Travel to Oregon....

First I need to say happy anniversary to J and J and to Ben and Ann!

Also a very happy birthday to my mama!

We love all of you very much and hope each one of you had a special day!!!!!


So back up to late January....

The day we were to hit the road - Saturday - I hardly slept that night and woke up at 4 am with extreme morning sickness. YEA! This set the tone for the trip although we had no idea!

We started the day at 5am final packing, organizing, and hooking up. We discovered we were missing an integral part as we were about to pull onto the road. This made us drive very slowly as I didn't have lights on my trailer. It was still dark but more importantly the fog was so dense I couldn't see Daniel right in front of me. We knew we had to drive to the next town in hopes that the Supercenter was 24 hours and carried the part we needed. Our only other option was to wait until 8 am when we assumed the "other stores" would open. Of course WM didn't carry the adapter but Auto Zone came through! Morning sickness had set in full force just about the time we were getting back on the interstate. Since I was not feeling well, to me it felt like we drove and drove and drove! We were moving along and experienced a blow out on the 5th wheel complete with extensive damage.

Poor baby girl is now missing a few teeth! We took off the tire cover so it wouldn't rip off in the wind. We stopped in the next town and bought 3 new tires as we had just purchased 1 on Friday.
We owe a big thank you to Discount Tire Company in Amarillo, TX, for helping us get back onto the road quickly! So here we go 4 new tires..nothing else can go wrong! I was to the point now of a full blown migraine and hopes of nothing else going wrong. Daniel and I both strive for the impossible! I panicked as Daniel pulled over again to the side of the interstate. We were about an hour from being to Albuquerque where we were going to spend the night. Then he said the words I hated to hear..."I heard a pop and a truck won't move." At that point I was loosing my cool! Side note to add a little detail, just before Christmas he spoke those same words and it was pricey!!! We were able to make it to a truck stop (which was closed), get off the interstate, and call a tow truck. Almost two hours later they arrived to haul the truck and 5th wheel to a Ford dealership. Neither Daniel or I had confidence in the ability of the tow truck company as drivers and dispatch called us several times to ask about the weight and length of our rig and their concerns. I get that its a big load and luckily Daniel knows about this sort of stuff..because otherwise we would still be answering questions! Daniel and I headed toward hotel only to get on the interstate and sit in traffic for two hours! We were both exhausted and went straight to bed.

The next day we were at a loss on what to do. We knew the truck would not be fixed that day as it was a Sunday. We decided to spend the day resting and planned on getting back on the road Monday evening or Tuesday morning. Luckily some sort of tube blew off, the fix was fathomable, and not going to break the bank but we still were not happy. We again owe a huge thank you to the Ford dealership in Rio Rancho, NM. They put us at the beginning of the line, discounted the labor, secured our truck and 5th wheel for 2 days and nights, and made sure we were back on the road as fast as possible. It warms my heart and shows the good when people really want to help us we become helpless on the road.
We got back on the road Monday afternoon and headed towards Durango, Co. We arrived in town at sun down and had dinner at a great Irish pub. Before leaving town the next day we went back to old town and walked around to do some quick sightseeing. We were back on the road around noon on Tuesday with our sights set on Salt Lake City, UT. The day was adventure free with no real excitement but continued driving through the mountains.
Wednesday we drove to Boise, ID, crossed the 45th Parallel twice, and Thursday we arrived in Salem, OR. We were both completely exhausted from the first day of adventure of our trip and never truly recovered the entire trip. This trip confirmed our ritual of staying in hotels when we travel to a new location as at the end of the day the last thing we want to do is set up our "home."
Friday we set out in search of a park a task that is always interesting. We find places on line and then set out to give them the real inspection upon arrival. We found a nice park with lots of grass and concrete pads. I mean who could ask for more..right?!?! HA! We have realized we have high expectations and do not like to settle for anything less! We typically face some sort of pressure, questioning, and receive an in-dept talk about quiet hours, no partying, and an explanation of rules when we arrive at a new park. We know that this is because of our age..but seriously we aren't going to bother Grannie and do not listen to loud music at midnight! HA! Most parks think that if you are our age you must be party people 24-7 and are going to cause a ruckus! We finally found a place to live and are continuing to deal with nonsense due to our age. After talking to a few other younger couples they have experienced the same sort of stuff. Regardless of the park, I know some of the older people spend their days looking out the windows and "figuring" out your life! We have seen the drama, heard about it, and do not want to experience it!!!

On another note...Daniel is really enjoying this rotation and everyone he works with. We found an amazing doctor and I adore her! The migraines are still so so but baby Nugget is doing great! He is healthy, growing, moving all over, and I can't believe I am 29 weeks! We are starting to get into preparation phase. YEA!!! As I mentioned previously, we resigned for another 3 months. If all goes as planned little Nugget will be born here and then we are off to another location. Don't get me wrong it is gorgeous..but March was the fifth wettest month in history and April has been the second wettest. It has rained every day and so far we are about 11 degrees below normal on temperature. I know May is only a few days away but it was 39 this morning! No matter what Oregon will always be a special part of our lives..In the first few weeks here:
I snowboarded 6 months pregnant we hiked in Silver Falls
explored downtown and the capitolwe found out Nugget is a boy
we played on the beach in Lincoln City,
visited a covered bridge
and much more!
Many more memories to come.... snowboarding, Portland, a trip for a wedding, and vacation in San Francisco. Of course I will post a few pictures of our 4 legged babies for those of you that enjoy them!

We hope everything is great with each of you and I PROMISE to be better about blogging. I have made a commitment to myself and since I am feeling better it should be easier! When Nugget arrives I know the grandparents, aunts, uncles, family, and friends will be brutal on me! ;) I have been informed we will Skype and I must blog often!!

Hugs
Melissa and Daniel