Katt’s Favorite Meals

A couple times a month, sometimes as often as once a week, I make four or five meals at once to feed me throughout the week. Generally I split each meal in half, freezing half of it as a batch and then portioning out the rest as individual portions. (When you spend between 40 and 70 hours a week on campus, you definitely need to plan ahead when it comes to food.)

I’ve had a number of people ask me for certain recipes or tips on how to prepare meals in advance. I finally took the time to sit down and make notes, so here’s the start to Katt’s Favorite Recipes.

BREAKFAST

Baked Oatmeal Muffins

notes

• I have found that baking these as muffins can be messy. And my muffin liners never like to come off the muffins – whether I peal them off when they are hot before freezing, or if I peal them off after they are frozen, or if I peal them off after warming them in the microwave. So, to solve this, I recently baked them in a 9×13” pan. Split into nine and then frozen, they are much easier to deal with than muffins. And, nine servings makes them a bit bigger than 12 muffins, which is good for me as I am rushing to dance classes every morning and need a hearty breakfast to keep me going.

 

PASTA

Lasagna-style Baked Ziti

notes

• I highly recommend using a 5-qt pot to cook the meat mixture so you can easily mix the spinach and pasta in together.
• I really like using tri-color rotini as the pasta, however whole wheat shells are also delicious.
• Could be made vegetarian by substituting mushrooms for ground beef. I bet morels would be great in this!

 

Tortellini Primavera

notes

• I usually need to add more than 1 cup of broth for the sauce to cover the vegetables and pasta the way I would like it to. (Though to be honest, it’s probably because I up the amount of veggies and never remember to up the liquid in most recipes.)
• This one freezes fine, but the texture of the pasta does change slightly.
• Vegetarian

 

SLOW COOKER

I have my Grandmother’s 3-qt Crock-Pot. Serial number 518! These recipes all work in the 3-qt, though it can be a tight fit and the beef stew would definitely be much easier in a 5-qt.

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup

notes

• Holy yum. This is my new favorite soup.
• Vegetarian

 

Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings

 

Slow Cooker Rosemary Garlic Beef Stew

notes

• I recently tried prepping everything, then freezing prior to cooking. I do not recommend this. The texture of the beef changed and I did not care for it.
• Because stew beef tends to be a cheaper cut of meat, I splurge on really good beef for this meal. I am lucky that the Good Food Store only sells good beef, but I spring for the grass-finished beef here.

 

SOUP

Cheesy Veggie Soup

notes

• This is great with shredded chicken breast.
• Sometimes I make a batch of brown rice as well and serve this on rice. It’s a great way to bulk up the soup, and it stretches the soup out a bit longer.
• Vegetarian

 

Corn Chowder

notes

• Recently I’ve swapped paprika for the cumin. Oh my gosh, it made this soup even more delicious!
• Could be made vegetarian if you don’t add the bacon. But seriously, why would you do that?!

 

Hearty Minestrone Soup

notes

• Definitely use at 12-qt soup pot for this soup!
• I can always taste a difference when I use a lower quality tortellini, especially when I reheat it. Spring for the good stuff!
• Could be made vegetarian

 

Kale, Potato, Turkey Sausage Soup

notes

• The first time I made this, I cooked the sausage as written. My preference, however, is to take the sausage out of the casing so it is ground.
• This is another soup where you can taste the quality of the meat. (Have you noticed a theme yet?) I always buy local sausage from the Bitterroot.
• Best made in a 12-qt pot
• Kale does not shrivel the same way spinach does. Shred, or cut, the kale into bite sized pieces.

 

Tomato Herb Soup

notes

• Vegetarian

 

Virus Killing Soup

notes

• I use a 16-qt soup pot for this. It makes a LOT of soup.
• Remember that however large a chicken you buy, you must lift that weight out of your soup pot.
• Again, buy quality meat. I always buy a local Hutterite chicken for this soup.

 

OTHER TIPS AND TRICKS

• As you may have noticed, I use a lot of recipes from BudgetBytes. Reading her blog has changed the way I think about planning meals. I’ve learned a lot from Beth in the past couple of years.
• This is a really great resource for freezing food.
• It may take you a while to figure out your groove for binge-cooking. My preference is to plan what meals I’m going to make, fill out my grocery list, and go grocery shopping on one day, then spend the next day making all my meals.
• Always start with your counter space free. I have the tiniest kitchen and cannot do anything in it unless all the dishes are clean.
• I freeze ricotta in 1/4 cup servings. Scoop the ricotta onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet, then put in the freezer for several hours until frozen solid. Place in freezer bag, clearly labeled.
• When freezing soup in bags, I double bag. I label the bag the soup is in, then slide it in zipper side first into another freezer bag. When freezing soup in freezer safe plastic, I put a layer of parchment paper on top of the soup to prevent freezer burn.
• I find it very helpful to have a dry-erase board on the freezer door. Every time I put something in the freezer, I write it down. It keeps things from getting lost and I can rotate through various meals more often.

2015 Year In Review

JANUARY

• 1/1 – 5th Annual Ski-N The New Year at Mt. St. Helens
• 1/3 – The Greaser-McDaniel Clan got together for the very first time since all the kids were born. We spent the afternoon at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, then ate pizza and camped out at Daryl’s house. I’m so thankful for my family.
• 1/9-10 – 6th anniversary trip to Sharkey and Gold Bug hot springs
• 1/10 – Daryl asks me to be his wife!
• 1/11 – Ski Lost Trail with Daryl and Nick
• 1/15 – Guest Artist rehearsals with Stevie Teran
• 1/19 – MLK Jr day ski at Lost Trail
• 1/26 – First day of spring semester

 [photo by William Muñoz]

FEBRUARY

• 2/6-7 – ACDA Benefit Concert. Perform “You Can’t Even Imagine How Many Toes I’ve Touched” and “Paradise”.

[photo by William Muñoz]

MARCH

• 3/1 – I picked my phone up after putting lotion on and it went flying out of my hand. The screen was completely smashed. Marley tape to the rescue!
• 3/3-7 – Dance New Works. Choreograph “Sassafrass”, perform “Impending Disturbance: Unpredictable Predictability” and “Vibe”.
• 3/4 – Cat sit Pooka and Katniss while Clare sees Neil DeGrasse Tyson. So jealous, but at least I got kitty snuggles.
• 3/16-22 – American College Dance Festival Northwest Regional Conference at the University of Northern Colorado
• 3/16 – Karen drives my car with Emily, Arina, and Jessie while Heidi drives the quarantine-mobile to Casper, WY. Jasmine and I sleep most of the way.
• 3/17 – Drive to Fort Collins, CO. Emily, Arina, Jessie, and I explore campus before the opening concert.
• 3/18 – Perform “Paradise”
• 3/20 – Emily, Haley, Charlie and I take an amazing ballet class with Marsha Knight. Ellie and Emily perform “Where We Left It” in Gala concert.
• 3/21 – I drive Emily, Arina, and Jessie to Billings
• 3/22 – Drive us home to Missoula
• 3/30-4/3 – Spring Break
• 3/30 – First day of Spring Break day date with my love

[photo by William Muñoz]

APRIL

• 4/4 – Skiesta at Lost Trail with Daryl and Mike
• 4/5 – Start planting in the garden
• 4/9-10 – Informal Concert
• 4/16 – Disc golf at Blue Mountain with Daryl and Mike
• 4/22-25 – Dance In Concert. I designed lights for “Petipa Variations” and “Secondarily: Intersect”, run the fly rail for “Secondarily: Intersect”, and danced in “Paradise.”
• 4/24-26 – My parents come to visit!
• 4/30 – Daryl built us an amazing bike shed in the back yard

MAY

• 5/3 – Auditions for A Chorus Line
• 5/9 – Cookie baking date with Sydoney
• 5/10 – Theatre & Dance picnic. I got $2000 in scholarships!
• 5/15 – We Carry The Ocean Inside Us, Emily’s senior show at DDC
• 5/16 – Graduation party at Emily, Arina, and HanaSara’s. Six of my favorite ladies graduated and I of course cried.
• 5/17 – Designed lights for the Ballet Arts Academy recital
• 5/18-19 – Rhythmic Motion, Arina’s senior show at Headwaters
• 5/19 – Jackie visits!
• 5/23-25 – Memorial Weekend Ski at Shmerker’s Folly
• 5/29-6/2 – Papoose caving trip with Daryl and Brian
• 5/30 – Cave hunting and morel finding

JUNE

• 6/1 – Caving
• 6/4 – My forever love’s birthday!
• 6/12 – Drive from Missoula to Sprague, WA
• 6/13 – Drive to Portland
• 6/14 – Daryl and I take the waterfall tour through the Gorge
• 6/15 – We spend the evening at Kelley Point Park
• 6/16 – I go on an 8-mile hike at Multnomah Falls with Amy and Henry
• 6/17-22 – Eugene
• 6/17 – Daryl and I drive to Eugene
• 6/18 – Daryl, Kevin, Niki, Sawyer, Landon, and I spend the day at a lake. That night, I meet up with a long-time internet friend, Monica.
• 6/19 – Daryl, Kevin, Niki, and I go on a bike double date
• 6/22 – Daryl and I drive to Mt. Hood
• 6/23 – We ski to Cooper Spur on Mt. Hood
• 6/26 – I drive to Astoria for the day. My favorite silly small town. Liz drives from Medford to Portland for the weekend.
• 6/27 – My 28th birthday! Breakfast at Grain & Gristle, wedding dress shopping, then a bbq at Kelley Point Park.
• 6/28 – Daryl, Liz, and I continue birthday celebrations with a brunch fit for royalty at Tasty N Sons. Liz heads back to Medford and Daryl and I drive to Kennewick.
• 6/29 – Daryl and I drive to Missoula. Saville and the kids are in town, so the house is full of family.

[photo by digabyte.com]

JULY

• 7/2-5 – 4th of July at Kreis Pond with Daryl, Mike, Saville, Fisher, Ike, Elsie, Simon, Max, Nick, Rita, Ozzy, Jessie, Adam, Kaia, Erin, and Rob
• 7/6 – Finally get my phone screen fixed
• 7/16 – Drive to Wyoming. First solo camping night!
• 7/17 – Drive to Boulder, CO
• 7/18-8/2 – Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop
• 7/19 – Less than two weeks after getting it fixed, I smash my phone screen again
• 7/25 – Spend the afternoon being both my majors at tech
• 7/31 – BJDW Student Concert

AUGUST

• 8/2 – Sue Ann rolls over 300,000 miles! Drive from Boulder to Dinosaur National Monument.
• 8/3 – On my way through Salt Lake City, I stop by and meet Stacy. We’ve been online friends for 12+ years and I’m so happy we got to spend a couple hours together. I drive to Pocatello and camp on a mountain.
• 8/9 – Daryl and I meet Brian at Benchmark
• 8/10-22 – Scapegoat 2015: Little Nibblers Edition
• 8/10 – Hike to the tarn and camp
• 8/11 – Move to cave camp
• 8/13 – Follow leads
• 8/15 – Make the very first thru trip – in Green Fork Falls Cave and out Kathy’s Icebox!
• 8/19 – Spend the day hiking around the Plateau
• 8/20 – We were gifted a bottle of Crown Royal from a packer we met the previous week. We drink it with some of Kathy’s Ice.
• 8/21 – Hike out to the cabin and camp
• 8/22 – Hike out and head back to Missoula
• 8/28 – Modern placement class. Date night! Cafe Dolce and Big Dipper Ice Cream.
• 8/31 – First day of Junior year

SEPTEMBER

• 9/26 – The cast of A Chorus Line and Treasure Island danced and pirated our way through the Homecoming parade today. We won the Governor’s Award!
• I made a lot of soup

[photo by Terry Cyr]

OCTOBER

• 10/3 – Headwater’s Last Hurrah. I’m so thankful I was able to see this show. Amy changed dance in Missoula and is such an important person in our lineage as dancers here. It was beautiful to see the support she received for her final concert.
• 10/11 – Skype date with Emily, Arina, and Jessie!
• 10/21-31 – A Chorus Line
• 10/23-25 – My parents and Grandma visit

NOVEMBER

• 11/5 – First snow of the season
• 11/14 – 11 1/2 hour focus for Treasure Island. I ended the day with a heart full of love for what I do.
• 11/20 – Fall Studio Works. Perform “Origins Of A Dance” and help backstage.
• 11/21 – HanaSara’s going away party at Clare’s. I love her dearly and wish Tokyo weren’t so very far away.
• 11/25-29 – Thanksgiving Break
• 11/26 – Thanksgiving. I made three pies for myself, Daryl, and Mike.  They were delicious.
• 11/28 – Griz playoff game with Daryl, Mike, and Liz. We won! Go Griz!

DECEMBER

• 12/4-12 – Dance Up Close. I was costume run crew for the first half, performed “her life had been”, then switched back to run crew mode until after midnight when laundry was done.
• 12/18 – Last day of the semester. Daryl drives to town!
• 12/19 – Ski at Lookout with Daryl and Liz. Beautiful, great first day of the skison!
• 12/20 – Ski at Lost Trail with Daryl, Mike, and Liz. Pow pow!
• 12/21 – Daryl and I head toward Portland from Missoula. We got stopped at the pass before we left Montana and sat for three hours waiting on a wreck. Between Ritzville and Kennewick the Outback started acting up. We stop driving at 5:30am.
• 12/22 – Limp the Outback from Kennewick to Portland. It took us 27 hours to make an 8 hour drive.
• 12/25 – We spend Christmas evening in Astoria with my parents. I love my family.
• 12/26 – For Fisher’s 11th birthday, Mike, Daryl, and I took him snow camping for the first time!
• 12/27 – After a great snow kitchen breakfast, we build a sweet snow cave. I haven’t seen a kid as excited as him for such a long time.
• 12/30 – We went to happy hour with some friends from D’s work, played trivia, and ate tacos
• 12/31 – New Years Eve date night!  Dinner at Zeus’s Cafe then Blind Pilot at the Crystal Ballroom!

2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009

Your heart

Glacier National Park, September 2009

Wherever is your heart I call home
Though your feet may take you far from me, I know
Wherever is your heart I call home

January 10, 2015 – Sharkey and Gold Bug Hot Springs 6th Anniversary Trip

For our anniversary this year, we decided to go on a hot springs trip. My favorite! Before we left, Daryl read about a hot springs near Salmon, ID – Sharkey Hot Springs. Since we have to drive through Salmon to get to Gold Bug, we decided to check it out. Based on information online, we were unsure we’d be able to get to the springs because of snow. We were very pleasantly surprised to find the road to plowed all the way to the parking lot! The hot springs are maintained by the BLM and there is a small day-use fee ($3). But considering that means the pools are cleaned once a week, there is a fire pit, heated changing rooms, and bathrooms, I’d say $3 is more than reasonable! My handsome love. After our soak at Sharkey’s, we hit the road to Gold Bug Hot Springs, one of my favorite place on the planet. The trail was predictably icy, so we made a few detours off the main trail as to not die. We made it to our favorite camp site about half way up to the springs and set up camp. I love that we set camp up so quickly and efficiently now. We both set up the tent, then while Daryl put the stakes in, I set up our beds inside. After getting our sleeping quarters arranged, we went off in search of wood for a fire. Just through some trees from our camp site, The Explorer hit jackpot with a super dry dead tree. We carried it in pieces back to camp and then started breaking down and sorting the branches. We had to baby the fire a bit, but no where near as bad as a fire we built on Shi-Shi Beach for a friends birthday years ago – it took 6 hours to get that one going! After we got the fire going, Daryl made dinner. Boil water, pour into Mountain House package, stir, wait 9 minutes, and voila! This was the best anniversary we’ve had. Daryl has moved home and we are in such a great place and I love him so very much. I fall more in love with him every single day. I don’t know how it’s possible, as every day my heart is completely full with love for him. And spending our anniversary hiking and soaking was so perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better anniversary dinner. After dinner, we packed a bag to head up to the hot springs. I went to get something from my backpack and when I turned around, Daryl managed to make an already perfect day more wonderful. As soon as he asked me to marry him, I burst into tears. I couldn’t believe it was really, actually, finally happening! Everything about it was absolutely perfect. I could not have asked for a more perfect, more amazing, more us proposal. I am so thankful for Daryl. I am so thankful I get to spend the rest of my life with him. After some celebrating, we started the hike up to the hot springs and spend a wonderful three hours soaking by ourselves.

I couldn’t take the smile off my face on the drive to Lost Trail to ski the next morning.

Here’s to the last six years and to forever after. I love you, Daryl Scott Greaser. I cannot wait to be your wife.

2014 Year In Review

JANUARY

• 1/1 – 4th Annual Ski-N The New Year at Mt. St. Helens FAIL
• 1/3 – Fancy date at El Gaucho
• 1/5 – Backcountry ski trip to Mt. St. Helens with Daryl, Johnny, and Grand Paw. Terrible snow, beautiful sunset.
• 1/10 – Five Year Anniversary ❤
• 1/12 – Drive from Portland to Seattle and stay night with Becky
• 1/18 – Gold Bug Hot Springs with Daryl and Nick
• 1/19 – Ski at Lost Trail with Daryl and Nick
• 1/20 – Drive to Great Falls to pick up Mike. Spend the evening coloring and putting together puzzles with Elsie.
• 1/27 – First day of Spring semester

FEBRUARY

• 2/1 – Ski at Snowbowl with Nick
• 2/2 – SEAHAWKS WIN THE SUPERBOWL!!!
• 2/6 – -17*. Campus was shut down not because of the cold, but because there was an armed robber on campus. Brrrr.
• 2/7 – Ran lights for Montana State Thespian Festival cuttings
• 2/8 – Bought my beloved Frye boots
• 2/17 – Ski at Lost Trail
• 2/22 – Poker night
• 2/28 – School canceled due to snow/cold. Liz and I ski to DraughtWorks for free beer!

MARCH

• 3/1 – Daryl visits
• 3/2 – Backcountry ski trip to University Mountain with Daryl, Mike, and Nick. Go straight to Swan Lake rehearsal in ski boots.
• 3/6 – We got our Swan Lake tutus!
• 3/19-22 – Dance In Concert. Open show with Swan Lake, continue show as ASM backstage.
• 3/22 – Daryl and Chadler visit. Fly down the Bitterroot.
• 3/24 – Was awarded a 50% scholarship to Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop
• 3/26 – Was awarded a $1750 scholarship!
• 3/28-4/1 – Cat sitting Pooka and Katniss for Clare

APRIL

• 4/2-5 – Northwest Regional Conference of the American College Dance Festival at University of Montana
• 4/11 – Friend-date with Cody, Chris, Emily, Arina, Jackie, and Brooke at Caio Mambo
• 4/19 – Daryl and Chadler visit
• 4/20 – Hike up Kootenai Creek with Daryl and Chadler
• 4/21 – Officially a BFA Dance Major!
• 4/25-26 – Informal Concert: Clothe The Dancers
• 4/26 – 1920s Party at Alan’s house

MAY

• 5/5 – Upgrade to iPhone5c, Cinco de Franklin
• 5/6-10 – Dance New Works
• 5/7 – Was given a production assignment for Fall 2014: assistant stage manager for Cyrano de Bergerac
• 5/11 – Theatre & Dance Picinic. Was awarded a Paper Plate Award for Most Productive In A Tutu.
• 5/12 – National Bison Range with Mama, Daddy, and Grandma
• 5/14 – Blank Paper performance
• 5/16 – Jackie’s senior show
• 5/17 – Commencement. Work backstage, then change lights over to Ballet Arts Academy recital.
• 5/18 – Ballet Arts Academy recital
• 5/23 – Liz, Tommy, and Debo move to Oregon
• 5/24-25 – Backcountry ski trip to Carlton Ridge with Daryl, Johnny, and Grand Paw
• 5/26 – Jessie and Adam have baby Kaia!
• 5/27 – First day of summer work study
• 5/31 – Fly to Portland. Disc golf with Daryl, Johnny, and Grand Paw. Spend night with Megan and Chadler.

JUNE

• 6/1 – Disc golf with Daryl, Johnny, and Grand Paw
• 6/2 – Come down with a 24-hour flu bug
• 6/3 – Fly to Missoula
• 6/6 – Hike up to top of Mt. Sentinel and watch para- and hang-gliders taking off
• 6/7 – Went to the Saturday Markets with Sydoney, then play with silks
• 6/11-17 – East Coast vacation!
• 6/12 – Emily and I head into the City. Wander Governor’s Island for a bit, then found ballet in the park after dessert-lunch at Max Brenner.
• 6/13 – Emily drops me off at Gabi and Bryan’s house. We drive to Delaware. Gab and I stay night at Lindsay’s Mom’s and stay up talking until 4am.
• 6/14 – Josh and Lindsay’s wedding!
• 6/15 – Run lights for Kathryn Barnett School Of Dance recital
• 6/16 – Gab and I go to Sea Bright Beach for the day
• 6/17 – Fly back to Missoula
• 6/20 – Drive to Portland
• 6/22 – Backcountry ski trip to Mt. Hood with Daryl. Ski from just below crater all the way back to Sue Ann.
• 6/23 – Drive to Missoula
• 6/27 – 27th Birthday! Disc golf with Nick, Conner, Lori, Mike, Ike, Fisher, Ozzy, and Tucker.

JULY

• 7/3-5 – Kreis Pond with Daryl, Nick, Mike, Saville, Fisher, Ike, and Elsie
• 7/10 – Drive to Portland
• 7/12 – Visit Aunt Karen and Uncle Larry in Roseburg with Daryl, Mama, and Daddy
• 7/13 – Daryl and I lackadaisically drive back to Portland with a stop at McMenamins Hotel Oregon in McMinnville
• 7/15 – Daryl rents a Cessna and flies me home to Missoula!
• 7/18 – Fly to Boulder
• 7/19-8/1 – Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop
• 7/27 – Tech rehearsal for the workshop shows. 3 hours of dance and 3 hours focusing lights!

AUGUST

• 8/1 – Workshop show
• 8/2 – Wander downtown Boulder during the afternoon before the Interweave Dance Theatre show
• 8/4 – Fly to Portland
• 8/6 – Christopher and Amy having Daryl and I over for dinner. Yum!
• 8/7 – Weekday date night at Laurelhurst Theater to see The Grand Budapest Hotel
• 8/10 – Kelly Point Park at sunset with Daryl
• 8/11 – I got to spend the day babysitting Henry. I love babies!
• 8/15 – Camp at Hidden Lake for festivities
• 8/16 – Christopher and Amy’s wedding!
• 8/18 – Kelly Point Park at sunset with Daryl
• 8/19 – Head to Astoria for the day
• 8/21 – Had lunch with Spencer and Tania at Lompoc. I miss those guys!
• 8/22 – Beers with Spencer, Tania, Daryl, and Sasha at Lompoc
• 8/23 – River City Roots Fest with Daryl and Nick
• 8/25 – First day of Fall semester
• 8/31 – DraughtWorks with Jessie, Adam, and baby Kaia
• Spent 6 of 7 days on campus

SEPTEMBER

• I made a lot of soup
• On campus 30 of 30 days

OCTOBER

• 10/7-18 – Cyrano de Bergerac
• 10/8 – Sue Ann rolls over 290,000 miles!
• 10/18 – Closing night!
• On campus 31 of 31 days

NOVEMBER

• 11/1 – Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Wilma with Clare and Kelly
• 11/4-8 – Dance Up Close
• 11/4 – Grotto Pub Night at Bayern
• 11/8 – Dinner with Emily, Emily’s Mom and Aunts, Arina, and Jackie
• 11/21-22 – Fall Studio Works
• 11/27 – Friendsgiving!
• 11/29 – Griz game with Daryl, Mike, and Nick. We won!
• On campus 25 of 30 days

DECEMBER

• 12/5 – U/RTA Table – not the best in the room, but also not the worst!
• 12/10 – Clare’s Christmas Party!
• 12/13 – Mysterious White Out Party with Clare at the Top Hat
• 12/14 – Fly to Portland
• 12/16 – Weekday date night at the Roxy to see Wild
• 12/19 – Daryl’s last day of work!
• 12/20 – Dinner at Christopher and Amy’s new house
• 12/23 – Brunch at Tasty & Son’s. Drive to Astoria and get drinks with Tammy at Fort George.
• 12/24 – Go to beach with Daryl and see the highest tide ever
• 12/25 – Christmas at my parent’s. Daryl and I head to the beach, then we all see Unbroken.
• 12/26 – Go to the new brewery in Astoria, Buoy Brewing
• 12/29 – Ski at Meadows with Daryl
• 12/31 – 5th Annual Ski-N The New Year at Mt. St. Helens with Daryl
• On campus 9 of 12 days. 101 of 110 for the entire semester.

2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009

12th Girl

This has always been one of my favorite photos of me as a child. A polaroid snapped in 1989 when we moved from New York to Alaska. It’s torn, but laminated, and for years it lived in my wallet. I loved it.

This girl has been a Seahawks fan since the very beginning.
I am so excited for tomorrow.

Five Years

[Tillamook Head trail, February 2011]

Five years ago last month, a customer at my coffee shop played match maker and my manager introduced us.
“Katt, this is Daryl.  Daryl, this is Katt.  Jim thinks you should date.”

Five years ago today, we held hands and watched the sunset. Then he kissed my hand and I fell in love.

Here’s to the last five years, the next five years, and every year after that.

2013 Year In Review

JANUARY

• 1/1 – Third Annual Ride-N The New Year with Daryl, Nick, Conner, and Lori at Lost Trail
• 1/10 – 4th anniversary date at Red Bird Wine Bar
• 1/11 – Missoula got a dumping of snow, so I skied to work!
• 1/14 – First day of rehearsals for Jumping Into Fire at the University of Montana. I’m really proud of myself for putting myself out there and not shying away from the show, even though I decided not to go back to school this semester.
• 1/20 – Daryl, Nick, and I spent the day at the Darby Dog Derby supporting Aiyana. We got lots of photos and loved on the dogs.
• 1/21 – After staying the night in Darby, we were joined at Lost Trail by Liz and Tommy and spent the day skiing pow.
• 1/25 – We had a “surprise” going away party for Daryl.
• 1/27 – Daryl and I went to Great Falls for the day and spent the whole time playing with Fisher, Ike, and Elsie.

FEBRUARY

• 2/3 – Daryl and I flew to Hot Springs, MT to soak at Symes Hot Springs. Such a great day!
• 2/9-10 – Annual Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto meeting at Lewis and Clark Caverns.
• 2/18 – Daryl and I snagged 24-hours away from Missoula, camping and soaking at Weir Hot Springs.
• 2/19 – Daryl left for work in Portland.
• 2/26 – Jumping Into Fire opens!
• I decide to finally get serious about getting healthy and in shape.

MARCH

• 3/3 – Nick and I spent the day at Lost Trail, shredding the gnar.
• 3/7 – I came home from the show and found a facebook message from WAPA kids. Julie Denninghoff, one of the most important teachers at my high school, had a heart attack and died. I’m tired of people dying.
• 3/9 – Closing night of Jumping Into Fire!
• 3/15-17 – I made a whirlwind trip to Seattle for Julie’s funeral. After the service, most of the WAPA kids went to Red Robin for lunch, as per tradition. It was so wonderful to see so many faces of people I love, but I’m really over having high school reunions at funerals. On the drive back I encountered white out conditions between Wallace, ID and DeBorgia, MT (32 miles). I drove the entire way with my flashers on, barely moving. Four hours later, I got out of the storm and still had an hour and a half to go. Hands down, the scariest drive I’ve ever made.
• 3/22-23 – Two nights of Yonder Mountain String Band at the Wilma!
• 3/24 – Spent the day playing folf with Conner, Lori, and Nick.
• 3/30 – Lori and I caught a gorgeous day skiing at Lost Trail! After we got home, we played poker all night.
• 3/31 – Jessie and Adam invited everyone over for Easter lunch at their house and I brought the most beautiful peach pie. After, Nick, Erin, Conner, Lori, and I hiked around Blue Mountain and summited a peak just the sun dropped behind the ridge.
• For the first time, I can say I’m recoverED. It feels really amazing.

APRIL

• 4/7 – Conner, Lori, Nick, and I went to Weir to soak in the hot springs today. It was so relaxing and wonderful.
• 5/15 – Liz moved in! Tommy left for a walkabout in California last week, so I gained a wayward hippie and a deg.
• 4/19 – Nick, Liz, and I invited Adam over for a hippie bonfire tonight. I love our house and our backyard and our friends.
• 4/21 – Nick and I went rock climbing with Conner and Lori (and Tucker!) at Rattler Gulch today. It snowed and we were freezing, but it was awesome.
• 4/24 – After work I drove to Spokane and flew to Seattle. Michelle picked me up, then she, Becky, and I went out to dinner.
• 4/25 – Before Becky had to go to work, we walked down to Pike Place and ate breakfast at Biscuit Bitch (holy moly, so much delicious food!). After wandering Seattle for a bit longer, I caught at train to Portland at the newly renovated King Street Station. Daryl picked me up and I covered him with kisses!
• 4/26 – Daryl and I hiked Silver Star Mountain and had some of the most unbelievable views of the Cascade volcanos.
• 4/27 – Blind Pilot & Oregon Symphony concert! I wanted tickets to this show when it was announced, sometime early 2012, but I didn’t dare purchase them because I figured I would be busy with school or work. I was a very happy girl when I realized I’d be able to attend with my handsome love. It was AMAZING. The orchestrations for the Blind Pilot songs were so much more amazing than I envisioned in my head. It was so beautiful and I definitely cried.
• 4/29-30 – We went to Astoria for the weekend. I love my hometown.
• 4/30 – On the drive back to Missoula from Spokane, Sue Ann rolled over 280,000 miles! I love my girl and am so happy she’s still chugging along.

MAY

• 5/1 – Woke up to a flat tire and cars covered in snow. Thankfully, Liz was able to drop me off at work on her way to school.
• 5/2 – First day at Black Cat Bake Shop! So happy to finally be working real coffee again.
• 5/9 – First river trip of the year!
• 5/11 – After Conner got off work, Nick and I joined him and some friends for some rock climbing on the Kim Williams trail.
• 5/21 – Conner, Lori, Nick, Erin, Tucker, Ozzy, and I went headed out of town for the evening to rock climb and bbq on the beach. I really love my life in Missoula (though obviously it would be better if Daryl were home).
• 5/22 – Daryl visits for a long weekend!
• 5/24 – I convinced my boss to let me borrow a pop-up tent for our bbq, so we had a Trail Head Sponsored Event. One of my really great friends from high school, Friday was in town working MissCon, so she stopped by with some friends. I love hippie-house-bbqs.

JUNE

• 6/4 – Happy birthday to my sweet Daryl!
• 6/7 – A bunch of us biked downtown for First Friday. Ozzy was the the belle of the ball in his cart and there was double dutch in a parking lot. I love this town.
• 6/9 – Since I bought myself a new-to-me bike, I decided I’d start taking myself on Single Lady Bike Dates – an hour or so biking on the Kim Williams with a stop at DraughtWorks on the way home.
• 6/12 – Missoula’s summer was shaping up to be a perfect one.
• 6/18 – Officially became a Griz today!
• 6/22 – Hippie bonfire and middle of the street frisbee night.
• 6/27 – Happy birthday to me! Gorgeous birthday sun and delicious birthday beer.
• 6/29 – Daryl came to town for my birthday. He, Liz, and I went to Frenchtown Pond to enjoy the hot weather and cool water.

JULY

• 7/7 – I can’t believe it’s been two years since Ari died.
• 7/19 – Driving to Spokane for a flight during fire season means lots and lots of smoke.
• 7/19-24 – I spent a long weekend at home with my forever love. Gorgeous weather, some hiking, and time with my parents.

AUGUST

• 8/4 – Cave shwag has started to arrive!
• 8/7 – Daryl and Brian both arrived in Missoula and the Scapegoat prep officially started. Most importantly, there was Vortex, OPA, and 3-Way IPA to drink!
• 8/8 – My singular goal for the summer was to burn through the bottom of the fire pit. We finally achieved it!
• 8/9 – Daryl, Brian, and I caravanned to Benchmark. Scapegoat ’13 official began!
• 8/10 – Brian took off before Daryl and I so he could meet the packers and mules at camp. Daryl and I make the 12 mile hike in about 6 hours.
• 8/11 – We spent the day hiking around the plateau, then I did the most bad-ass thing I’ve ever done and rappelled down a 200′ rock face.
• 8/12 – My first day in Green Fork Falls Cave! Also, I spotted a cute little black bear near the entrance.
• 8/13 – Camp day!
• 8/14 – Cave ‘sploring day
• 8/15 – Cave mapping (which makes me officially part of the Scapegoat Cave System history!)
• 8/16 – Spent the day on the Plateau again (after climbing UP the 200′ of rope!), searching for caves. A pit Daryl found four years ago proved to be a legit cave, so we mapped it and got some photos!
• 8/17 – Camp day. Daryl built a raft and floated on the tarn for a hot second before it sank.
• 8/18 – River Gallery day in the cave! We (wet) suited up and swam through the freezing water. I never in my life envisioned I’d do something like that!
• 8/19 – We visited One More Day cave and discovered that I am physically too short to get into the cave without rope, so I hung out while the boys went caving for a bit. In the evening, Daryl and I hiked out to the Green Fork Cabin.
• 8/20 – I hiked out 10 miles from the cabin to my car. The longest solo hike I’ve ever done! I was so excited when I got to our hidden beer! The drive back to Missoula was uneventful, but the Lolo Peak fire made the drive super smokey. I took myself to DraughtWorks before stopping by the house and found Liz and Jessie there!
• 8/23 – Tommy and Debo got back from California! The Wayward Hippie House gained a true long-haired, unemployed hippie and another dog.
• 8/26 – First day of school! I am so proud of myself for going back, especially after a seven year break from being a dance major.

SEPTEMBER

• 9/7 – Daryl came home for the weekend and we went on a fancy date to The Pearl. I’m so happy when his cute face is home.
• 9/22-23 – Hana, one of the people I met during Jumping Into Fire, asked me if I wanted to participate in the 23 1/2 Hour Play Festival at school. I was so excited to be asked, and at the idea of doing stuff with theatre majors, that I jumped on it. It was so much fun! I drank a lot of coffee and met some new friends.
• 9/29 – First Swan Lake rehearsal! I am so excited we’re doing Act II next semester!

OCTOBER

• 10/5 – Tommy, Liz, and I went to Bart and Nicole’s for a bbq tonight. We got to meet their new baby!
• 10/12-13 – Dancer’s On Location! My first show as a student and my first show with the dance department.
• 10/18-20 – I flew from Spokane to Portland for a weekend visit. Daryl surprised me with the most beautiful bike in the whole wide world, a near-mint condition August 1979 Schwinn Suburban (I’ve named her Lady). We spent Saturday on a brewery bike tour in the beautiful weather.
• 10/21 – The cast list went up for Swan Lake and I’m a Little Swan!
• 10/24-26 – My parents came to Missoula! They spent two weeks on a long road trip for their 30th Anniversary trip and Missoula happened to fit perfectly into their plans. It was so wonderful to show off my new home to them, as well as show off the campus. It was gorgeous the entire time they were in town, for which I am very happy. I love them so much.
• 10/26 – Daryl came to town just as my parents were leaving. We changed Sue Ann’s breaks!
• 10/28 – The ten year anniversary of Kiana dying. Seems like a lifetime ago.

[photo credit: Nathan Snow]
NOVEMBER

• 11/10 – Taking two dance classes a day and eating healthier definitely has its perks: fitting into a pair of Express jeans that have just hung in my closet for the past several years!
• 11/13-17 – Mike had a few days off of work, so he came to visit. I love when he’s in town!
• 11/15-18 – Daryl came to visit for the weekend. I’m so happy he was able to visit while Mike was here!
• 11/15-16 – Fall Studio Works! So many friends came to the show: Daryl, Nick, Erin, Liz, Tommy, and Mike!
• 11/23 – Clare and Sydoney performed in a cabaret at Missoula Winery tonight, so Brooke, Arina, Emily, and I went out to support them. After, we sang karaoke at their house. Life is very good here in Missoula.
• 11/27 – Liz, Aspen, and I drove up to Polson for the first night of Hannukah. When we got to Liz’s parents house, Patsy insisted on taking Aspen to the vet for her limp. We found out Aspen had bone cancer. It was a rough night.
• 11/28 – I drove back to Missoula and found a Daryl in the living room! We went to Friendsgiving at Nick, Conner, and Lori’s house and ate way too much food and pie.
• 11/29 – I finally treated Sue Ann to some new tires. And, I paid for them outright, no credit card. I’m oddly proud of myself for that.

DECEMBER

• 12/3-7 – Dance Up Close! I’m really proud of the two pieces I was in and am so happy so many friends came to the shows.
• 12/5 – First portfolio review for my Design Tech major. I went in feeling a bit unprepared, since it was my first review, but it was not on that “counts” (this year they had all Freshman and Transfer students do a review at the end of first semester to help us prepare for the end of the year review, which is how we “interview” for the BFA program. Despite the fact that I cried twice (I’m super emotional when I talk about coming back to school and how perfect UM is for me), I feel really good about it. I think I made a good impression with what little I have in my portfolio and I know I impressed them by how put together my resume is (which is great, considering I told them I feel like I need a lot of help with it).
• 12/6 – Liz and Tommy took Aspen up to Polson today to put her down. Rest in peace, my favorite beer drinking Labrador.
• 12/11 – Should (Not) performance! I’ve been working with a group of 11 other dancers and actors all semester on a piece facilitated by one of the MFA Acting candidates, Clare. I’ve learned so much about myself during the process, it was really nice to finally show it to people.
• 12/12 – Cast party/end of finals party at Clare’s house. We were all there until 2am, singing and crying and laughing. I love my group of friends at school.
• 12/14 – After trying and failing at finding friends to ski with, I decided on a solo trip to Lost Trail. I was rewarded with great snow and I found friends in the lodge!
• 12/16 – Having friends at school who are from Portland means I don’t have to drive home for break alone! Arina and I had great weather the entire drive, though Sue Ann got terrible gas milage (she needs a tune-up).
• 12/20 – After checking obsessively for the past week, grades were finally posted. 3.95 gpa! I am so proud of myself!!
• 12/21-22 – For Christmas, Daryl and I treated my parents to a night at the Edgefield and tickets to OBT’s Nutcracker (which Daryl had never seen before!). It was such a wonderful weekend with my family.
• 12/23 – I braved downtown Portland and spent several hours in Powell’s. I stayed within my budget and still bought a bag full of books!
• 12/24 – We’ve been on a “buy $50 or less Chicago made Schwinn bikes” kick recently and today we bought a February 1974 green Schwinn Suburban for $20. I can’t wait to fix it up – we’ve decided since it’s in less good condition than Lady, it’ll be my inclement weather bike.
• 12/25 – Christmas at my parent’s house! Highlights include a double-point needle set for my Mama from my Dad, knitted items for myself and Daryl from my Mama, and I got a gorgeous Cinema Display from Daryl (I’ve been wanting one for several years now!). The weather was amazing, so Daryl and I went to the beach for a couple hours and took photos.
• 12/26 – While driving back to Portland, Daryl and I came upon a roll over accident. Daryl saved the day and got a woman out of the truck.
• 12/28-29 – We camped at the Mt. Hood Sno-Park with hopes of skiing on Sunday. However, when we woke up, it was almost 40° – we’re both over skiing in terrible conditions, so we ended up just reading and napping in the truck. Highlights of the day include seeing a guy get his Tahoe semi-stuck in approximately 1/2 inch of snow/ice and then proceed to not put it back into gear after parking so we watched it roll out of the parking lot, into the trees. Later we drove up to Timberline in time for sunset.
• 12/31 – Daryl and I went up to Mt. St. Helens after Daryl got off work for our Fourth Annual Ride-N The New Year. As with skiing the previous weekend, it was a bust. We did make plans to come back next weekend to summit.

2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009

Ten years

[I wrote this post in 2005, but it seemed appropriate to bring back today.]

I remember the day just like it was yesterday.  Or at least the second half of the day.  It was Spirit Week.  The day before was Pajama Day, just like every Monday of Spirit Week.  That day was School Spirit day.
I left Math a little bit early that day for my monthly chiro appointment.  I came back and parked the car on the front side of WAPA.  Walked in and it was really quite.  Lesley wasn’t at the front desk.  Ballet music was coming quietly from Studio 3.  Zach was in Studio 1 tapping.  I stopped at the door for a bit and watched him.  He asked me what part of the combination from TinTypes was.  I showed him then headed back to the dressing room.  I opened the door and heard Logan.  Confused me some, but didn’t phase me much.  Then I walked down the hallway and heard people crying.  And I knew exactly what had happened.  But I couldn’t ask that.
”Whats wrong?”

”Go talk to Karyn. You need to go talk to Karyn.”
So I headed back to the front.  All the way hoping it wasn’t what I had feared.  I knocked on the door.
“Karyn? Lindsay said I needed to come talk to you.”
I noticed that Karyn, Lesley, and Julie were all in the teacher office, talking.

“Sit down. What the girls didn’t want to tell you. Early this morning Kiana died.”
”No. How is Kelly and Ty? And the girls?”
”They were there when it happened. She had grown really weak last night and they knew it would be soon.”
I dont remember the rest of the conversation. Next thing I remember is walking down the hallway and passing Jess. 
“Did you talk to Karyn?”
“Yeah.”

”You seem to be holding together really well.”
That hurt me.  Such a simple observation, but it kind of hurt.  I thought she was implying that I didn’t care.  I made it to the main part of the dressing room.
And then I started sobbing.  We all were.
“She wasn”t supposed to die yet. I knew she was getting worse, but she was supposed to have two more weeks.”
“Why did everyone know except me?!?!?!” Deborah was upset.  I guess she hadn’t been told that she had been getting worse.  Although how she could miss that, I dont know.
We all cried until rehearsal.  I don’t remember rehearsal.  I remember still being teary eyed.  I think most of us were.  After rehearsal a bunch of us (Ashlyn, Lexi, Justine, Megan, and I.  Possibly more.) walked to Fred Meyer.  It was three days before Halloween, so we bought a bunch of candy and chocolate.  We needed it.
Mama let me skip Modern.  I’m not sure any of the MTs went to class that evening.  I called Jennifer or she called me or something.  We talked for a bit.  The people still in the Conservatory had to tell everyone else.  I sat in the library at the first computer online for a bit.  I needed to get away from everything.
It was either that evening or sometime later in the week.  Lexi, Becca, and I sat on the couch.  And I held them while we cried.  We cried for a long time.  But I had my girls.  We held each other and we grieved.
I remember the evening when Mama told Daddy.  They were in the hallway and I came out of my room.  I cried for a long time.  Death has always been a hard thing for me.  I cry when people on tv die.  I cry when characters in books die.  So when a little girl who made the world light up with her smile died, I cried a lot.  I remember saying over and over again ”I don’t understand.  Why would God take her?”

It was hard going through the rest of the week.  It was Spirit Week, but none of us really felt right about being spirited.  Lexi didn’t take the pants she wore that day home until the end of the year.  She jammed them in the bottom of her locker and there they lived.  There was a music war going on in the dressing room.  Lexi often put “I Hope You Dance” in the CD player.  Deborah would get rather upset and take it out.  I remember her yelling about how that just made everything worse.
Sunday was a particularly hard day for me.  Daddy left for Antarctica that morning.  I cried a lot then.  I came home and took a nap.  Woke up and Mama and I left for Cedar Park Christian.  As soon as I stepped foot in the building I had tears in my eyes.  It was a beautiful memorial.  Julie played the piano.  Part of Chorale sang.  Sarah sang “Reflections” from Mulan.  Logan spoke as a friend.  Someone from Cedar Park spoke as a teacher.  Ty spoke as a parent.  That’s what broke my heart the most.  To hear a father speak about his daughter who had died.  To hear him cry.  It broke my heart.  I was in tears the entire memorial.  My diaphragm went into spasms a lot.  It was just too much, having Daddy leave and then the service.  It took a lot out of me.
By the end of the service I mostly had myself together.  Then I saw Kelly.  And I lost it again.  I felt bad.  There she was, at her daughters memorial service, and she was comforting me!  It was supposed to be the other way around!  I got myself together again.  After about 45 minutes of talking to people, Mama and I left.  I cried on my way home.

I remember the first time I saw Kiana.  She had on her sequined baseball cap and was carrying around her Barbie car she received from the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Katherine was babysitting her.  The mask thing from her last treatment was in the kitchen.
I rarely remember seeing Kiana without a smile.  She had the biggest smile.  Even when she was really sick and in the wheel chair, she was smiling.  She was the happiest child I have ever met.

Kiana Jade Willis
October 17, 1995 – October 28, 2003

Weekend home

Long distance is hard.
The Explorer and I recently passed the 4.5 year mark. We’ve spent nearly two of those years apart. It’s hard.
I definitely believe it’s been good for us. I know being apart has made us stronger and better than we ever could have been if we hadn’t had to grow and learn through distance.  Me moving to Seattle in 2010 was absolutely the best decision I’ve made purely for myself. And while it was really hard living three hours apart from each other, it was wonderful for our relationship. It taught us a lot about communication. It taught us a lot about making the most of our time together. It was hard, but it was good.
I was so excited to move back to Astoria and then for us to move to Montana, because we were finally going to be together. We were finally going to live together and start our life together, not three hours apart. Life is funny that way – you set your sights on a goal and plan for it, then someone gets a job 10 hours away.

Moving to Missoula and then having Daryl get a job back in Portland was hard. If I didn’t have great friends here, and I didn’t have a job I love, and I weren’t so excited to go back to school next month(!), I’d be in Portland with him. I love Portland. I have always wanted to live in Portland. But Missoula is where I’m supposed to be right now, even if it means we are apart again.

We’ve decided that while it will delay us getting out of debt a little bit, it is more important that we see each other every month, or as close to as possible.

In April I visited D in Portland. It was so wonderful to see him. We climbed Silver Star Mountain and had one of the most breathtaking views I’ve ever seen. We saw my favorite band, Blind Pilot, in concert with the Oregon Symphony. We went out to the coast, had dinner with my parents and Grandma, and saw two Bald Eagles fly down the beach. It was a wonderful visit.
In May, Daryl came out to Missoula for a long weekend. He and Nick skied St. Mary Peak and I worked the entire time. I was bummed I couldn’t go off and have fun, but it was wonderful having him home.
My birthday was on a Thursday this year, so Daryl came out for the weekend. It was laid back and wonderful. He also came out for a few days the following weekend and I was so happy to see him again so soon!

For July, it was my turn to travel! I opened at work, then hit the road. (Note: it is cheaper to drive three hours from Missoula to the Spokane airport, pay to park for the weekend [and even a full week], and drive back to Missoula than it is to fly out of Missoula.  Ridonkulous.)

About 45 minutes west of Missoula, I drove by the West Mullan Fire, which at the time was 4,500 acres. Fire season is definitely officially here.

I purchased a ticket for the 6:25pm flight just in case I didn’t make it for the 5pm flight. But I made it to the gate as they were loading the earlier flight, so I snagged a seat and off I flew! It was an uneventful flight and I landed in Portland in a glorious 84°! The Explorer met me inside, I covered him with kisses, then we went to Breakside Brewery for delicious beers and dinner. I had the most perfect grilled ham and swiss sandwich with caramelized onions – I’ve never had a grilled ham and cheese with onions before, but it revolutionized my favorite sandwich! After dinner we went back to the truck and accidentally sat there talking for HOURS. No joke, probably two and a half hours went by between when we left the brewery and we finally started the truck to find a campsite.

We camped that night on an overlook between Portland and Scappoose. The next morning we drove into Scappoose in search of a perfect breakfast. We followed our usual MO of driving around a town until we find the restaurant with a million cars parked in the lot. Ichabod’s did not disappoint! The parking lot was full and we had to wait for a table. We each ordered our usual diner breakfast – chicken fried steak with scrambled eggs for The Explorer and biscuits and gravy for myself. They were so good! And I was starving and scarfed mine down before D made it half way through his!

We decided to hit the back roads on the way to Astoria. I love the windy roads to the coast, and the weather was perfect for a day drive. We ended up stopping at Fishhawk Falls. We got out to stretch our legs and took a little hike around the falls.

We found a great thimbleberry patch along the way and picked ourselves a nice little snack.

After we made it to Astoria and stopped by my Daddy’s coin shop, we decided we needed lunch. I declared we needed fish&chips, so Clemente’s it was. Neither of us had been before, and since it is the only place downtown that had cod (both of our preferred fish for fish&chips), it was perfect. And let me tell you – it was DELICIOUS! We got an order of fresh Salmon and two orders of local Cod. With Fort George Brewery Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale, of course! After a quick stop at the house to say hi to my Mama, we headed out to the beach so I could see my favorite ocean.

That night we were going to camp at Saddle Mountain so we could get up early and hike it the next day, but the camp sites were full – and the clouds moved in. We found a primitive camp site off the beach path of highway 26 and sat and talked for hours again. Even though we talk on the phone a lot, I always forget how much I love talking with Daryl. Just being, not talking with him, is wonderful. He is my heart.

Since Saddle was still socked in when we woke up on Sunday, we headed back to Astoria. Breakfast at 3 Cups Coffee House was just the ticket, so we sat and planned for Scapegoat. After we finished breakfast, we went to my parents house and hung out watching baseball. I love spending time with my family, especially all together!

That evening we all went to Fort George to check out the BEAUTIFUL new upstairs and check out the new wood fire pizza. Ack, I cannot get over how beautiful it looks upstairs now. My next trip I’ll get some photos, so for now you’ll just have to trust me. It’s perfect.

Leaving Astoria is always hard, especially when I have to leave Portland the next day to head back to Missoula. There was a part of me that really wanted to oversleep my alarm and stay in Portland with my forever love. It’s the same part of me that, when driving back to Seattle from Astoria, wanted to get off the Interstate to turn back around. Being with Daryl is what I want, but I know I’m supposed to be in Missoula right now. Without him.

Long distance is hard.  Absolutely worth it.  But hard.