Idaho Trip - Week 1

For the last two week we were able to be in Idaho visiting my family, and it was absolute heaven. Since we didn't make it anywhere for Christmas, this was our trip home to visit family and to bring a bit more stuff back with us. We only brought the bare necessities with us when we came expecting to be here only three and a half months. Let me tell you....that is not a lot of stuff. We flew out on May 28th early, early in the morning. Here we are waiting to board our plane.

It was such a long day of traveling. We didn't change planes at all, but had two stops: one in Baltimore and one in Chicago. Take-offs are my least favorite part of flying, and lucky me I got to experience three of them in one day. We made it to Salt Lake after nine hours on the same plane...blah.

It was worth it though. The first thing that I noticed when we walked out of the Salt Lake airport was the fresh air. It was so clean and, well fresh! I also noticed the snow covered mountains and the space. Definitely different from what we've been experiencing in New York. Brian's brother, Tom, was nice enough to pick us up from the airport and drive us up to Rexburg (add on another four hours of travel time). I could feel myself relax the closer we got to Idaho. When we crossed the border, I was super excited! We've been in New York for 9 months and I really missed my Idaho.

I was so tired that night, and was super glad just to sit and not be moving! We met Brian's parents Layne and Kris, and his Uncle Kim, Aunt Pam and cousin Matt in Rexburg. They were all in town that night and through the next day. It was nice to get to see them as well, and both families got together on that Sunday for lunch and to visit. It was super nice to be with family.

On Memorial Day, we had a family party at my Grandpa's house. We had snacks, played games and visited. I grew up with my aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins super close, so I would see them a lot. My cousins are some of my best friends, and as a family we are really close. It was so great to see everyone....I love my family. They are the best, and I really miss being able to see them often.

After the family party we stopped at the Wilford Cemetery where we have a lot of family buried. Most of my Great-Grandparents are buried there and it was nice to visit their graves. This picture is of Brian, my brother-in-law Scott and my sister Annie at the cemetery. We didn't stay super long because it started pouring rain...cool Idaho rain. That's another thing that I've really missed. The dry Idaho weather. You may think I'm crazy, but I hate humidity.

When we got home, Scott pulled out his metal detector and was showing us how it works. It was pretty cool, but we were all freezing and it started raining so we didn't last long outside watching him.

My mom, sister Kiley and Annie freezing while watching Scott.

The next few days it warmed up and stopped raining and was so nice. We had our car again! I've really missed having a car and the freedom to just drive where ever you need/want to go. Getting around in New York city isn't hard. The public transportation system is really good and without it I don't know what we would do. But it just isn't the same as having a car. That said, I would never have a car in New York City. The taxi drivers here are psycho and I wouldn't want to be on the road with them!

We took advantage of the nice weather and went with my Dad to go and turn water in the canals around Chester. The first canal we went to is just a half mile past our house. We used to ride our bikes there when we were kids and walk across the "Scary Bridge" as my brothers and sisters and I named it. It really was a scary bridge...it was just a big log stretching across the canal with some boards nailed to the top. It would bounce up and down as we walked across it. We all still call it that today, although that bridge has since been replaced by a new one.

This is where the "Scary Bridge" used to be.

It was so nice being outdoors without concrete, and people, and noise and the hustle and bustle of the city. The air was so fresh and clean and everything was quiet and peaceful and open. I love it!

My brother Luke's dog Ranger did not want to go across the bridge. It was so funny watching Luke try to coerce the dog across. Luke walked back across the bridge and tried to drag Ranger onto it but he dug in his heels and would start squeeling. It was so funny to see how scared he was. Finally, Luke picked him up and carried him halfway across and then set him down. Ranger ran the rest of the way as fast as he could, and on the way back he finally walked across himself.

My Dad and Luke walking over to turn the water and clean out the branches that were caught under the bridge.

Luke pulling up the pile of branches from the canal with a rake. I was laughing cause he was having a hard time...

While they were working on the canals and I was taking pictures, Brian started playing fetch with Ranger. I think Brian fell in love with that dog while we were there. Every time we were outside he would play with him. I know he really wants one...and I do too. We are definitely going to get one...one of these days.

After helping with turning water, we went down to our milk barn to help herd cows. Brian had never herded cows before so it was a new experience for him. We ended up only needing to herd them across the road, so it wasn't that big of a deal. We basically just had to stand there, but it was still fun to help. Herding cows from the pasture to the barn was my favorite thing to help my Dad with when I was little.

I really miss views like this...open fields and livestock. No people, or buildings, or subways, or cars.

Luke just graduated from High School the week before we came so he was out of school, and it was Annie's last week so they had lots of free time to hang out with us. One night we had fun playing dodge ball on the trampoline.

I think Ranger wanted to play too.

Most of the time we were there we just got to hang out with my family, play games, visit and relax. It was so nice to just be able to spend time with them and have a break from city life. Here's a picture of my mom washing her bus before the last day of school when she had to turn it in for the summer. She was super glad to be done with that.

One night Brian and I got to drive up to Driggs, where Kiley and Scott live. We met Adam and Manda there and we went out to dinner and then played games. It was super fun to get to hang out with old college friends and reminisce about the "Good Times" and see how everyone is doing. Here are some pictures of the beautiful views on the way up to Driggs. Snow covered mountains and green open fields....I just soaked it all in every minute I was there.

Brian had to fly back to New York that Saturday, so my mom and I drove him down to Salt Lake. I hate goodbyes and it really was awful sending him off that day. We have only spent one night apart a couple of times the whole time we have been married, so the thought of an entire week without him was really depressing. We survived it though, and I am glad I got to spend another week in Idaho and didn't have to hurry back to New York quite so fast.