Christmas Letter 2011

Writing a poetic first sentence that hooks the reader into reading more is not my forte'. In fact if this letter were written with a pencil, the eraser would already be gone by simply erasing the first sentence repeatedly in my efforts to captivate the reader's imagination. Unfortunately, I more than likely lost most of my readers interest by now, yet for those who are still reading… let's hope the next few minutes were worth the efforts of finding your reading glasses.

I find myself wanting to write this letter and mention the events from the oldest to the most recent yet the one adventure that repetitively comes to mind is a weekend trip to Hood River, OR last spring. Traci and I had the opportunity to visit WAAAM (Western Aeroplane and Automotive Museum) and had the chance see several vintage cars putting around the museum. Although I knew I would perhaps see one or two jeeps driving around, I never imagined that I would have the privileged of driving a WWII jeep. Our friends' Carmel and Marlin joined us on our weekend trip and were perplexed as they witness me degenerate into a kid when I sat on the driver's seat of the Jeep. Besides my wedding day, I honestly can't recall another time I was ever so excited.

For mother's day, Traci and I made the long trek to Montana for just the weekend. Due to work we left Walla Walla fairly late and arrived in Bozeman at 2 am on Saturday morning to only begin the long trip back the next day. I must admit that making these long trips in the middle of the night are exhausting yet it was worth spending the few hours with her. At least I believe it was worth it. Was it for you Mrs. Starkebaum?

Traci's parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in June and we knew that we couldn't let it go by quietly. A week before the big day we headed to the Oregon Coast and journeyed from Brookings to Lincoln City, playing in tide pools and racing wooden boats along the way. On our way back up the Gorge we stopped once more at WAAAM for a surprise anniversary party. Traci's parents had an idea that something was up, but I don't think they realized just how many of their friends and family would be waiting for them. It was a treat to be able to spend a couple of days with the Kings and the Curtis' in Hood River before the trip had to come to an end.

In July, we took a trip with our friend Jimmy to Montana and Wyoming. Traci's parents joined us as we camped and fished in Yellowstone and headed east to Worland, Wyoming. The second half of the trip I helped Traci's dad with some sweat equity around the house while Traci did her best Cake Boss impersonation. She and a friend baked and decorated the cake for her friend Crystal's wedding and were bridesmaids as well. Needless to say, those days flew right by.

This year my older brother was converted to believe that marriage isn't really all that bad. On September 7, Juan and Ashley tied the knot on the banks of the Deschutes River. Ducks were quacking in the background, people were crying at the sight of the two together and Traci bit off her finger nails in the hopes that her cake would come together perfectly for the reception. I must add that they were fortunate to have the world-renowned owner of benblood.com as their photographer.

Right after the wedding ended we made a quick road trip up to Seattle with my mom and sister. Damaris is going to school in Italy this year and needed some extra hands to get all that luggage to the plane. It sounds like she is having a great time and my mom is spending Christmas and New Years with her in Europe.

My aunt, uncle and grandmother road tripped it up from Dublin and Fresno to spend Thanksgiving in Walla Walla. I used this opportunity to take my grandma on a ride in the Chevy, something she hadn't experienced in quite some time. We showed everyone a bit of the Walla Walla valley and were glad we could get to see them again.

I guess it sounds like we really aren't in Walla Walla much, but we do still call it home. We have more fun than we deserve hanging out with our friends here. We have been pretty involved with the Eastgate church, I play praise music with a group of friends and Traci has been on the board and in charge of the church newsletter. Since May I've been managing an apartment complex here in College Place and Traci helps out with the paperwork. She is still working as a graphic designer as well.

Thank you so much for being a part of our loves. We pray that God will bless you in 2012 and can't wait to see you again soon.

Love,
Josh and Traci Galan

3rd Anniversary

I honestly have good intentions to update my blog but it has become clear that I have lost motivation to take pictures on my random trips and update it. However, three years ago I made a promise to never overlook or forget our anniversary. The past 3 summers Traci and I had made trips to the Oregon Coast yet taking time from work in the middle of the week is quite challenging. The decision was then made to spend our anniversary back at Wallowa Lake where it all started.

I'm sure by now you are well aware that we love our automobiles. Part of our dreams are to enjoy and drive them, so we made the effort to get the 57 Chevy running in top condition for the 2 hour trip. Originally our plan was to leave around 6 in the afternoon but due to a few delays, we were able to leave the Walla Walla Valley around 8 pm. It was dark by the time we began climbing the mountain on our way to Tolgate but it was a clear night and the moon was full. I must point out that the lights on the Chevy are quite dim and we were fortunate to not encounter any deers along the way as our visibility was poor. The lack of insulation in the Chevy did leave us appreciating the commodities of newer automobiles. Nevertheless, the heat from engine radiating from the firewall was able to assist as the heater was not able to keep us fully warm.

Driving through each town gave us a strange feeling as there was not one living soul to be seen. The empty streets with the old buildings glowing from the flickering lamppost gave us a glimpse of the past as we drove our 54 year old car. Eventually we made it to our cabin at the Eagle Camp Chalet a little bit after 10:00 pm, where we enjoyed a good night rest.

We began our day on Tuesday by eating at the Old Town Cafe, Traci had the largest breakfast burrito that I have ever witness and I enjoyed a veggie omelet. We had hoped to eat at the Mountain Air Cafe as we had with her family on the Friday before our wedding, but unfortunately it had closed its doors (perhaps because of the economy). Once we were able to plow our way through breakfast, it was time to begin our day. We walked down the street for some good ol' window shopping and then proceeded to drive the 6 miles to Enterprise and see what is there. Our visit to the local antique store was rewarding as we were able to find an old Christmas record album of Bing Crosby (Someone at some point wrote the date of 12-12-47 on the cover). Later we walked down to the Old Ford Dealership building. In the show room, there were 3 cars for sale, a Willys cj2a, a Plymouth Fury and a well restored 1940 Dodge truck. Each had been nicely restored and although I had no intentions to by any, I gave the owner a call to maybe get a closer look at the Jeep. The owner was a nice retired man who at one time had ran both the Chrysler and Ford dealership. We talked about the cars he had owned in the past, including 40 model A's, and the cars we are restoring. He seemed to be quite excited about the new hospital there in Enterprise so once we were done at the dealership, we followed him to the hospital were we both went our separate ways.

On our way back to Wallowa Lake, we made sure to make a stop by Mad Mary's. Traci had a slice of Berry Pie and I enjoyed a slice of raspberry cheesecake. Since cheesecake always snatches the energy out of me, I was ready for a nice nap when we arrived back to our Cabin. It had not been more than 5 minutes when Traci reminded me that 3 years ago at this exact hour, we were surrounded by our friends and families at the wedding ceremony. Sure enough, it was 4 o'clock so there was no way I would allow myself to spend the next hour laying in bed... I was determine to have fun. Since we weren't able to enjoy the Salmon run during our wedding weekend, we decided this would be a great time to go see them as they journey up the river. I must have taken over 100 pictures just to get a few good ones as they quickly jumped out of the river. A few of them even splashed us as we sat motionless waiting for that picture perfect moment.

After witnessing the circle of life, we decided it was time to enjoy a small game of mini golf. It sure helps that Traci and I are not competitive since our scores rivaled that of Basketball game. Since the Eagle Cap Chalets offers a warm jacuzzi for its visitors, we decided it was time to enjoy and take advantage of the opportunity to end our day. Getting in was calm and soothing, yet getting out left us wondering who's idea was this as we shivered our way back to our cabin in the cool evening. Since it was a full moon that night, Traci and I drove to the boat ramp and took a few pictures of the Chevy at night to conclude our 3rd Anniversary.

One of my hopes for our wedding was to have the Chevy as our get away vehicle. Yet due to a few issues with my dad, that was not able to happen. Three years later after obtaining the car and making repairs, the car finally made it to Wallowa Lake without coughing once. It still feels foreign to be approached by complete strangers as they admire the Chevy; I suppose I would be a horrible celebrity if I ever become famous.

We both felt terrible starting up the Chevy before sunrise on Wednesday morning as the Chevy's loud exhaust rivals that of a John Deer Tractor. It sure is a loud car but we both had to make it back to continue working. On our drive back, we were able to see the sunrise over the hills and watching Traci drive the Chevy back... reassured me that life is good.

A Stagnate Blog

A stagnate blog is a boring blog. In fact, I'm not even sure why you are still checking this thing. But now that summer is here, I feel inspired to update my blog.

Perhaps visiting the Oregon Coast for Thanksgiving was a great idea despite that we were more bundled up at the coast than we were back in Walla Walla. This past Thanksgiving we spent it with Traci's family at Lincoln City. We went shopping at the midnight sales for Black Friday and we also got a chance to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Doesn't it sound like much fun? Well it was tons of fun so you missed out.

Each year Janelle, Traci and I make a valiant effort to meet in Seattle before Christmas. This year Janelle brought along her latest boyfriend. We didn't end up spending too much time in the city where me must fight to survive, but instead traveled up north near Mt. Vernon and Deception Pass. While we were standing over the bridge there was a Kayak race that so happened to pass under the bridge. It was perfect timing as we threw rocks at them... just kidding, it was Janelle's idea and appropriate action was taken to stop her before things got out of hand. We also got a chance to visit Rosario Beach where we found out that Jeff (Janelle's Boyfriend) is a world class 'Rock Skipper'. As it is the tradition, we once again caught a ferry ride and wondered why we don't live in the Puget Sound area.

For New Year's we headed south for what turned out to be an episode of "Ice-Road Truckers." While in the past the weather reports along Highway 97 had proved to be very much exaggerated, this year the conditions were truly icy. The new trailer we pulled down with the Jeep was aged at least 20 years by the time we hit warmer weather. Fortunately it isn't as old as the engined that we picked up. Traci's uncle found a rebuild Plymouth engine near Modesto and we bought it for more than it was worth. But that's a different story for a different time.

Perhaps the trips that stand out the most from this past winter are the two trips to Montana. The first for a Bluegrass Concert/My Birthday and the other for Mother's Day. Jimmy actually ventured out to Montana with us for the Concert and although I enjoyed the music, the drunken hippies raving to banjo music was less than appreciated. Mother's day was also an adventure as well as we surprised Traci's mom about our visit. Both Traci and I are getting too old to be driving at 2:30 in the morning, but spending time with her parents is always a great time.

There are two other events that I must point out. This past February Traci and I celebrated 3 years since I asked her the famous "Why would you marry me?" question. We went back to Wallula Junction where I asked her to marry me and walked along the footsteps of our younger selves. Also, my brother finally asked Ashley for her hand in marriage a few months ago.

Congratulations Juan Francisco and Ashley!

I'm almost forgetting the most exciting trip this past winter. I finally got a chance to drive a Willys MB. Traci mentioned that she has never seen me as excited as I was that day and it's true. To be able to ride in the car of my dreams is exciting, but to drive the vehicle is an amazing story that I will forever remember. I want one Traci!

iSight

I saw http://www.benblood.com

You got to start somewhere.

Something has compelled me to post anything on my blog. Also, it has come to my attention that 5 years ago Traci accepted my invitation to go steady. Two days later I ended up leaving her to go to Seattle and visit my friends for the weekend. That's pretty the short version of the story, maybe in the future I'll post the whole thing.

This picture was taken in April of 2005 by benblood.com ... Thanks man!

First Week of 2011

1 down, 51 more to go.



Goodbye Two Thousand and Ten

I suppose this is the part where we begin to write about what we have achieved this past year. Fortunately for the reader, we haven’t achieved much so this will be a short letter. Not only will this letter save on printing taxes, but your time as well. Isn’t it great?

To start of the year Traci and I decided to head north as far as our car would take us. It turns out that our gps took us west to Seattle and our friend Ronnie was kind enough to take us the rest of the way to Canada. Our goal was to visit Point Roberts, a piece of the U.S. (that stands for “United States”) that was cut off from the main land at the 49th parallel. There’s really not much to see there, just more Americans trying to coexist with their neighbors. Since we were already in the neighborhood Ronnie, Traci and I decided to drop by Vancouver and see what the cheering was all about. As it turns out the Winter Olympics were in town. Tickets were rather pricy, not to mention that we had to buy them 2 years in advance but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity that we didn’t want to miss.

I must admit that I’m quite happy to spend another year with an awesome wife that loves American Automobiles as much as she loves me. It’s true. This past June, Traci became an official Cascade Pacific Plymouth Club member. We also attended the Plymouth Owners Club Annual Meet up and talked with several nerds, I mean Plymouth nerds. They were friendly, helpful and proud owners of amazing automobiles.

Traci’s turn to write.
This year we also had the opportunity to visit the Metropolis of Richey, Mont. I believe we saw one car and a horse during rush minute. My mom, Aunt April, Uncle Charlie, and various other members of the family gathered at the family farm out there to relive the glory days. The youngest generation had quite a bit of fun rolling giant hay bales and chasing grasshoppers. That’s about all the hunting that was accomplished.

Glacier National Park celebrated its one hundred year anniversary this year. Enough said, moving on. Just kidding. We didn’t want to miss out on this Birthday party so we made a mad dash to visit the park just for the weekend. We ended up spending 30 of the 48 hours in the car just trying to reach our destinations; here is the catch… it was totally worth it.

The highlight of the year was a trip to El Salvador and getting to set foot on the promise land (that’s how Josue describes it.) A land filled with milk and honey, or more commonly known as coffee beans and coconuts. Josue’s mom and grandmother had traveled ahead of us, so it was up to Damaris, Josue and I to brave the Houston airport on our own and we spent a comfortable night on the floor in front of TSA security. It was a week of mangos, Salvadorian quesadilla, and rain.

As some of you might know, we are car collectors. Our hopes and dreams are to restore the 57 Chevy that Josue grew up with and the 48 Plymouth that I bought a few years ago. Josue has been able to get the Chevy running and makes occasional trips up and down College Avenue on sunny days. To end the year we are heading down to central California to pick up a rebuilt engine for the Plymouth. With any luck, by this time next year the Plymouth will be putting down the street as well.

We hope that you all had a highly memorable 2010 and that the Lord will bless you all in 2011. If you’re ever within a day’s drive of Walla Walla, give us a call and we’ll hang out.

(Just a copy of our 'End of the Year Letter')