Chris and I recently went to Washington for a wedding and per usual, decided to extend our trip to include a ton of sightseeing, renting a large SUV and seeing new places. Chris always humored me when I found a new place to visit, and always excitedly agreed to include that into our itinerary. I did the same for him, and we almost always had the same line of thinking when it came to decision making.
Our itinerary included Seattle (during the record heat wave), Tacoma, Snoqualmie, Chelan, Ross Lake, Portland, Cannon Beach and other Oregon Beaches and back to Seattle. As usual we had our trusty spreadsheet (Chris and I loved our spreadsheets) and everything mapped out but always, being on the same wavelength, were open to some variation and adventure off the beaten path. We loved long road trips where we could listen to our favorite music, and talk ad nauseum about any topic you could think of.
Chris and I had a childlike curiosity and wonder, and showed our excitement and zest for life openly, especially on trips. I got the privilege to see into his heart and soul and on this trip I have a distinct memory of him showing me his goofy side and confidence that he often didn't show people, being the modest sweet person that he was. I loved having Chris recognize and own how handsome, funny, smart, wonderful and talented he truly was. We were each other's cheerleaders and would say and do anything to prop each other up. You'll see one of these distinct moments captured in the photo in this post when I told him to "pose" after a great dinner at Salish Lodge. This was in front of Snoqualmie Falls, but Chris was the more captivating subject.
Traveling with Chris was easy, fun and I felt safe in the truest sense of those words. We always agreed on where to go, what mood we were in, which in retrospect was so unique for us to have. People often say you see a person's true colors on a trip, and traveling for us brought out the best in us as individuals and partners. Trips usually bring up unexpected challenges, and we dealt with them with pragmaticism and humor as we approached everything else in our life. Chris would often say we were "partners in life" and it was "us against the world." With each other we truly felt like we could do anything.
Missing you so much bub bubs💞