Catching You Up…

Dear Chewey,

Well, I’m writing to you from a hotel room in Little Rock, Arkansas. Those are words I honestly never thought I’d write. Avery and I are on our road trip to Florida, and eventually to Virginia, so I should have more time to write from these hotel settings. As always, I’ve included photos below.

It’s been too long since I last wrote you, and I’m sorry for that. Let me try to catch you up on my past month, which has taken me to places like Portland, Los Alamos, Las Vegas, Colorado, Kansas, Tulsa, Fort Smith, and Hot Springs.

When I last wrote, I had just arrived in Portland from Denver. I had originally planned to travel to Portland by train, but I picked up a bad cold somewhere between New York and Denver. Knowing that my best night’s sleep in a coach seat on a train had only been about four hours, I decided it was best for my body to fly. It felt a bit like quitting on the train adventure, but I’m pretty sure I made the right decision.

Upon arriving, I was greeted by the usual deluge of rain that seems to always accompany my visits to the Rose City. One of my best friends, Tony, picked me up on Sunday, February 23rd, and we went to dinner to catch up. You might remember that I went to Portland for Tony’s 50th birthday party, so it was nice to have some alone time with my bestie before he was surrounded by crowds of people.

Tony dropped me off at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, which I called home for the next two weeks. Their house felt different this time—your cousin Monty had passed away a couple of months earlier. I miss Monty and wish you had gotten to meet him. You would have liked him. Even so, despite the loss of their furry baby, Grandma, as always, opened her home to me with the same warmth and love she always does.

The first week in Portland was full of moments with friends and family—lunches and dinners filled with love and laughter. I felt truly blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people.

On Friday the 28th, another one of my besties, Kirk, flew in to attend Tony’s birthday celebration. I’ve told you about my friends before—they’ve been some of the most important people in my life during my recovery from the motorcycle accident. Each of them has brought me stability, perspective, and laughter, and Kirk brings all three in abundance.

Kirk stayed at Grandma’s house with me for the three days he was in town, which made the time together even more special.

On Saturday, March 1st, Grandma, Grandpa, Kirk, and I all met your sister Mikaylah, my son-in-law Adam, and my two amazing grandsons—Axel (almost 1) and Abel (7)—for brunch. It was Mikaylah’s birthday, and it was such a blessing to spend part of that day with her.

After brunch, Kirk and I headed to Tony’s birthday celebration. I had such a great time spending hours with some of my closest friends in the world and meeting new ones I hope to stay in touch with long after this trip.

Kirk stayed a couple of days after the party, and I took him on a driving tour of my hometown, which he seemed to really enjoy.

After Portland, I came back and visited you for a week—and that week meant a lot to me. Remember how long your hair had gotten by the time I got back? I couldn’t tell if it was you or a mop when I walked in! It took five full bins of fur just to see your eyes again. But as always, you were such a good sport while I groomed and bathed you. Chani always seems curious when I groom you—she’s lucky to have short hair, while you grow dreadlocks if left alone for a month. Hopefully Aunt Britt or your cousin Judah will keep you trimmed while I’m gone on this latest adventure.

While I was there, I had breakfast with my old boss and lunch with one of my amazing friends. I even went out and sang karaoke for the first time in a long while, with a few special people. I’m truly blessed to have such a supportive circle around me. You remember your friend Nesli? She came with us to sing karaoke. She said to say hi—she’s always so kind to us.

Then it was off to Las Vegas to meet my buddies for our annual March Madness trip. It was another great week, and I always leave those trips with a deep sense of gratitude for having those men in my life. This year was extra special, with a few new faces joining us.

From there, I flew back to Albuquerque and immediately hit the road again for what’s become a weeklong driving tour of the U.S.

The first stop was back in Colorado to spend time with Jake, Avery, Lynne, and Jen. We went to Casa Bonita—that cool place in Denver I’ve told you about. I was curious to see what had changed under new ownership. While the atmosphere was just as great as I remembered, I have to admit the food was only marginally better than before. Still, it was fun sharing that experience with the kids again, since they hadn’t been there since they were too young to remember much.

Avery and I hit the road on Friday, making our way to Wichita, Kansas. Eastern Colorado and most of Kansas may not be the cure for boredom, but I actually found the drive across the Great Plains quite peaceful.

Today we drove from Wichita through Tulsa—which greatly exceeded my expectations—and spent most of our day in Arkansas. We stopped in the border town of Fort Smith, and I’ve attached some photos of the charming Main Street below.

Then we made our way to the first of several national parks on our itinerary: Hot Springs National Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. This was definitely the highlight of the day. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed Arkansas overall. The park is what they call an “urban national park,” meaning it’s surrounded by the town, which made for a perfect day of sightseeing, good food, and exploring the historic area. I’d love to come back here someday.

Tomorrow we’re heading to New Orleans, so wish me luck with that—ha!

I love you, buddy. I’ll be better about writing to you in the coming weeks.

Love,

Dad