#1 reason I will miss Corvallis: great friends

The absolute best thing about living in Corvallis for the past 18 months is that Joel and I have had an opportunity to spend a lot of time with our good friends, Brian and Carrie. The four of us have become really close, and I cannot wrap my head around the fact that we will now be over 3000 miles apart. (Thank goodness for Google chat!) No doubt, we will still meet up for snowboarding trips, weddings, and possibly over holidays.

Today is the last of four very lazy days we have spent at B&C’s house. As usual, we have whipped up amazing creations in the kitchen, played a little “one-handed” bocce in the yard, sat around a campfire with pints of homebrew, and hit up our favorite places around town. Last night we ate at Strega (again), shared a bottle of Willamette Valley Pinot noir, and gazed out at the view of downtown Corvallis as the sky turned dark pink and the sun set behind the Coast Range hills.

Here is a highlight reel of our regular adventures and activities together:

camping trips and sittin’ round the fire

triathlon (B&C compete, we cheer them on)

snowboarding, dog sled rides, and tailgate lunches at Mt. Bachelor

picking cherries

bocce

holidays feasts with pumpkin pie “in the fashion”

fancy drinks and homebrewing

Deadliest Catch parties

paddling

late night euchre games

NASCAR, chopping wood, and beef jerky on Sundays (the guys)

“man-days” and girls’ days out

Frisbee golf at Willamette Park

Of course we will also miss Abby. She and Byron round out our little family of six and never fail to keep us amused and on our toes. It has been comical to watch their relationship evolve. When they first met, she wanted nothing to do with him. Now they are great companions and, when the wind blows just the right way, they might even romp together in the yard or play tug-o-war with a rope toy. They like to share a bed by the fireplace and snuggle up in the back of the truck when we’re at the mountain. While they have very different personalities, they are a good pair, and I know they will miss each other’s company very much.

Brian and Carrie, we’ll miss you very much. Thanks for everything you’ve done for us; most of all, thanks for building with us a friendship that no number of miles or years could compromise. We love you!