The Oregon Coast Part One

Yesterday we left Wenatchee, Washington and drove approximately five hours to get to the coast of Oregon!  It was a really pretty drive through forests and across rivers.  We stopped for the night in Astoria (we saw the house from Goonies but we didn't get a picture because it is private property and the owners do not appreciate trespassers) and went to Fort Stevens State Park to hang out at the beach for most of the afternoon and evening.  We both loved this spot because you could drive right on the beach and there were hardly any people there because it was quite cold (but we still got very sunburned).  I loved listening to the waves crash against the beach because it was so soothing!  Here are lots of photos!

We came back to the beach after dinner in order to see the sunset and it was spectacular!

It was great to be able to spend so much time here!

Visiting Cambria (And Her Parents) in Washington

Marilyn and I arranged our summer road trip specifically so we could see Cambria (and her parents) because we missed her so much.  We drove to Washington on Saturday and had a lot of fun spending time with Tucker and Tashena (who took us to some really fun places, including some great local restaurants as well as the dam where Tucker works, and entertained us at their house) and snuggling the most adorable baby ever.  We were so sad to leave today because it has been a wonderful visit but we will see them in Utah really soon!  Here is a cuteness overload of Cambria!

We love this precious baby so much!

We love her parents, too!

Disclosure Day

Next up in my double feature last night was Disclosure Day and I was so excited because it was one of my most anticipated movies of 2026.  It did not disappoint!  With the world on the brink of another war, Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor), a cybersecurity specialist for the Wardex Corporation who has stolen a piece of alien technology and multiple digital files documenting secret interactions between aliens and humans, and Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt), a TV meteorologist who discovers latent abilities to empathize with people and communicate with them in languages she doesn't understand including an alien language, form an inexplicable bond based on their own experiences with aliens.  Wardex, a covert arm of the U.S. government, has kept all of these alien interactions a secret in order to reverse engineer their technology for monetary gain and the CEO, Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth), uses the government's vast resources to pursue them in order to recover the files.  Daniel and Margaret are eventually aided by Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), another whistleblower from Wardex, and they decide to release the files to the world after they realize that humanity needs the message offered by the aliens.  I really loved the story because it is filled with so much hope and I think that is something that is desperately needed right now.  The third act, especially, is really affecting and I was absolutely riveted. I also really enjoyed all of the action sequences because Daniel and Margaret have some close calls as federal agents chase them from place to place and having Scanlon use alien technology to form a bond with Daniel's girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) to get her to betray their location adds a lot of tension, particularly during a car chase to get away from the farmhouse where they have been saying.  I really liked the more subdued and atmospheric score by John Williams because it creates a sense of unease but it is also incredibly emotional.  Finally, the entire cast is outstanding and Blunt gives a career-best performance but I was incredibly impressed by Hewson (Jane's character arc is my favorite because she wrestles with the theological implications of knowing that we are not alone).  This will undoubtedly be one of my favorite movies this year but people who are expecting a sci-fi thriller about aliens might be disappointed with the more contemplative tone.