Road Trip Adventure

The day before we left on our trip, Beth said her glasses were loose, so she and I went to the optometrist to get them fixed. 

We loaded up the car and took a quick selfie before heading out.

Going east on Hwy 2 from Seattle takes you through the Cascade Mountain Range and down into eastern Washington. 

At one point as you're coming down the mountain you realize the trees are gone. Eastern Washington has a very different climate and topography than Western Washington.

After a few hours we stopped at a little place for lunch. Looking at it from the outside I was a little leery about it but once we got inside, it was really cute! And the food was delicious. Banks Lake Brew. We would definitely stop there again.

With full tummies we headed out again and as usual, Beth fell asleep right away. She's been doing that on road trips since she was little!

Our first night we stayed in Sandpoint Idaho at Fairbridge Inn. It was like a mountain cabin, the rooms were nice and they had a free breakfast. I caught Beth waiting for her waffle to cook.

On the road again, still heading east. Saw this flag from a distance, and it was huge! Look at it compared to the cars.

Have you heard of Town Pump? We stopped at a few of them. They're a great place to stop for gas, and a bathroom break, drinks, snacks. Smaller than a Pilot, Flying J, and Buc-ee's (from what I hear, never been to Buc-ee's) but they're clean and have a big selection of just about anything you'd need on a road trip. 

Drove through a small town in Montana and had to stop for traffic. 

It was Montana after all! 

Okay, one more hotel. This was unlike any hotel we've ever stayed at. From the outside it looked quite normal. (We arrived at 10pm so I didn't get a picture then. I took this the next morning as we were headed out.) Just your basic hotel, right?

The first thing I do when we get into a hotel room is look out the window. Usually it's a view of the parking lot. So I pulled back the curtain, a sliding glass door? And this is what I saw -

Wait, what?!? You can see the roof in the top right corner, we were still indoors! So we quietly explored this, this... had we been transported to New Orleans?? There were pretend store fronts, lamp posts, rod iron balconies, and a reception room with a dance floor and disco ball.

You might be able to spot Chuck in this photo, he's right in the center, standing in front of our sliding door.

Come to find out, it's an event center that you can rent for conferences, weddings, or any large event. This was the Heritage Inn, in Great Falls Montana. And the place where they had the free breakfast looked more like a restaurant. It was so fun to stay there!

Well, I'll close this for now. Still so much more to share with you! Have a wonderful start to your week! 

She Walked By With The Dawn Dishsoap...

We figured something was up.

"Beth, what are you doing?"

"I cleaneen my trash can."

Oh. 

She's never cleaned her trash cans before.

She always put trash bags in them.

I asked her where she was going to clean it.

Silence.

"Beth, you should do that outside."

Silence.

"Or you could do it in the bathtub."

"Okay."

 I checked on her and there she was.

Cleaning her trash cans.

 

"You takeen my piture?" 

 

"Uh, yea!"

You're cleaning your trash cans!

Without being asked!

Of course I'm taking your picture!

She really surprises me sometimes!

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together!

I gave Diana a big hug as we reached the security line. First the carry-on bag, then the sweater and shoes. I kept watching her. She kept smiling. This is so easy for her, I thought. How does she do it every time? Through the metal detector. Cleared. Sweater back on. Now shoes. She's still smiling! And now she waves. She always waves! I turned, grabbed my bag out of the bin, looked at my boarding pass and nervously headed to the gate.

Yep, this time it was MY turn to get on the plane! I was so glad Diana was willing to come with me into the airport. She's done this so often and kept explaining to me what I needed to do to get through security.

I didn't write before my trip because I didn't want my sister to possibly read the post. I flew to San Diego to surprise Kathy for her 60th birthday! My other sister Deb and I have been planning this for a couple months at least. I can't tell you how many texts and emails we've sent.

I flew out Tuesday morning; Deb picked me up from the airport.We went to the condo (time share) to decorate and drop off luggage. We then headed to the restaurant to wait. I was SO nervous I could barely sit still! We were so afraid that she'd find out somehow. Her husband had been in touch with Deb (they all live in San Diego, I'm in WA State) and had done his best to pack a suitcase for Kathy.

It went off without a hitch!! She was completely surprised! Kathy asked me how long I was in town and where I was staying. I didn't exactly lie to her. After dinner as we're walking to our cars, Deb and I linked arms with her and told her, "The surprise isn't over yet."

Ken pulled out her suitcases, we got into the car and as we hit the exit off the freeway, she yelled, "Are we staying at the condo?!?"

One day, two nights, three sisters. We laughed so hard. Played cards, cried together, watched movies. It was an amazing week.

Flying into San Diego

The Coronado Bay Bridge

 

 Balboa Park

 

 Me, our dad and Debbie waiting at the restaurant

 

 The moment of surprise. I was SO nervous!!

 

 

 

 At the condo

 

 On the balcony

 

 We walked around Belmont park at Mission Beach

Our family comes here every time we're in San Diego

My sisters live there and hadn't been there since they were little!

 

 It was so much fun!!

Perfect Surprises!

I haven't posted the last few days because I've just pulled off two perfect surprises!!

My sister Kathy was planning a trip to Disneyland with two of her grandkids and asked Diana if she wanted to join them. (Diana, being the world traveler said yes of course!) We were able to work our budget so I could join her, but we didn't tell my sister that I was coming! (This stems from 12 years ago when Kathy and her family flew from San Diego and surprised us here in Washington.)

Now I don't have a picture from the actual moment of surprise that happened this week, but I will never forget the look on my sisters face when they came around the corner and there I stood! Her mouth dropped open, her eyes widen and she screamed a scream that shook the buildings! It was priceless!!

We had so much fun! Riding the rides, watching parades. Diana and I ended up being in the very front of the log ride on Splash Mountain and were completely drenched! We had such a fun day though and knowing I had repayed my sister made the day even sweeter!

Cheryl, a friend from work just happened to be at Disneyland at the same time (it was her very first time ever!) and we just happened to see each other.... twice! How crazy is that?!

The next day, Diana and I rented a car and drove 2 hours to San Diego to surprise the rest of my family. I enlisted my niece Michelle to make sure everyone was home when we arrived. Unfortunately Diana and I were running late and our cover was almost blown! But we made it! We parked down the street, then ran close to the houses so we wouldn't be seen. Michelle said she needed to get something out of her car and was outside waiting for us. When we walked into the house, she told my sister, "I found what I was looking for." Deb asked her what it was and turned to look. She was doing dishes and dropped a bowl into the sink and screamed! She began to shake and came over to give me a huge hug! My dad was speechless. He just stood in the middle of the living room with a huge smile on his face. Aahhh, it was amazing!!

We were only there a few hours, but it was so much fun. We drove back to Anaheim that afternoon and flew home last night. It was a whirlwind trip. We were so tired by the time we got on that plane, but we had so much fun!

It.... was.... AMAZING!!!