Tag Archives: Friends & Family

A Heartfelt Thank You!

5 Replies

Mike & I were sitting outside around the firepit last night and got to talking about the past 9 months (I can’t below we have been on the road this long!).  We are amazed by how many people we have managed to visit and see along the way and are so thankful for the generosity everyone has showed us.  From awesome tour guides and local sightseeing tips to home-cooked meals and comfortable beds, these visits have really made our trip memorable so far.

 Bill, Lori, Taylor & Abby Johnson (Castle Rock, CO) – Lori was a sorority sister of mine at WSU.  They had us in for dinner and put us up for the night.   Loved seeing them and they made us feel right at home!

Ron, Stacy & Tyler Webert (Golden, CO) – I went to college with Ron.  They had us up to their mountain house in Vail and let us land our MoHo in their driveway.  They showed us a great time at Vail and Beaver Creek.

Rod, Jen, Jordan & Bella Arreola (Broomfield, CO) – Jen & I worked together at Holland America years ago.  They broke their HOA rules and let us park in front of their house for a few nights.  We had their basement to ourselves and what a treat it was.  They fed us many meals, we golfed and spent a fantastic 4th of July with them!

Max & Linda Clark (Boise, ID) – Max is a close friend of Mike’s mom.   They had us up to their amazing condo for dinner and gave us all kinds of great tips for exploring the area.  Mike’s cousin Melissa, who was also in Boise, joined us as well.

Mitch & Sunny Cameron (Yakima, WA) – Our very best friends who I went to high school with.  What can I say, they have an RV pad at their house with full hook-ups!  We stayed for over a week and loved this first-class resort known as Camp Cameron!

Marc & Shelly Pflugrath (Wenatchee, WA) – Our other very best friends; Shelly & I went to high school together.  We parked the MoHo at their neighbors and enjoyed top-notch hospitality at Casa de Pflu.

Al & Joan Webert (Penticton, BC) – Ron’s parents (see above).  They hooked us up with a spot in Summerland, BC when every campground was full due to a Canadian holiday that we didn’t know about…saved our bacon.

Evan, Renee, Jace & Penn, Kaplan  (Los Altos Hills, CA) – Renee & I have been friends for over 30 years!  We went to the Stanford/Husky football game with them.  So great to catch up, but too short of a visit!

Dana & Sharon Morrow (Santa Barbara, CA) – I worked with Dana on a few photo shoots for Westmark Hotels in Alaska.  They took us wine tasting, had us to their home for dinner and even hooked me up to get my hair done!  We loved getting to know them better and they really made our time in SB memorable!

Bruce & Vickie Cline (Sun City, AZ) – The Cline’s are great friends of ours from Seattle. They have a vacation house in AZ where we met up with them.  We went to a Husky game in Tempe and had a wonderful time just hanging out at their pool, cooking, fishing and drinking!  Also, they were so kind to let Mike stay at the house while I flew home for my uncle’s funeral.

Bob & Gloria Woolsey (Buckeye, AZ) – Mike worked for Bob & Gloria years ago.  They had us to their home for two amazing meals and they came to the MoHo one night for dinner.   Another friend, Brad Wallace, also joined us for the festivities. When we first started thinking about this adventure, these two were our biggest supporters!

Tom & Jane Guedel (Tucson, AZ) – This is the first time we had been to my dad’s.  We had a great time eating, drinking, golfing and hiking!  It was nice to be able to just relax and spend time catching up and to meet Jane’s granddaughter, Gabby and their good friends Chuck & Kory who hosted us one night for dinner & drinks.

Craig & Kim Gambino (New Orleans, LA) – We know Craig through good friends, Charles & Becky Shull.  These guys were the ultimate hosts during a busy holiday season.  Craig was our personal tour guide/chauffeur for 4 days and our time here wouldn’t have been the same without him.  They had us over for a delicious dinner and took us to many of their favorite spots.  Kim also lined up a hair appt for me!

Pat & Allison Bunker (Palm City Beach, FL) – Pat is a high school friend of Mike’s.  We were fortunate to spend Christmas Eve and Day with these guys and many of their friends and participate in their holiday traditions.  Pat also hooked us up with a free place to stay, treated Mike to golf and tour guided us around the area!

Bill, Emily & Maggie Lee (Palm Harbor, FL) – Bill was a neighbor of Mike’s family growing up.  They treated us to breakfast, then welcomed us to their home for the night and two delicious gourmet meals!  Really great to spend time with them!

We also wanted to give a shout out to friends who have come to meet up with us along the way.

  • Nicole Barclay & Matt Flynn – Wild & crazy times in Reno, NV
  • Eric, Michelle & David Overholt – How cool to experience Yellowstone together and camp in the same park!
  • Marc & Shelly Pflugrath and Marc & Krista Lindley – Our rendezvous in Vegas was one for the books!
  • Jacquie Guedel – What a fun and relaxing cruise with my mom to the Caribbean!
  • Sunny Cameron & Shelly Pflugrath – I LOVED our girls weekend in Dallas.  Yee-Haw!

It has meant so much to have familiar faces along the way.  Not to mention a real bathroom/shower to use from time to time!  We hope when we eventually get settled somewhere that we can return the favor to anyone traveling because we know how much it is appreciated!

Thanksgiving in the Desert – 11/13/13 to 12/2/13

6 Replies
Thanksgiving Dinner at the IW Club.

Thanksgiving Dinner at the IW Club.

It feels like a long time since we have last written. Well I guess it has! We spent 2 nights at the Crazy Horse RV Park in Lake Havasu, AZ. Wished we had more time here, as it was a really neat spot. Our parking place was right on the lake so we were able to use the kayaks. We did a long paddle around the island we stayed on and under the London Bridge. Apparently it is part of the original 1831 London Bridge that was purchased and shipped over in pieces in the 60’s and reconstructed here in Lake Havasu. Kind of cool. We also ran into our friend Matt’s next-door neighbor. They saw our Washington plates and we got to talking…random.

London Bridge, Lake Havasu

London Bridge, Lake Havasu

We rolled into the Emerald Desert RV Resort in Palm Desert on a Friday afternoon and just pulled out this morning. This is the longest we have stayed in one place (2 ½ weeks) and I tell you it was fantastic. This was probably the nicest park we have stayed in yet. It was very resorty with a nice pool, workout room, clubhouse and lots of planned activities. Our favorite was every Saturday morning out by the pool, Muffins & Mimosas! We were also perfectly located only a mile and a half from where our group was staying. Mom & Jeff at Palm Valley and Sunny, Mitch, Shelly, Marc, Gom, Jerry & Ann at Desert Falls.

Besides the group above, we were also able to see some other friends and family who were down in the area. Alicia & Renee were down for a getaway weekend in the beginning of our stay, so we spent one night out with them. Mike’s Aunt Melanie came over to our Apple Cup party. And, we saw Brent & Ashlie Johnson a few times, including a night out in old town La Quinta that was really fun!

Me, Sunny, Laurie, Renee & Alicia

Me, Sunny, Laurie, Renee & Alicia – prefunc in the MoHo

Jeff, Brent, Mike, Me & Ashlie

Jeff, Brent, Mike, Me & Ashlie in old town La Quinta

We golfed five times (Mike six) at a variety of courses; some we had played before and others were some new ones for us. The weather cooperated most of the time and was typically in the high 70’s, but we did run into a bit of rain, which seems unusual for PD. We were still able to get some pool time and a good dose of Vitamin D! We had some fun dinner’s out, especially at one of our favorites, Villagio’s. Also, a tasty breakfast at the La Quinta Bakery. And, a great spaghetti feed at Ann & Jerry’s and yummy taco fest with Mom & Jeff at their place.

Sunny, Me & Shelly golfing

Sunny, Me & Shelly golfing

We had a large group with us, not everyone for the entire time, but for Thanksgiving, our whole group of 11 was together. Eight of us golfed in the morning, then we went to the IW Club at Indian Wells for an early 4:30 dinner. We had a big table out on the patio with heat lamps and enjoyed a delicious dinner, nice wine and great company. We made our way to The Nest for a post dinner cocktail and all sat at the piano bar requesting songs and people watching. I can’t think of a better way to spend Thanksgiving!

DSCN5071

Jeff, Mom, Me & Mike at Thanksgiving Dinner

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

For the big Apple Cup game, Mike & I decided to host a tailgate and viewing party at the MoHo. We had 13 people over and even picked up a few stragglers at the MoHo park. We had indoor and outdoor viewing going, BBQ’d brats at halftime and played Bocce Ball. Unfortunately, the Cougs were not able to pull it out. We had a 3 to 1 Coug vs. Husky ratio, so Mike definitely felt the thrill of victory and let us know it. Regardless, it was a great day and so fun to have a group together for the big game!

MoHo Apple Cup Party

MoHo Apple Cup Party

Shelly, Me, Jerry & Sunny - Go Cougs!

Shelly, Me, Jerry & Sunny – Go Cougs!

Aunt Melanie, Me & Mike

Aunt Melanie, Me & Mike

Mike on the BBQ!

Mike on the BBQ!

The Pflu’s and Cameron’s left on Sunday morning and that was extremely difficult for me saying goodbye to my best friends. We had one more night with my mom & brother, then they were gone on Monday. Another very hard goodbye. This left just Mike & I so we decided to head up to Joshua Tree National Park for the day. Both of us had been battling a cold and cough, so we didn’t do any big hikes, but just enjoyed the scenery and took a few short walks. Back to the MoHo for the big Monday Night Football game with our 12th Man flag flying – what a fun game to watch! We packed up this morning and were on the road by 9am for the trip to Tucson where we will visit my dad.

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park

The Desert is a special place for us as we got married here. It has been a place where we have continued to vacation especially for Thanksgiving. This time was obviously very special since we were able to spend time with so many great friends and family after being on the road for 5 months. It has been on the books ever since we left Seattle in May, so it has always been on my mind that we had this to look forward to. But leaving feels bittersweet to me as this is now really the start of our adventure where we will be gone for a year and on the other side of the country. I am looking so forward to what is ahead, but it was very hard to say goodbye. I do have some fun rendezvous’ in the coming months though which I am excited for. But, as I type this and it is just Mike & I driving down the road, I feel at ease and very happy.

Mike & I at Joshua Tree NP

Mike & I at Joshua Tree NP