you do your annual trip w/mi i assume....you earn ~ 12k mi on the europe trips, and get 60k /yr from the cc....
try to decide which carrier is the best choice for the tatl from sea,pdx & vancouver, probably its aa or ua....study the cc bonus offers here & become a churner....w/60k spend, both of you should be able to get 2 sign up bonuses quickly....
good luck....