Mt. Everest (just kidding...just Mt. Rainier...not there yet!)

From The Great Northwest to the Beautiful South!

We have traveled from one great city to many others over the past month! From the maritime hills of San Francisco over to the steamy, green landscape of the South, we have had an amazing summer.

We visited for a week with Dana, Frank, and Maya Grinnell in their absolutely beautiful San Fran home and enjoyed many walks to the dog park, cute boutiques and restaurants. San Francisco is definitely one of the favorite spots since we began our travels, however, that might be due to the wonderful accommodations provided by the Grinnells. What a house!

Next, we traveled across country to make it to 2 wonderful weddings on the East Coast. First, we went to the festivities leading up to Patrick and Aaron Freeman's wedding. We had a blast at the rehearsal dinner accompanied by a blue-grass band on the wrap around porch of an elegant estate mansion. What an event! The food, family, and festivities were some of the best we have experineced at a rehearsal dinner. Then, we traveled up the the hills north of Washington, DC for the beautiful wedding of Sarah and Brad Jones at the georgeous Locksly Manor. We could not have had a better time with our college friends than at this wedding! The bride was nothing less than breathtaking and the countryside surrounding the wedding scene was magical. After the fairytale departure of the bride and groom in a horse and carriage, we spent a couple of days in DC hanging out with friends...We have to say, DC surprised us with how much we liked it! We are adding it to our list of possible sites to consider when we return!

We flew back to San Francisco and proceeded to drive up highway 1 to Portland and on to Seattle. Wow, what beautiful country we have in the USA! We had a blast as we camped in the Redwood National Forest and ran on the beaches in Seaside, Oregon. However, I will say, the beaches of NC and SC have much more sun than the west coast versions. Isn't that why you go to the beach?? Not according to the west coast!! On the beach here, you don your raincoat and smile as you frolic in the rain and sea! We had fun experiencing this!

We also enjoyed much family and friend time in Seattle as we attended our 5th and final wedding of the year...and what a blast it was! I have never seen a happier couple than Kyle and Annie Graebner. The ceremony left everyone knowing that this was a marriage that would last a lifetime. And what a party we had afterwards...complete with a chocolate fountain and dancing! This was a wedding we wouldn't have missed for the world.

After these festivities, we went on a 3 day camping trip in Mt. Rainier National Park and experienced all of God's wonderful forms of precipitation...rain, snow, and hail. It was awesome to see how quickly the mountain climate changes. We had a great time as we climbed over rocky mountain ridges, through lush alpine meadows and by rushing mountain streams. Nothing can touch the beauty of silence as you hike through these areas. Now I understand the love hikers have of mountains.

We are now in Bend, Oregon where Dave is taking a Wilderness First Responder Course (WFR). I am hanging out and enjoying the beautiful landscapes, shopping, hiking, biking, and knitting shops Bend and Sun River have to offer. What a hard life, I tell you!

We arrive back in Seattle on Sept. 12th and visit with the Jaeger's as they pass through from their cruise in Alaska. Then, we take off for the first leg of our travels on September 17th! See below for our complete travel itinerary!

What a summer!

Jennifer (and Dave!)