Tales of the Ordinary Days

Garrett with his to-go desert compliments of Stagecoach Inn (restaurant is a classic western icon per my research and our experience) Way back when in my Lutz days, I had a client I worked with from central Nebraska. My main contact was a lady by the name of Aleta. Although she ran a medical practice by day, by night she was a ranching woman. We had only met once in person, but over the course of our many conversations, I always pictured her in cowboy boots with spurs and a rifle never more than an arms-length away. I always enjoyed Aleta. She was a straight-talker with colorful stories about life on the ranch, and her view on life in general. Many times her stories didn't come from the actual telling of a story, but from a sidebar comment. One that I clearly remember involved an asthma inhaler and her horses. I called Aleta with a question concerning a payroll tax deadline, a very normal accounting-ish thing to do. Aleta, in her typical nonchalant fashion, didn't pro...

Sunday Funday We found a snowy treasure today. Garrett and I knew a perk of living in Boise was being very close to skiing, 15 miles door to ski lift (to be exact). It was awesome to have an easy drive in little traffic that didn't consume our entire Sunday. But there were other extras we didn't expect. The ski resort is Bogus Basin. What we didn't know was that the resort is a not-for-profit. It's run by the city. What does this mean for we lucky skiers? Costs are half of the typical for-profit resorts with conditions that are of equal quality. There are 2,600 acres for skiing including rolling bowls and trails. We did not expect this, but loved the snow-filled surprise. And in our backyard. We will be back and won't need to set aside a weekend to make it happen. Skiing the slopes with gorgeous views to the soundtrack to A Star Is Born was exceptional. It's been a good first week in Boise, but we have only just begun. The real stuff happens after unp...

The boys Today was a great reminder that 'we're not in Kansas anymore'. Well, technically Nebraska, but we can all relate to the Kansas line. Instead of Toto, we have Zeke. And instead of Oz, we're in Idaho. While Garrett and I worked diligently through the day, we really wouldn't have known where. We were just working. The sun and the clouds look a lot the same in Nebraska as Idaho when sitting indoors. This was until we got to mid-day and needed to coordinate our workout schedule. Old routines continued as I vocally weighed the options of running outside vs. a nearby gym. Garrett, thinking outside our typical box, threw out the better option. "Why don't we go for a hike?" Working our way backwards from our scheduled happy hour with my Aunt Kathy, we decided we had a little over an hour for outdoor activity. With a quick Google search and review of on-line trails, we found our new place .75 miles, door to trailhead, to a large hiking area....

5 year anniversary dinner A day of milestones; Garrett and my 5th anniversary and more importantly, our baby pup was 10 months old today. Along with day three in Boise, much to celebrate. We started the morning with a 5:30 am wake-up call (I like to hit the snooze button at least twice while Garrett lies wide awake upon initial alarm). The pup followed my lead without a peep coming from his crate until second snooze. After I remembered it was our anniversary, we had a solid five minute debate on how many years we have been married. I finally proved without doubt by finding the "5 Year" stamp on my TimeHop app photos via iPad (never more than an arm length away from our bed). Other than a full day of work in our new digs, with great views and lots of natural sunlight pouring into our office, the extent of our adventuring centered around a dog walk and searching for a restaurant to eat dinner. Zeke and I ventured out into the crispness of the winter morning air....

We made it! We crossed the Idaho state line at about 2:00 p.m. today past accompanying mile marker 0. A perfect place to begin. Our day started at a dog-friendly Baymont Inn in Rock Springs, Wyoming. The temp was nine below zero as we took off for day two of our road trip from Omaha, NE to Boise, ID. By the time we meandered through Utah and crossed into Idaho, the temp was north of twenty. A step in the right direction, although I keep asking Garrett why we are moving northward rather than southward. For now I will accept his explanation that Boise, although clearly north latitudinally, has Denver weather (which is good) without Denver's excessive population (which is bad). I will take his word for it and test it out on my own now that we are here. Our little pull behind U-Haul has been unpacked. My Aunt Kathy (and Boise resident) arrived with food, wine, and beer as we enjoyed her company and relaxation after a day of traveling. Zeke is loving the great open area o...