This trip was a Christmas gift from Matthew.  It was a box with a toy airplane in it.  “Where are we going?” I asked.  “You’re going to see Rachel,” he said, “you’ve been so great about saving money these months while you’ve been unemployed, you deserve this time.  Go soon, don’t put it off.”  So I booked the ticket, and it turned out the timing was perfect.

Rachel swears she doesn’t like people very much, which I find very hard to believe.  We have never disagreed, she has never made me feel bristly, she always rolls with whatever I present her with, and her responses always seem to be exactly what I need.  That’s why I call her my bestie.

The day before I left for the trip I found out that I was pregnant and almost immediately started bleeding.  I was literally on the phone with my prenatal nurse during my layover on the way to Oregon.  I felt bad that the whole trip was overshadowed by this tension between hope and possible loss.  Rachel was so wonderful.  She helped me find a place to get an ultrasound and went with me.  She listened to my concerns and was patient with my symptoms.  She made me feel like I was giving her a gift by allowing her to share this time with her.  She took care of me, and made it feel safe to be taken care of.

And when I wasn’t eating home-cooked meals, drinking tea, or snuggled with her dog knitting or reading while she worked, we went and had wonderful adventures!

We spent a truly glorious day at the coast, hiking down to the water and walking for miles on the flat sand between the waves and the cliffs.

It was spring in the valley, but we drove up to the mountains and snowshoeing out to see amazing waterfalls.

We visited raptors and museums and restaurants and knitting stores.  We went on walks through orchards and parks and her neighborhood.  I met her wonderful boyfriend.

It was a exactly what I needed, all of it.

Click here for the photos: