanted to learn to ride a motorcycle more than I wanted to get a drivers license. It is a little overdue, but I am working on it! I am still jittery behind the handlebars, but loving the journey of mastering the road. 

This guy on the other hand has several seasons under his belt and is always happy to take me 'motorbike riding' (as Keith Urban would say...)

That gorgeous green carpet? That is my backyard. That chicken on the smoker? That was dinner for company which just so happened to be my big brother who is still one of my best friends and his amazing wife. That super handsome dude cooking? I wake up next to him every morning...

Sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes we know why and sometimes we don't. But there are always things to be thankful for and those 'bad times' do make the good times sweeter. What are a few 'good things' you are thankful for today?