The way there

What. a. weekend.

We met up with some family, got ready for a road trip, and then hit the road.

I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Aunt Ellie & Ella

Ella and the girls.

On Friday, we met up with Tim's aunt and cousins. We caught up over some pizza and Ella got to meet her great aunt and second cousins. It was the perfect evening after a day of packing and cleaning.

We hit the road Saturday evening.  I'm trying to recall the trip, but the hours quickly blended together.  But here is a random rest stop in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.

Northern California is beautiful.  I haven't traveled very far north, so driving through Northern California during the early hours of the morning was a real treat.  We stopped at a rest stop to rest for a bit, stretch our legs, and let Ella get out of the car seat.  We snapped this shot right before hitting the road again.

After being in the car for what felt like eternity and having a sub par breakfast, I made it my goal to hunt down a place that would make one excellent almond milk latte.  We found this place in Redding, California.  It was the perfect start to a long day.

Spotted some fall color on the way up!  

By this point, we all smelled and wished we had packed mouth wash.  But we were so happy because we only had three more hours of travel ahead of us.

By the time we made it to Portland, we were all way beyond hangry.  We came across this pasta place that offered gluten-free options.  Sold.  I got this lemon butter chicken dish and some gluten-free tiramisu.  Both dishes were to die.

Then.  Finally.  After 20 hours, all available Serial episodes, and a container of chocolate covered almonds with sea salt, we made it.  I was so excited to see everyone that I forgot about lost sleep and my bad breath (sorry, family).

Now for the vacation to begin.