In which we drive

We left North Dakota in early August to set out towards our new life in the state of Washington. Because Larry and I didn't want to arrive in Washington exhausted and grumpy, and because we really really really didn't want the girls to be exhausted and grumpy the entirety of our trip, four days of varying hours on the road and three nights in fun places were scheduled between the two states.

Travel day one consisted in last minute checking of the moving truck to make sure everything was tight (and as you can see in the picture below, the moving truck was indeed packed tight), driving from Lisbon, ND to Bismarck, ND in the space of about three hours, and spending the evening with the Coombs family. Larry and I drove separately and shared the children between vehicles as they desired.

Travel day two worked consisted of driving from Bismarck, ND to Billings, Montana. It was a much longer drive, but the sights were lovely.. some were breathtaking to us flatlanders.

At the end of travel day 2, we rented a hotel in Billings, MT that included an indoor waterpark, and spent the evening swimming until everyone was exhausted.

It was difficult to wake up these two little travelers so early in the morning,

but it was on to travel day 3 which would contain the longest drive yet... 8-ish hours of mountainous driving that took us through Idaho and finally into Washington.

The end of this travel day would bring us to the best surprise yet... a sleepover at my brother Danny's house in Spokane, WA! Natalie and Heather were beyond excited to see him in person for the first time in years. So was I :) We finally met his lovely girlfriend Lexi, passed the evening eating pizzas at an Italian restaurant, then promptly went to sleep. The exhaustion we had been doing our best to avoid was inevitably catching up to us.

Then we were on our way to our new city of residence in Arlington, Washington. This was the most breathtaking part of the entire trip, as we made our way over the Cascade Mountains. I wanted so desperately to take millions of pictures amid gaping at the majestic beauty around us, but when one is driving through mountains, one must pay very close attention to the road.



The picture directly above was our view upon driving into Arlington. We get to see mountains every day! SO AWESOME!

Then we were home.

The move that took years in the making finally happened, and we are excitedly taking in the beauty and culture that is our new home. More posts on the adventures of our first week in Washington to come soon.