A Northwest Weekend in Washington, Idaho and Montana

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Washington last weekend.  It was exhausting - but so fun!!  Melissa, our friend who moved to WY from Maine, tagged along.  Our first stop was Colville, where we got to visit with Mama & Papa and acquaint ourselves with the new lambs.  We also got to visit with our dear friends Tom & Becky for a few hours, but I don't have any photos because I forgot in the excitement of the afternoon.  Later we celebrated birthdays, Mother's Day and Father's Day with a delicious meal ending with homemade blueberry pie.  Um, yes please!

On Sunday we went to Farm Chicks with Mom & Jordan's sister Abby.  Farm Chicks is a HUGE vintage/craft show, and we all walked away with some treasures.

We decided to head halfway home Sunday, with a brief stop in Idaho at the Cataldo Mission.  Completed in 1853, the Mission was part of a Jesuit compound that brought Catholicism to local Native American tribes. You can see the mission from the highway, and I've always wanted to stop to take a tour of the grounds which include a house, mill, cemetery, an old bell and museum.

The interior of the church is simple but so elegant, as seen in the wooden molding that workers painstakingly crafted onto the very tall ceiling.

Many other original features remain, including the old confessional.  I'm not sure exactly what Melissa was repenting of, but man we were there for a LONG time!  Just kidding...

We spent the night in Butte, and then headed southeast for the remaining 5.5 hour drive home.  But we did make time to stop in Bozeman for breakfast at the famous Jam!, which had one of the best breakfasts I've ever eaten.  Everything on the menu looked amazing, so we settled on two dishes to split.

Caprese eggs benedict with assorted roasted potatoes and a citrus arugula salad, and blueberry pancakes with a lemon ricotta spread and toasted hazelnuts.  YUM!  We are already plotting ways to get back to Colville and Bozeman!