northwest.

Last week, we took a little tour of the Northwest. My friend Whitney came out to Berkeley from Madison, WI so that we could all drive up to Emma's wedding in Eugene, OR. Oh, you know- no big deal.

Are we insane?

YES. But, we honestly didn't think it would be that big of a deal. Eliza had made the Santa Barbara trip without a hitch. How awful could it be to sit in a carseat for just a couple of more hours? AWFUL. Poor thing screamed all the way up to Oregon. Also, Sam had pulled an all-nighter at work so that he could make the trip, and I was up every hour (on the hour) with Eliza the night before. So neither one of us was in any sort of state to drive 7 hours. 7 hours, HA! It took us almost 11 hours to get to Eugene. And, poor Whitney had to drive the entire way with a screaming baby and two delirious, sleep-deprived parents. 

Oh, and that wasn't the end of it. Throw in a couple of speeding tickets (Ahem, Sam Gray), a nasty cold for mama and baby, and a delightful tour of every meth town in the Northwest--thanks to Eliza's cleverly planned freak-outs.

Poor, poor Whitney.

And, poor Eliza! It was hard to see her so miserable. And on top of everything, she is also teething. So, she was basically one slobbery, snotty mess. But, she's a tough girl- we still saw plenty of smiles through that river of snot.

Besides all of these setbacks, we actually had a great time! We got to see Emma married off and partied at her family's beautiful home in Eugene. It was a gorgeous reception. On the way home, Eliza made it up to us by cleverly planning her freakouts in some pretty awesome places. Thanks to her timing, we discovered a huge wild blackberry patch on the side of the road, had the freshest fish and chips in a tiny harbor town on the coast, and saw some beautiful views. We also drove most of the coastline, hiked Fern Canyon, and explored the tidepools in Trinidad. We even had a rather spontaneous detour, and spent the night at a friend's ranch in Middletown. A perfect tour of the Northwest.

It just goes to show that having a baby changes your life in many ways. But, it doesn't mean you have to give up the things you love. Once upon a time, I hiked up and down the English countryside with Whitney, spent the last three years adventuring with Sam- and suddenly I find myself standing on the side of the road in foggy, green Oregon stuffing my face with wild blackberries beside Whitney, Sam, and our new, little travel buddy- Miss E.