June 27, 2019: The Boise Adventure: Boy-See

Boy-See!

The Boise Adventure. We are days away from the 6 month mark into our stay in Boise. What a fun ride!

I haven't been blogging much lately, and the reason isn't lack of material. It's lack of time. So much to do, so few hours in the day. This is a pattern that has been recurring in my life since childhood.

Per my mom, my youngest son, Grant, has similar tendencies. He always had great intentions with high determination, but time has never been on his side. When he was young, he and his brother would fly as unattended minors to stay for weeks in the summer with my parents in Arizona. Grant loved all of the newness of his grandparent's desert home and the resulting choices in how to fill his day.

My mom has always been keen on how to best handle both her overly optimistic daughter and grandson. She later shared with me a story on how little Grant had a long list of things he wanted to do at their home on a particular day. Mom wisely asked him to write them all down. It went something like this...

"I want to bake a cake, climb a mountain, trap a squirrel, make a quilt, read a book, watch a movie, play video games, write a letter, draw a picture, and then let's go explore the desert."

Mom took his list, made him prioritize and by the end of the day they crossed three things off the list.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I write a list every morning and have a plan. And then the many options grow and I get excited on the possibilities of the day. Every day is wonderful, but six months in on our Boise adventure and we have barely made a dent in experiencing all it has to offer.

My days are full. And they are full of things I love. It was a big pivot moving to Boise; leaving a house full of stuff behind. I thought for sure we would miss the luxuries of a four bed/three bath home with our trade-off of a fully furnished Air BNB with two bedrooms and one bath. A little cozy bungalow in a sweet neighborhood. I can honestly say I have yet to miss any of my Omaha belongings. My family are a FaceTime, text, or call away and the belongings are just that, stuff.

Life is about relationships and experiences. We have the added benefit of health and financial security, neither of which we ever take for granted. This leads to the best advise I give to anyone young or old who tell me they want to make a pivot in life. Don't put yourself in handcuffs with the 'stuff'. In the end, stuff is meaningless. Save and be good stewards of what you have worked hard to earn. Know that love and happiness truly comes from the relationships in your lives and how you live your life with these people you love most.

My Aunt Joan said it best. Joan is in her seventies and single. She has battled health issues and her drive to remain independent has' been challenged by other limiting factors around her. I took her out for ice cream during a particular trying time when everyone else was mapping out what was best for her. I asked her what was important to her. What did she need for her happiness?

Joan didn't miss a beat in her answer to me.

"Well, I really want good relationships with those I love and who love me, money to pay my bills, and health to do the things that are fun. That's what it's all about, isn't it?"

Yes, Joan. You nailed it. That is what it is all about.

My days in Boise fall in this carefully crafted criteria. Here is an outline of my typical day in Boise (footnote is that I do travel for work about one week out of each month):

• Daily Attire: T-shirt and shorts with a variety of jewelry purchased from the Downtown Boise local market. After soooo many years of Ann Taylor and Harold's wear, who know what ten years later would look like in Nike and local tee's?

• Zeke: Oh, Zeke, how I love you. The 'child' who doesn't talk back and loves me unconditionally (sorry, Lane boys). He gets three walks a day (20,000 steps) where we have the run of the neighborhood and know people and their pets by name. Trails and foothills are around every corner. Zeke loves his Boise life.

• Hyde Park Neighborhood: Did I mention there are alleys here? Totally feels like my days as a child living in small-town Iowa. I counted 12 Little Libraries in our neighborhood. Heaven. 

• Playdates: My new friend, Rebecca (moved to Boise a year ago), and I have monthly adventures. We have checked out everything from the Basque food and culture to the Greek Festival. Today we toured the home of a great local artist from the early 1900's, James Castle, enjoyed a new eclectic restaurant downtown, The Lemon Tree (yum!), and walked the nature reserve on a beautiful summer day. So many options for our next outing!

• Kathy: She gets her own entry. Now living .5 miles from our house in Hyde Park, Zeke and I casually stop by to wind down and share a little life whenever we have the chance (about daily).

• Garrett: Nothing ventured, nothing gained? This is his rally cry that constantly gets me to try new things outside my comfort zone (move to Boise? level four rafting rapids? sell the house? go new?). As my partner in life and all things fun, we share a sense of adventure and our love for our life and each other grows each day. Although getting old is not fun, doing it together is awesome. Living it with a significant other who gets it (and feels it), has tons of energy with laughs over craft beer (did I mention all the great breweries here??) is just frosting on the cake of life.

• The Lane boys: They are all doing their thing and we talk in some form typically daily. It doesn't really matter whether I'm in Boise or Omaha. I remind myself often that my parents moved to Arizona when I was 19 and we all ended up grand. Zach and Grant have come to visit with Zach's dog, Luna. Ben will be here later in the summer with Lucy. We love the company of our friends and family and to share our Boise adventures.

Time to close this blog. It is telling me I have surpassed the 1,000 word limit, which evidently is a person's attention span these days.

Good night from Boy-See!

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Pictures from the chronicles of walking Zeke (did I mention 20,000 steps? :)...

Camel's Back Trail

A new friend

One of many alleys here