So I went on a trip recently. Contrary to common thought, and perhaps sensibility, I simply cannot imagine a future without you or my kids. I went first to places near that reminded me of all of you, places that I held dear. Next, I went to places farther away.

A fun place, though not to my eldest daughter, was a rest stop on I-5. If you don't remember, Levi puked on Kayla while we delivered her to Sea-Tac with Deanna. I can't describe how funny it was to see her light out of the car as if she were on fire.

I then went on toward where we went camping a couple of birthdays past. It still looks much the same, yet it just wasn't quite without having the kids there to laugh and explore and ask questions.

After this, I traveled to the town where we saw the mountain goats that walked right up to the fences. I spent two days there, petting the goats and exploring the area.

From there, I visited the place that we went fishing on the river. Sadly, the boulders that I fished on and around were covered and isolated by the raging current. As before, it wasn't quite as fun without the kids playing and helping and questioning. Nothing is as fun anymore without them or their mother.