Idaho and Portland... Lost count of my days! Ha!

I guess I just should have posted the Idaho pictures with the Utah pictures... O well! We are currently on our way to Seattle from Portland so I will just catch you up now!

Here is our first view of idaho coming from Salt Lake City!


We were so excited to see Kurt and Ashley. They were so sweet to make us feel so at home by making us up a bed from two twins to make us feel as if we slept in a bed fit for royalty! It was awesome!!


The funny thing was the dogs thought it was a game and would army crawl all and chase each other under the bed springs!


Too cute!





Unfortunately, they both got a stomach bug the next day that was so bad they admitted themselves into the ER. Poor things... They took some time to rest up and Andrew and I hit up the Dunes. They were crazy sand dunes that literally felt like a very intense stairmaster workout.. It was awesome!

Here's eli on the lake in front of the Dunes... It's completely frozen!!


...and here are the dunes!


... Going up!!

Look at that pup!





Coming down was crazy.. It just felt as if you sank and slid all the way down!!

Here are out sicklings :( they are still as sweet as ever though!! :)


On Monday, we all traveled from mountain home to Boise Idaho to spend the day walking the city and being with each other for our last day...


Here is Boise!






It was a great day to do it... Nice and sunny, in the 50s and a bit windy- very pleasant indeed!


The capitol:





Here is a really cool church we enjoyed taking pix of. It was beautiful!











We said our goodbyes and both went our separate ways on the road: We love you, sweet friends!! Thanks for your hospitality and sweetness despite your sicknesses!!


Off to Portland!


The drive...


This ol' car has been good to us! We have really enjoyed traveling in ol' Rudy ;)





Our first glimpse of Portland:





We woke up the next morning and got our day started...


Unfortunately, the day forecasted rain and then more rain :( O well, time to think like a Portlander!!


A cool little neighborhood that led to the gardens we went to explore.





They also had a holocaust memorial up so Andrew and I spent some time there...


They made this memorial to look like the streets over in Europe during the 1940s search for the Jews...


Really sad. Good time for reflection...

Here are the Japanese gardens!


Absolutely beautiful :









































Well... On to Seattle!


We will keep you posted from here on out! I should get some pretty decent reception!

Blessings!!! Xoxo :)

Days 6-8: Salt Lake City !

(sorry, I have been having some trouble with the Internet here in Idaho. Sorry it late!)

Lovely little clip of sleeping me (not), but it is a good introduction to our new via point/stop: Utah!

We left Breckenridge earlier than we thought Wednesday morning just because we were tired of the freezing cold weather... Ha! (Apparently, we are not as ready for our new home's culture as we thought!)

Goodbye "colorful Colorado"!


Now entering Utah:









I don't know if you can see them, but there are a TON of these little deer/donkey things all over the hill!! Crazy!!


When we finally did arrive in salt lake city, we quickly got some dinner and passed out... There wasn't a lot of time outside of that todo anything special. We did however take a walk throughout the Mormon temple grounds, but my fingers were too cold to function my phone camera! So sorry :/

The fun started the next day anyways...

We got up the next morning and explored the city... In search of a very unique place to get some breakfast.


And we found it! It was a belgian place called Bruges... If you like unique and amazing dessert waffles for breakfast, you will have to visit Pierre and his yummy Belgian hole-in-the-wall downtown:


Yea... Didn't get as many pictures as I should have! Mine was a doughy cinnamon waffle with blueberries on it!! Mmm.. Andrew's (above mine) was a vanilla dough based waffle with strawberries on it! Delis!!

Afterwards, we decided to take up some cross country skiing, just for the heck of it (and no, we have never skied before either!)


We drove out to a park called mills creek canyon and located a road everyone uses in the winter to ski up and down....






... And here we go!








Yes, uphill was no problem! We were naturals!

... However, the downhill was a TOTALLY different story!

Yes, we both have a new found respect for skiers!! Harder than it looks!

Afterwards, we were so tired that we settled for brewery food...


... Which actually turns out amazing!!! The sweet potato fries made this meal for sure:





Eli even got a treat of some left overs too! He was really exhausted from that skiing adventure :)


This morning we made our way to a park Andrew had ran in during a college ROTC function. It was a beautiful hike for sure...

Apparently, this is where both Joseph Smith and some other founders of Utah came to plan out the city...





...and we can all see why:

Gorgeous!! We did head out when the heavy fog started to flow in. Very neat, but it also threatened our walk down as it would make it icy, so we left.

You can see the fog in this picture (so cool!);


Last stop, a healthy frozen yogurt place of course!! I couldn't resist the very strong craving for a mid-afternoon frozen treat...


And for the most part, it was very very healthy :)



And yes... There is a reason I was not able to go snowboarding in Colorado and have not been as adventurous as usual... And tired constantly and having crazy cravings....

Yes, we're pregnant!!!!!


This is little jellybean as Andrew calls baby :)


We are 6 1/2 weeks pregnant, and are so excited about it!!! It's made traveling a bit harder, but hey, God has given us a little miracle as it has been a year and a half of trying!!

What a blessing indeed-- we are just enjoying each day we have with jellybean, whether I am feeing great or sick as a dog :)

If you could pray for Andrew and I's travels through this period of the first tri and relocating, I would really appreciate it. Andrew is such a great support and I just know he is going to be a great father the way he cares for me. He has given up a lot of things we both would have been doing together with jellybean in the picture now. He is a great example of what it means to love... Through sickness and in health :) Keep praying that this pregnant lady isn't too overbearing on sweet him!

Thanks for your prayers and support! Love you all!!

Onwards to Mountain Home AFB, Idaho to visit Kurt and Ashley Helfridge....

Blessings! Xoxoxo

'With songs of joy I speak of Thee, for I know not how to cease',

Kati Thornbury

-- Jeremiah 20:9--