Tales of the Ordinary Days

Old Guy (Larry's nickname from cousin Judy) and me From my recent trip to help orchestrate our many life moves We have news. And the best kind - good news. We are on the move again! Our adventure in Boise will come to a close as we ring in the new year. 2020 will bring a change of address to Durango, Colorado. Why you ask? My answer? Pretty much....why not? Life is grand when the world is your oyster and you allow yourself to think that way. So here is the more detailed story on how we came up with Durango... Knowing our short-term rental in Boise was done at the end of the year, Garrett and I discussed our next steps over some cocktails mid-summer. We tentatively decided to stay in Boise for another year, feeling like we hadn't yet experienced all Boise and Idaho had to offer. We have really enjoyed our time here. I summed up my experience in one word - joyful. Holding that thought under our cap, we moved through the summer. I did some work in Colorado in l...

The last picture taken together at 16706 Elm Circle To the New Owners of 16706 Elm Circle: I am writing this letter as a for-sale sign is being strategically positioned in the front yard of my home. It has been nineteen years since a sign to allure new owners (you) has been placed on its grassy front. Today I find myself reflecting on the sweet heartbeat carried in walls of my forever home and all the joyful moments shared inside and out. My hope is to pay this all forward to you. Today instead of savoring the past in my comfy chair in Omaha with three active boys buzzing around, I am in Boise with only a faithful dog by my side on a quiet summer morning. The only sounds here are the buzzing of the neighbor's mower and the many happy memories that are racing in my mind. A typical lazy August morning in our cherished house of past would include smells of chlorine from wet swim trunks not properly placed in the washer. Towels leaving evidence of late night hot tub use an...

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 the...

Last walk before we go new Yes, we are moving again. But not from Boise. Where our last move was 1,240 miles, this one will be 3 miles. We are moving within Boise from House #1 to House #2. When our original plan of test-driving Boise for three months turned into Garrett taking a full-time job, we found our rental already booked for time periods after our original commitment through March. Instead of going transit for these periods and extending our stay, we decided to find a new place. And after much discussion, we decided to try a new neighborhood with a different feel of Boise. House #2 is in the Hyde Park neighborhood, a block from the Hyde Park main street. This is quite a change from our current house which is in the foothills on the edge of town. To those readers living in Omaha, this move is like going from Ponca Hills to Dundee. Although we have enjoyed the beauty and solitude of House #1 in the hills, we welcome the change of scenery. We also welcome a mild sha...

Zeke decides to steal the driver's seat after his dog park adventure With Boise's typical sunny skies and high desert warmth (that seems to avoid the midwestern cold), we humans + dog are acclimating well to our new surroundings. The only difference between the humans and the dog is that he misses his snowy back yard and furry playmates in Omaha.  I keep reminding myself that if my biggest worry over the move is the proper socialization of the pup, we are in good shape. But it doesn't stop me from feeling bad for Zekers. As his human brothers before him, Zeke really loved the open run of our Omaha yard. With the house situated on a busy path for neighborhood dog-walkers and neighboring dogs, Zeke had constant interaction with both dogs and people. Boise is a whole new environment for him. We are living in the foothills, overlooking the city, and although our cozy retreat is perfect for Garrett and me, Zeke gets bored quickly. The quiet of our little house offer...

Garrett getting his culture on and a little outside his comfort zone (for me and Kathy, any kind of culture is in our zone) Garrett humored me with his annual participation in a cultural event outside his norm. In reality, Garrett actual does this for me on a more frequent basis than annually, but his belief that it only happens about once a year keeps him joining without question and also keeps his running joke alive. "Sandy hates to miss a party" is commonly stated comment by Garrett. I cannot dispute his observation. I really do hate to miss a good party. Or a great local event, concert, museum, play, festival, movie, organized club, trip, adventure.... the list goes on and on for me. I love adding variety to life and trying new things. With every new city we visit, I often gravitate toward checking out the local museums or downtown festivals. Always on the lookout for restaurants and watering holes that are representative of the heart of a city, we have many tim...

Dinner in Boise after a movie at The Flicks My adventures in Boise are about to continue, albeit briefly, as I will be traveling again in a week. I am currently sitting on a plane that just departed Omaha, in route to Boise. It was a very cold, but a very productive (and extremely busy) week back for me in Omaha. It’s been almost a month since Garrett and I pulled out of our Omaha driveway for Boise with U-Haul in tow. Three weeks in Boise. One week in Omaha. My new normal. Well, at least for now. I am honestly unsure what my new normal will be for the long-term and I’m good with that. As my father-in-law explained to me the other day, “Sandy, you just get up in the morning and figure it out.” Yeah, that pretty much sums it up for me. Although the main reason for my week back in Omaha is for business purposes with several on-going projects and clients based there, it also makes my time away from cherished Omaha friends feel almost nonexistent. True to my nature, t...