Ok, so now you've seen some photos, let me try to explain what and where they are from!
In February, we backpacked around South America for ten days in Ecuador. It was amazing! We hiked, ziplined, saw the equator, took in amazing waterfalls and more! From Quito to the rain forest to the jungle and cloudforests, to the Andes Mountains. I will have to do a blog just on our trip one of these days. It was pretty cool.
In March, Matt and Katie Boynton visited us. We took in Knotts Berry Farm, the Pizza Port and a few other fun places but the best part was definitely the day Matt tried to surf - words can't describe this - it was hilarious. We also made a spontaneous trip to Palm Springs to visit my old coworker and good friend Jamie Christianson. We took in an 80's party with Scott's brother and even got to watch the championship match at the Indian Wells tennis tournament. (Nadal vs. Roddick).
April was pretty lowkey with ballgames, beach days, softball, a camping trip to the desert, and a ski trip up to Mammoth Lakes with Scott's brother. Oh, and we bought our new car - 2009 Nissan Altima.
May was a big month. First Lindsay Winter (Weller) was in town so we got to catch up with her for a night. Then we headed up the coast over Memorial Weekend to help send off the Clarks. We drove through Santa Barbara and on up to Morro Bay where we spent the first night. The next day we made our way through Big Sur and camped. The final two days we spent in Napa and took in the wineries. My good friend Andrea Travnicek drove over from Sacramento and joined us. It was great fun and a fabulous way to see the Pacific coastline, and enjoy the beauty of the Napa valley. When we got home, we got to visit my sister Tami and her husband Jeff (they flew in to stay with us for a week). It was so much fun to spend time with them. Their last day in town we went to an Angels/Mariners ballgame and spent the night in LA so they could fly out the next morning. That same day we caught up with my good friend Tana Ruegamer. Tana and I lived, worked and traveled together in Australia. She lives in Boston now but was in LA for a conference. It was pure luck that we got to catch up and hang out and it was great to see her. We actually went to Venice Beach and had lunch with Devin Rich (Scott's high school buddy) and his girlfriend Amy. We had quite the group. After lunch we zipped over to the airport to pick my mom and dad up.
Mom and dad's trip extended in to June. Our first night was spent in Old Town Temecula because we were going hot air ballooning the next morning. It was such a beautiful way to start the morning....floating above the rolling hills and vineyards of Temecula. We were in the clouds one minute and skimming the vines the next. It was really amazing. June 2 was dad's birthday so Scott and I took him to his first major league ballgame ever! The Padres played Philadelphia. We got whooped, but I think mom and dad still had fun. We hit up Buca di Beppo for Scott's birthday the next day and then headed up to LA again to drop mom and dad off. Since we were in the area, Scott and I caught up with his brother Brian and his girlfriend in Santa Monica and then we went to Joel McHale's comedy show. Good times.
July was a big month as well. It started with a fun 4th on the beach with friends (BBQ, volleyball, surf, etc.), and ended with an amazing trip to Montana to see family and friends. On our flight to Kalispell, we had a six hour layover in Seattle. Our brother-in-law Steve surprised us with a limo at the Seattle airport and took us around town, then dropped us back off to fly out. Our first day in town Pam and Buzz had a large brunch at their house. We got to see everyone: Grandma Bev, the Matterns, Bob, Bryan, Kerstin and Robby, and of course all the Berry's, Hoerner's, Olson's and Jorgenson's. It was perfect...with all our favorite foods. We got in a round of golf and a quick BBQ for Scott's 10-year reunion. It was nice to meet more of his classmates. Monday we took in Glacier National Park. This is another trip I could do a whole blog on. Glacier is an absolutely stunning and beautiful corner of the world. The rest of the week we hung out with family on the lake. You just can't beat swimming, floating, boating, and visiting with family at the cabin. We snuck in another game of golf, watched Mark's softball game, ate at Mambo's in Whitefish, and took Pam & Buzz to a musical at Bigfork Theatre. Then they dropped us off with Jen and Eli Clark because we were heading across the state to a wedding near Bozeman. The reunion with the Clarks was great fun. We had a few fun stops, and eventually found our way to Ennis, MT where we were camping for the next two nights. We ate at the Schoolhouse, soaked in Norris Hot Springs, floated down the Madison River and of course took in Travis and Molly's wedding. The next morning we headed in to Bozeman for breakfast and then flew home.
And now we're home and almost caught up. It's August, and we're still really busy, but that will have to wait until the next post. :)
