Though I didn’t particularly talk about everything Pearson and I went through in the past week here on the blog, I did mention it on social media and in my newsletter. So I think most of you readers have somewhat of an idea.

But anyway, we were planning a big trip for our anniversary. We were going to spend Thursday night and Friday night (the 12th and 13th) backpacking at Crater Lake. Then we would drive to Bend, Oregon on Saturday (the 14th – our anniversary) and spend Saturday night and Sunday night in a bed & breakfast there.

Well, my grandmother passed away on Thursday, July 5th. And her funeral was to be held on Tuesday, July 10th. So Pearson and I decided to fly to Arkansas on Sunday. On a red eye, no less, because Pearson had to work all day Sunday. Then we would come home Wednesday.

So we got to spend a few days mourning with family. The visitation was the “loudest visitation I {the funeral director} have ever seen.” It was more like a family and friend reunion and everybody told hilarious stories about my spunky Nana. I got to speak at the funeral. It was really long but everybody told us they didn’t care and that it was so worth it.

So leaving Wednesday was supposed to allow us still be able to make it to Crater Lake on Thursday, albeit we would be very tired.

But the “Ding on the Wing of 2018” incident decided to ruin our plans. We were sitting on the plane in Memphis, about to fly to Atlanta for a short layover and then fly to Portland. While we were sitting there, they came over the speaker saying there was a walnut-sized dent on the wing. We sat there for 30 minutes waiting to find out if the dent was too big to fly with and it was. So we had to deplane and we weren’t going to be able to get out until the next day. So we decided to rent a car and drive to Searcy, Arkansas and stay the night with my aunt and uncle and fly out of Little Rock the next morning. But first we got to see my BFF’s two day old baby in Memphis!

Anyway, our being stranded in Memphis was hilarious because our flight out of Memphis got delayed on our way home from my brother’s wedding in March for plane maintenance issues. So we missed our connection in Atlanta and had to spend the night there. Then on our way to Memphis this time we were delayed a couple hours because of maintenance again. So they really need to update the planes they use between Memphis and Atlanta…

So we finally got home on Thursday afternoon and decided to wait till Friday to go to Crater Lake. We slept like babies that night.

We drove to Crater Lake National Park, stopped along the lake for a couple pictures, then got our back country permit from the ranger station. The park ranger we talked to informed us that there was not much reliable water in the park and that we were not allowed to make a fire because of how dry the winter was this year. Oh and that on a scale of 1 to 10, the mosquitoes were at about an 11 at the moment.

We decided to camp at Red Cone Springs, a designated dispersed camp site about 4 miles from where we would be able to park. Hiking the 4 miles to the campsite was very enjoyable for me. But Pearson’s backpack kept bothering him and his back was in a lot of pain. Oh and I got about 14 mosquito bites on each of my legs. That’s not an exaggeration. I sprayed bug spray all over, but apparently it didn’t soak into my leggings and they bit through my leggings. My arms, which were bare except for the very short sleeves of my shirt, were not bitten at all!

We set up camp, enjoyed some jerky and trail mix for dinner, and laid in the tent talking and watching the stars. It was beautiful!

The next morning, I made sure to spray bug spray on my bare legs before putting my leggings on and I don’t think I got any new bites. The hike back was more difficult for me. I’m not sure if I was just already tired from the day before or if it was more uphill on the way back or if my pack wasn’t fitting right on the second day. But I didn’t think I was going to make it. I did though.

We stopped along the lake a few more times on our way out of the park. Then we drove to Bend. Our bed and breakfast was perfectly quaint. The room was ornate and gorgeous. The breakfast was delicious. And they even had a hot tub on the back patio.

Bend was having “Summer Fest” which we didn’t even know about. So we got to enjoy some free outdoor concerts throughout the weekend. We had some great meals at fun places like McMenamins’ Old St. Frances School. And we spent a few hours Sunday morning at the High Desert Museum which was a lot cooler than I was expecting!

And during all of this, we worked through #MarriageMoon. Chelsea from The New Wifestyle gifted me her first ever physical product over a month ago, and we were just now able to try it out. Sorry it’s taken me so long, Chelsea!

Chelsea and her husband travel together a lot for their business and for fun. In fact, they were the youngest couple to speak on all seven continents! Oh, and they named their daughter Atlas! So anyway, they truly believe that traveling can strengthen your marriage. So Chelsea created #MarriageMoon to help you use your next vacation to strengthen your relationship!

We LOVED #MarriageMoon! I will admit, at first glance, the morning routine seemed a little weird but after diving in, it felt so good! We opened up and communicated with each other. We focused on each other’s wants and needs. We put our energy into making the other person feel loved. It was absolutely fantastic and we plan to do it again on an anniversary trip next year!

Right now #MarriageMoon is going for a special first edition price! It’s $79 instead of $129. And you get the bonus adorable tote bag if you order the first edition! Chelsea’s not sure if it will be included in future editions. Click here to read more and order!

What trips do you have coming up? Will you consider taking #MarriageMoon with you?
Thanks for reading!

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