Seattle... what's with the Pigs?

So for the last few days of our trip we got to spend time with Jarom's sister Mindy and her husband Ryan. It was so nice to spend those few days with them since we hardly have seen them in the last few months. Jarom and Alli were smitten with each other and Alli copied Jarom's talking by making her own little noises that sounded like his. It was adorable! On the fourth we went to downtown Seattle to see the festivities and maybe some fireworks. I got mocked by a farmer's market guy when I said to Jarom "Lets take a picture in front of the Original Starbucks." Punk. Also, there were these crazy pig statues all over the city, I don't know what the heck they were for, but they were really cool. It was so fun to spend that time with Mindy and Ryan and play with Alli. (p.s.- my computer is being funny so I can't get the picture to turn around, but I will do it eventually...)

Oh, Canada

Today we got to see Mom and Dad Tanner of all places in Canada! We met them in Stanley Park and watched a game of Cricket. After we went to grouse mountain, took a sky rail to the top and watched a few shows about birds and mountain loggers. So much fun! It was really nice to see family after traveling for the past week.

Check out them apples

Washington, what a state. A little tip, don't drive through an Indian reservation just because a map says there is a road that takes you through. Don't do it, not all dirt roads are created equal. After driving through what can only be considered a moment from Indiana Jones (picture tropical jungle and a bridge over a river made from two skinny strips wood and steel you have to balance your car on) we realized we were lost on a dead ended road. Sweet! Later we stopped at Olymic National Park, a temporate rain forest and walked around for a while. A nod to "Twilight" we drove through Forks, which was as barren as it was made out to be in the book.

Oregon!

Oregon beaches are like no other beaches. The rocky shores are cold and gorgeous. I felt like they should be haunted with the chill in the air and the slight mist on the beach so early in the morning. When we first woke up the car was dead, the batteries totally worn out. Luckily a one armed man came to our rescue, literally. Thank goodness for the man. The rest of the day we drove all the way through oregon and partially into washington. Gorgeous. And we can't forget the tillamook factory! Cheese, glorious cheese!

Hail Granola!

Today was northern California day and oh how gorgeous the coast is! We started in San Francisco and got our visas from the Brazilian Consulate. After that exciting experience we drove up the coast where I saw about a thousand B&B's that I wanted to stay at. Adorable. There was a pretty lighthouse that we stopped at and took some pictures too.
Also, there is this place in Fort Bragg called glass beach. Fifty years ago the beach was a dump site where people would drop off their junk and broken down cars. After fifty years nature turned the once toxic beach into a beautiful rocky beach with a multi-colored glass shore. It was amazing. Later that night we slept in the car again because we couldn't find a cheap enough hotel again. We built a fort out of blankets around the inside of the car and fell asleep to the sound of waves, rain and passing cars. I love roadtrips!

Day 2 still...

I had made phone calls to about ten different hotels in Fresno, asking each employee how much it cost to sleep at their hotel. It was late, we had slept in the car the night before and I was just ready to go to sleep. Without thinking, the words came out of my mouth automatically to the man at the Hampton Inn, but very very wrong. "Hi, How much does it cost to sleep with you... (hysterical laughter after the words issue out of my mouth and Jarom looks at me in amazement).. in your hotel?" Nice, now not only do I ask the man to sleep with him, but if possible at the hotel. Is there a packaged deal? Classy. Offended he informs me that there are no rooms available and curtly says goodnight, while I am in a fit of giggles so bad I can't even answer. And we begin!
Also... there is a hotel called the "Shiv hotel." What the heck? I'm sorry, but how can you possibly get a goodnights sleep at a hotel where you must be concerned about being gutted all night by a makeshift prison weapon. Very frightening. And the hotel was extremely expensive. Hey, it's not cheap to get rid of dead bodies these days, there are rules and regulations. And getting paperwork to dump a body is pricey.

My one brush with fame... (besides seeing the lady from "touched by an angel" at LAX)

I'm gonna learn how to make a movie addition to my post. So far this is try 3, and yes, I am graduating from college soon. This commercial, if I get it up, is from way back but I thought it would be fun to post for those of you who have never seen it. I love you all!

Holls

p.s.- sorry mom! It's sassy!

Coast of California (Day 2)

Today we decided to drive up the coast to Point Lobos. There were pines right on the cliffs of the ocean, and the wildflowers were in bloom. While we were walking we came across a family of deer (a German lady said, "oooh Bambi!" behind us). It was awesome! Later we stopped at a mission, and then drive through Carmel to see the pretty shops. That night we made our way up to San Francisco to sleep.

Oh, Yosemite! (Day 1)

After Driving all night to get to Yosemite, we found there were no vacancies in the inns. So tragic! We ended up sleeping in our car for 4 hours which accounts for the whole chemo-chic thing I've got going on. Jarom looks cute so I'll just put the most pictures of him. On our drive I ran over a bunny and almost ran over a bobcat and a deer. Most of the night we weren't near anyone else, and at one point it was so dark on a mountain we were driving on that I pulled over to look at the stars. Wow! I could see the milky way like a bright ribbon across the sky, it was amazing! These pictures are of Yosemite and Sequoia. The Bridal Veil waterfall is in Yosemite.