Week Eight

Thompson Falls

So our best friend, Justin, called us from Denver as he was finishing up a work trip to tell us he would be heading from there to Thompson Falls, MT in a few days. His parents and family own property on a little loop by the river. We have been hearing about this place for years and desperately wanting to go. We also really wanted to see Justin, it's been two months too long! The down fall is that Thompson Falls is 370 miles away which would take us at least 9-10 in Destiny. It just would be worth it if we only had 3 days off.

Jordan was at work when Justin called so naturally he was telling his friends about the situation. All of the sudden our friend Kyles, just came out of no where and said, "Why don't you just take my car. It gets 40mpgs and all you have to do is bring me back a souvenir." Jordan was in shock and tried to tell him it was just too much! I mean we just met the guy two months ago and we would be putting over 700 miles on his car! It was CRAZY! But Kyle, being the amazing Kyle he is, just insisted on it!!!

Within minutes Jordan called me bursting with excitement. I got a shift covered at work and just like that we were off to a brand new part of Montana. It felt very strange leaving Destiny behind. We were turtles without our shell.... and I can't really remember the last time we traveled without her! The amazing the about having an RV that you live in full time is that you NEVER have to pack, anything, ever!!! All your stuff is with you all the time. You have your whole house with you! I definitely over packed for our little excursion to Thompson Falls as I was trying to think of everything we might need. But we manage to squeeze everything in to the tiny Honda Civic.

We got off work that next day and bombed out there! We were so excited to not only see our best friend but to explore more of the amazing state that we fell in love with. Our drive was beautiful as we went through plains, over mountain passes and across rivers. We only made one quick bathroom stop and made it there by 1am!

The Craw's house is tucked away on a private little road in which his extended family owns most of the properties. After a quick little greeting I was off to bed while the boys caught up on life. The next day we woke to a beautiful sunny day. We went fishing and met all of Justin's family who were also up there vacationing for a couple of weeks. They were so incredibly kind and welcoming to us. The boys went out on a raft pulled by the jet skis as I sat safely (and dry) on the shore just laughing at them. They were getting pelted by the water and even though it was sunny out I wouldn't say it was hot enough to jump in the river! They are much braver than I!

That evening we went up the uncle's beautiful custom log cabin, also known as the cabansion (half cabin, half mansion). It is giant and just mind blowing. We had an incredible carne asada taco dinner and just all sat around talking. Jordan and I were listening a lot trying to figure out all the family dynamics! After we were finished we got to take the ranger up to Thompson Falls (the actual waterfall). Once again we were falling even more in love with Montana. The amount of trees and greenery fill your lungs with so much oxygen you can almost taste it! The stream leading up to the waterfall is crystal clear. You can see every rock and pebble being polished by the ever moving stream. We stayed a while exploring and playing in the water until the sun told us we couldn't any longer. Jordan and I dreamt of one day owning a place like this. Where the winters are mild and we could play outside all day every day. As the evening came to an end we headed back to our little room and spent more time catching up with Justin. As I went to bed the boys continued for hours more.

On our last day there we woke up to an amazing breakfast and then the boys left for golf. I spent the day with Mama Craw helping her re-upholster her kitchen chairs. It was quite the scene as her hands were acting up and sore and my carpal tunnel was in full effect. But somehow we managed to finish, laughing the whole time. It was great talking and spending some quality time with her!

The boys came back only in time to eat a quick dinner and then they took off again for their annual trip up the river to a local bar 17 miles up river. All the men jump on the jet skis and the women go to one of the Aunt's homes to play Rumi-Cube and drink wine. Well, and talk about how they really hope all their men make it home in one piece. They were all kind enough to let us join in their traditions. We all had a blast and everyone did make it home safely. Justin did happen to fall off the jet ski at full speed but luckily his dad noticed right away and got him back aboard quickly. Jordan was especially stoked because he was able to drive one of the jet skis on the way home.

We said our goodbyes and thank yous to everyone that night because we had to leave early in the morning so I could be back in time to go to work. The boys went night fishing and stayed up into hours of the morning I can't even imagine. They are a little bit crazy!

IT was an uneventful drive home but I was soaking up all the incredible scenery. Our hearts were full and we were super grateful for the wonderful little vacation and chance to explore more of Montana. The Craws spoiled! But I guess it's time to get back to real life..... haha good thing we love our "real" life too!