Idaho

Idaho

Our first trip to Idaho and it was a success! It was a whirlwind trip over four days driving from Garden Grove California to Jerome and Wendell Idaho. Allison was a trooper, handling the 13 hour drive with only a few frustrated outbursts.



We stopped at the McDonald's in Wells NV to take a break from driving and Allie had her first Happy Meal!



Terry, Allie and I went to Wendell Idaho for the Memorial of Terry’s Papa. It was a beautiful military ceremony performed gravesite at the Wendell Cemetery. There are events in our lives where ritual can cement the moment in time and memory, this was one of them. Each funeral or memorial I have attended has been just a little bit different, usually depending on the person whose life we were remembering. This memorial was no different brothers and sisters reminisced about the child he had been and friends spoke about the man he was, then the military rituals pulled the whole thing together showing the citizen that he was.  It was a beautiful sunny day as we said goodbye.

After the service we all headed to The Farm, an ancestral farm that has been passed down through the years from Terry’s Great Grandparents. The house is quaint with all of the charm that a farm can produce. There is a guest house that appropriately named the Cozy Cottage, an outdoor patio complete with a hanging bed and antique farm equipment found in the fields surrounding the house tacked up on the walls. Hamburgers were grilled and Iced Tea was made, we all sat around picnic tables’ setup in the front yard underneath shady tall trees.  Kids ran around chased by small happy dogs. There was a tire swing set up and all of the kids had turns flying through the air. Allie loved it!

The next day we all went to a local park set in the middle of corn fields and cow pastures, very different from the parks at home set in between houses and freeways. There we had another picnic with fresh fruit, meatballs and ambrosia salad. I just love ambrosia salad! The park was perfect for flying kites, just enough wind to keep them up but not too much to blow all the food away. A Pirate plane kite, Red Baron kite, and a Bomber kite flew through the air randomly attacking one another. As the food was getting put away the family genealogies came out, these volumes hold family histories going back hundreds of years. So many people and all of them connected, all of them family. As the afternoon wound down dogs and babies got tired and we all quietly slipped away, to homes and hotels.

After a few naps Terry and his cousins decided that they wanted to see a little bit more of the area, so three cars caravanned to the Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls ID, it is an impressive mass of water falling 245 feet over a rim 1000 feet wide. The viewing area for the falls faces west and we arrived in late afternoon. The sun was winking at us over the falls, it was a breathtaking vista.

Ending a great weekend with new family ties we slipped way early in the morning to start the long drive home. We had a wonderful time and hope to do it again soon.

Enjoy all the rituals and natural wonder around you … Right Now!

Oh! Hello Disneyland.

Oh Hello Disneyland … haven’t seen you in a while.

Well, that may not be entirely true but it sure does feel like coming back to an old friend every time we go. I've already mentioned Disneyland in a few other places Black Hole, Best Day Ever, hee hee!  I really cannot get enough of that place and we are very lucky to have an Uncle and friend who wants to go with us every time. Thank you Uncle Tim we love spending time with you and enjoy all of the little stories you have about the place.  

We spent an entire Sunday at the parks. The hot sun beat down on us but I was prepared this time with water, a very BIG sun hat, and a plan to stop at every refreshment stand in site. Last year when Allie was still nursing we went to Disneyland in the summer sun and I fainted. As you all know I have a tendency to faint. It gets too hot, I faint. I don’t drink enough water, I faint. I don’t eat enough, I faint. I don’t eat enough of the right foods, I faint. The sky is blue, I faint. You get the picture. So last year I was nursing and not eating enough and not drinking enough water and it was just too dang hot, so I fainted. I was holding Allie and everything started wiggling. Think to Wayne’s World and the “Scooby Doo Ending” and that is what everything started doing. I quickly got Terry’s attention and shoved Allie into his arms stating, “I am going to faint.” Then I woke up to some women pouring water over me. Now, you may think that this was very nice but really it just made me wet. It didn’t help with the dehydration issue. I need to drink the water to make it work. But they were very kind and helped my butt off the ground, literally I had sat down on my butt and slumped over. I have plenty of stories that all relate to me and my inability to regulate my temperature. This was also not the first time that I have fainted at Disneyland, the first time I was in my teens and we were visiting Toon Town. It was a new attraction and the entire family was there to check it out. I checked out at Minnie’s house. So after those stellar performances I decided that this time there was no need for an encore.

We enjoyed Refreshers at Starbucks, Lemon Gelato at Ghirardelli and the air conditioning in Ariel’s Under Sea Adventure. At Disney’s CA Adventure there is an attraction Redwood Creek Challenge Trail with a new scavenger hunt by Russell from UP. We found Kevin’s tracks, howled like wolves and conquered our fears on the rock slide. Allison loved running and jumping on all of it.

As the day came to a close we went to watch the Aladdin show and then the fireworks. It was a great relaxing and faint free day!

Everyone enjoy your week and remember to look around you … Right Now!