We loved sending out our Christmas postcards this year, and had so much putting them together. We chose to print them through moo.com so we could use 10 different photos on the front. It was so hard to narrow it down! Each photo reminds us of a special place, story, or adventure and we are extremely grateful for the support of our friends & family that we’ve had along this crazy journey of ours. If you haven’t read it yet, here’s the link to our 2014 Christmas Letter as well!
Which card did you get in the mail? Let us know in the comments below!
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Hiking Cascade Head (blog post) along the rainy Oregon coast last October. Its amazing the views we can get when we rise above and conquer the challenges that come our way. The kids were awesome hikers on this trip, including dodging Elk droppings and some muddy sections of trail. |
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We decided to do the boat tour at Crater Lake National Park – making it one of our most favorite experiences (blog post). The amazing blue water lacks both a major inlet and any major outlet, leaving the water undisturbed and amazingly clear. In the middle of the tour, were were dropped off at Wizard Island, a small cinder cone within the lake itself. We hiked to the top and ate lunch before hiking back down for the rest of the tour around the lake. |
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Point Reyes National Seashore (blog post) in Northern California. This picturesque lighthouse requires a long drive AND a long stair walk to enjoy. The day was perfect, and we even got to look inside the lighthouse at the lens and turning mechanism. We stayed in the redwoods at the nearby Samuel P. Taylor State Park, where we enjoyed the trees, some good rain, and used our generator for the first time. Sam visited this lighthouse multiple times as a kid, and it was awesome to return here with our kids. |
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After leaving Camp Noyo (blog post) and a wonderful time with family, we enjoyed our freedom from a schedule with a 2 week meander through the Redwood National & State Parks. This area is beautiful and has so much to explore! One of our favorite spots was along the Avenue of Giants near Humboldt Redwoods State Park. We loved the giant trees, fungus, and generally lack of anything better to do or anywhere to be. |
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Our only vertical image was the ONLY way to try and represent the majesty of these wonderful trees. This was during one of our walks to see the majestic trees! We love this photo because it always reminds us to look up and enjoy the world around us. We had a great time here and earned many Jr. Ranger Badges (blog post) but after two weeks were ready to go inland out of the coastal fog. |
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Trinidad State Park was one of our stops along the Northern California Coast (blog post). One evening we ventured out to hike around Trinidad Head and found this beach just as the fog was rolling in off the ocean. Not one to miss a perfectly opportune photo moment, Jess had the kids race along the beach yelling “Come get me!”. Well, they did. |
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Driving home from the Bay Area last April, we had a lot on our plates. We had received an offer on our house and were racing home to make sure we still wanted to sell it. Our only concession along the route was an epic photo shoot with the Airstream on the Bonneville Salt Flats before we drove into Salt Lake City the following morning (blog post). |
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Another photo from Crater Lake, but this one from the rim! We spent three days in this park, and could have easily spent weeks more had we a better internet signal! We enjoyed hiking along the rim and enjoying the views of Wizard Island from up top as well as down on the lake. |
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Late in October we spent some time along the Oregon Coast. This was a beautiful afternoon spent at Cape Disappointment State Park (definitely did NOT live up to its name) on one of the few clear days we had. We spent many afternoons all along the coast flying our kite in the winds kicked up by the volatile coastal weather. The day after this epic afternoon, we had one of our worst mornings when we discovered the raccoons had gotten into our truck (blog post). |
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We desperately needed a break from the Oregon coastal rain, so we took a chance and drove inland via Bend, OR over to the Painted Hills and the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Although we drove many more miles than normal, the drive was worth it as the national park turned out to be one of our favorites! |
