my best friend

You know that time when you realize that you are in love with someone? I know not everyone has found that someone, so we'll take it to a different level. Have you ever realized that someone was your best friend? The person that you told everything to, did everything with and laughed your guts out with? Well for me, that person is Ryan. There is no one else that I could spend endless time with, and things just get better and funnier.

Yes, I am listening to cheesy music while I write, but I mean every bit of it. Last week Ryan and I went to pick up our new Mustang. It was Christmas for him. He couldn't sleep for two weeks because he was so excited. I was more excited about the trip. We haven't been on a trip together for the last, well, since we have had kids really. This for me, was going to be the best trip ever!

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I had everything planned. Plane tickets to Seattle, the car was near there, and then we were driving back. I had to find the perfect place to stay there, so the car would be safe...it's a classic, a whole new world of car then I have EVER known! I had to find the best route. We could go through Boise, but we had seen that terrain over and over and I wanted something new. Pacific coast Highway? Well, too long. We mapped it, just to get down to Sacramento area, was as long as it took to do the WHOLE trip back to Utah. So it was decided, after much talking, that we had to go through Missoula.

Ryan had gone through Missoula with his buddies on a bike trip once and when he got home it had been decided that we HAD to move there because it was so beautiful. After that I HAD to see it. I looked it up online and it seemed alright, but it didn't seem like something we didn't already have where we are, so through Missoula it was.

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You may now be asking yourselves..are we crazy? Driving an OLD OLD car from so far away in the middle of nowhere? Well, that was just going to be part of the adventure.

We decided on the Inn at the Market. A cool little place right on the Pike place market strip.

Driving in to town was so scary. We don't know the area at all, and we quite possibly ended up in the wrong area of town, a few times. Not only that, but we got so much attention in that car that I was sure someone was going to walk up and just take it. People were saying things to Ryan as we passed them on the street, mostly nice car (that is the edited version of the compliments) and because I chose to stay right at the market, it was almost impossible to find the hotel, so then I got embarrassed because it looked like we were just cruising up and down the market street.

When we finally got to the hotel, it was time to enjoy ourselves. Here is the room we stayed in, (Termpur-pedic, I am a new fan) and the view. There was also a balcony that overlooked the bay, so beautiful!!

First thing we did, was hit the street! We spent the whole night walking the streets. You know that feeling on the street. People playing music on the corners, crazy people, that feeling where everything is alive. Tourists everywhere, including yourself. With your camera in hand there is no WAY your blending in!

Then there was the Bay...SO BEAUTIFUL!

We ate at the nicest place I have probably ever eaten, the Brooklyn, in our tee shirts and torn out jeans...(we realized later) Ryan bought me some cool earrings on the market strip, we filled up a cart with the best looking chocolate at a little chocolate joint, and then quickly emptied it when we got to the register and saw what we were spending...we made a few trips to see the car in the parking garage...

Then we made our way to the roof, that overlooked the water, and we hung out until late talking and eating the few pieces of chocolate that we bought.

Seattle was great. Now, it was time to get home.

Something that we learned when we picked up the mustang was that the fuel gauge was no longer working, it had JUST stopped. So we headed for fuel right away and then we headed for Spokane. This picture, is on the entrance of the Gonzaga School of law. I have NO idea why I didn't get a picture of the actual school, the whole campus was beautiful. I didn't even get a picture of my brother, or the family?!??! BUT, I did get the court room and the words school of law to show you. It was so cool to see Beth and John and their cute little home they have made there. Spokane was a cool little town. A lot of catholic influence so a lot of the buildings were beautiful, the bars had Irish influences including 4 leaf clovers and there were also a lot of beautiful Cathedrals. I loved it. Best of all, it was good to just hug my brother. I didn't realize how much I would miss him when he actually left. Even when I didn't see him here in town, I guess it was just the feeling of knowing he is there. I was so proud of him. I know he is going to be a great lawyer!

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At this point, we were about to head into Idaho. Now you are going to be seeing our trip the way that we saw it, through the car windows.

Coeur D'Alene, Idaho

Now you have to remember. We are traveling in a car that is 40 years old. There is no radio. The only sound is the sound of the highway, which was kind of loud. The only entertainment is each other, and I got camera happy sometimes too. Comments were really made like, "if you were macaroni and cheese, you'd be craft, cause your the cheesiest" There was a lot of time. Every word was a funny word, not just the word road. It was a blast.

We got into Missoula pretty late...and as soon as we hit the exit...we ran out of gas...BLAST!

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The problem was not the gas, we had extra in the trunk. The problem was that the starter decided to quit starting. We pushed the mustang off of the exit and up to a gas station. I can honestly tell you, I don't think that in the place where we live, we would have had so many people try to help us. We had people stopping, postponing their plans to watch movies with families waiting in the car, offers for tows, and just generally nice people ready to help us in Missoula. Unfortunately we had to wait for morning to come before we could order the starter. So we luckily, found a hotel with a vacancy next to where we exited. There is a HUGE fire up in the Missoula area and people were evacuated from their homes and staying in every hotel up there. Most days of the week, we were informed, there were no vacancies.Ryan woke early, had a part found and talked them into delivering it to us. We replaced the first part on our new car. It wasn't too bad, it was just cold. Of course I am saying that, he is the one who had to climb under the car. People stopped to talk like crazy. They would just stand next to me and begin talking to us while they had their smokes, or while they got ready to head out. We talked to people from Canada who were taking trips through the US, everyone who had ever had anything to do with a fastback mustang stopped. People who knew people who used to have a mustang stopped. Everyone wanted to chat. I can't even begin to tell you the kind of attention you get in this car anyway, but to have it broken down and to give people the opportunity, it was pretty cool. People are just good. It was a nice outlook, one I haven't had for a long time working at a police station.

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After we got the car fixed, we were off again. I had really wanted to see Missoula. Ryan was a little upset. As we drove through Missoula it was nothing like he had remembered. We had lost so much time fixing the car, we thought we had better hit the interstate and last minute, we decided we were going to take I-93 anyway. This road heads south through Missoula, down through Hamilton and into Idaho. This is where Ryan saw it, and remembered... this is where we need to live...

and I agree!

I can't even tell you how Beautiful Montana was. I actually got sick of hearing myself say how beautiful it was. It was literally breath-taking. I can think of nothing else now. I sit on my front porch, and I see Montana. I don't see any of the beauty around me. I have been tainted. If Ryan's future job, whatever he decides he ultimately wants, can lead us to Montana, I will be so happy!
These pictures are from the rest of that day. It was a three day trip, Sunday -stayed in Seattle. Stayed in Missoula Monday night and we had to make it home Tuesday night. The clock is ticking, and we are in a car that is going 55-60 mph MAX. It was great!

Just so we are clear, we are being stupid here...we got camera and slap happy! This picture really busted me up!

I would like to say that after this shot, we made it home. Nope. Part of the adventure was that about 3 miles out of Tremonton and at 60mph our headlights just TURNED OFF! There was no one else on the road around us, which was lucky in that we didn't cause a huge accident when we braked. At the same time everything went pitch black. We pulled to the side of the road and tested the lights. They turned back on, and then shut off at about 1 minute of time. AHHHHH! There was a short somewhere and we didn't know what was causing this problem out of no-where. How were we supposed to get home? Five minutes go by. We're scared to death! We turn on the lights, a minute later they go off. We finally decided that because we really needed to get home to the boys, that we should ride the shoulder.

After we rode the shoulder a bit, they stay on. After a bit of this, we became more and more brave and we continue on past Tremonton and Brigham City. As we get on in Brigham City and after we re-fueled with the car running, just to make sure the lights would stay on, we continued. We drove down the street and as we passed one street light, the street light SHUT OFF--JUST AS WE PASSED IT! AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!

I have NEVER had so much fear run through me! We both thought the lights shut off again! Luckily they hadn't. We then made the slowest drive in history I am sure, from Brigham City, home. Safe and sound.

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I can honestly say that this was the best trip that I have ever had. I have never seen more beautiful country and had such wonderful company in my life. We laughed together, got sentimental, were like little kids at Christmas as we realized what we were doing and what we were driving. I had the time of my life! I love Ryan so much, but that is not the best part. Ryan is my best friend. I already knew this, I knew it before we were married, but I feel like my relationship with him grew. Something that I didn't know could happen. We have affection again, we are like two little love birds. That never died out, but it was kind of forgotten as we have worked so hard to make it where we are in life. As we continue to work hard to make it where we want to go. We both know what we want, and (Montana) we are going to do what we can to raise these boys right, to make them richeous men of God and to make this life a happy one. I don't see any reason why we should wait to have the things we want in life. We only live once. I don't want us to be eighty before we have a chance to have a trip like this, or a mustang like the one Ryan has always wanted. Life is about happiness and family. I feel like I had a little taste of heaven, and it is only going to make me try harder to build the life I have always dreampt of.

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When we got home, we woke Paxton and Gauge, and took them home. I really did have the best trip ever!