at journey's end

Such good road trippers

This is how I FINALLY got Brail to calm down

Winky rode first class with the seat warmer on!

Trying to preoccupy Brail

this is the beast Jared drove

the pond, complete with fish, flowers and frogs. those are strawberry plants around it, the best berries I've ever tasted!

when you walk into the house

Our fireplace

The view from our front door

This is Kyler's new school

Kyler's room today (still unpacking)

Lexi's room, still unpacking so excuse the mess

We left Utah behind at 3 am on Father's day and arrived in Oregon 11 hours later. The drive went fairly smooth, with a few slight bumps along the way. Jared drove the moving truck with Spunky and Esmeralda while I drove our Subaru with the kids, 2 dogs and 2 cats. First off, right away Brail (the blind dog) attempts to attack the cats, who are in a pet taxi in the back. You see, he isn't so bright, doesn't really understand cause and effect, so no matter what punishment he endures, he is relentless in his attempts to catch the cats and they beat him up on a daily basis. Second, the kids start saying "ew it smells" and I realize Ash has peed in his pet taxi, he is temperamental so I know he did it to show he was angry. Thirdly, as I was driving through Idaho at 4 am, I look out my window to see the stars when I catch a glimpse of the kayak. Wait, the kayak should be directly above me, not next to me! I signaled to Jared to pull over, so we made an emergency stop. Again and again...3 times total. Eventually the roof rack gave up and broke so he tied it to the roof of the car where it was very snug, so snug all you could hear was the LOUD vibration. So far...the smell of urine, a noise so loud I can't think...but at least the kids sleep for 75% of the drive. We made it nearly hassle free. Jared drove that truck like a pro!

The weather has been as perfect as it gets since arrival. We have been on a roll assembling furniture and unpacking. Today we started the process of being official residents, registering our vehicle here.

It was so hard to say goodbye, harder than I had imagined. Distance doesn't have everything to do with closeness. I hope that holds true in our situation. We love our family and friends very much and are already missing everyone. Remember, we're always only a phone call, text message, email or plane ride away!