One More Car Trip

Due to my hip issues, we decided to leave a day early to allow times for more stops if needed on the way to Seattle.  We actually did it in only two days and arrived in Seattle on Sunday, August 18 around dinner time.  It was a fairly smooth trip EXCEPT---

when getting gas the last time about one hour from Tacoma, Cooper managed to lock the car doors with Tosha, Niki, and I outside of the car, and he and Ava inside the car.  Fun car that has child proof locks so that they can't open the doors themselves, but also still allows them to (with a kick of their feet) lock all four doors on the car.  $50.00, 20 minutes, and two screaming kids later, we were back in the car and on the road again!!!  The locksmith from across the street was just able to get it open right before the police and fireman showed up.

Our night we stayed in Pendleton and had a bit of trouble finding an available room.  When we checked in to the Red Roof Inn, they told me that we had one of the rooms "with a view."  Seemed doubtful in the middle of the Columbia Basin, but I looked out in the morning and snapped a photo to document the "view."  Better than the back of another hotel, I guess, and fields and farmhouses are an pretty view.

Settling into the hotel one more night-----

Crossing the Columbia River one more time on the new (to me) bridge with the old Umatilla Bridge to the west.

John McNary Dam

Our childhood home on Agnes street in Richland--Tosha okayed the quick trip to drive by the house I lived from age 7 to age 16 years old.

 The vineyards up and down the roads between the Tri-cities and Yakima.

Mountains to the west--

And finally back to the green tall trees of western Washington, and home for three little people and one happy momma.  It had been a long 8 weeks filled with fun and life, but truly there is no place like home.  The kids were so excited to see their house and toys again.  They went right to playing while we unpacked and started the process of settling in.

I stayed for six days to help Tosha get things settled back into a routine and get Niki ready for school.  They had doctor appointments and errands to run and all of the usual stuff so it was nice to be there to be an extra pair of hands, even though I was limited a bit.

Friday, I flew back home to Utah and began the process of settling back into our own routine and our next big project---getting Jena off to Provo for another year of Wonderwood College Bridge program.