1. River views during spa treatments
It's my blog, so I get the first spot on the list! My peeps definitely know how much I love my spa treatments, so it's probably no surprise that I found my new "mother ship" of spas on our very first week here. I had driven by the spa several times and noticed how serene it looked with its river location. So, once we got the last of the main boxes unpacked on week 1, I washed away my moving blues with some treatments. The spa is so gorgeous, with lots of great treatments, but my favorite part are the views! While you get a mani or pedi, you are facing the Boise river... such a serene setting this winter. Score Idaho.... pedis with a view.
I have to be fair, so Dave gets the next spot. And, of course, all of his peeps (and mine too) know just what an avid fisherman he is. So much so that this hobby is going to get two spots on our part 1 list. Unlike any other fishing he's ever done, Idaho takes the concept of the "fishing hole" to a new level. If you want to find a place to fish, plan on spending a lot of time deciding where from a very long list. As an example, this is a board (well only one-half of the board actually) of the local fishing conditions in the closest, major fishing spots that is posted in one of the sporting good stores near our house. Choices, choices.
3. Saturday morning skiing
Prior to moving to Idaho, Dave and I had been on two ski trips together. One back in 2000 and another in 2002. So, 10 years later, having three ski resorts within 90 minutes of our new home, we dusted off the old coat, cloves and ski pants. For Dave, he picked it right back up and got in about 12 runs in 2 hours this past Saturday morning. We'll save my experiences for another blog. Suffice it to say that learning to ski at 39 isn't easy, and my hiney is pretty sore from my Saturday experience. However, what's great is that we really felt like we probably wouldn't get to ski much more in life, due to having to make it its own vacation. The idea that we can head up to ski and head home in the same day and enjoy it as a regular old weekend activity is still so bizarre in such an awesome way. (Now if I can just work on my balance.)
4. Road trips to the mountains
I'm still getting over the fact that, as I sit at my desk, I can see a mountain out my front window. When we drive around town, especially after a few days of fog or an inversion, it's like seeing them for the first time again. I hope I never adjust to having mountains right here near my home, and we've taken full advantage of it. As I've mentioned on previous blogs, The Arringtons have a cabin at Cascade Lake (about 72 miles from our house in Eagle), so we have now enjoyed two road trips to their home for a weekend of mountain fun. Here's a self-portrait we attempted on a stop during our Friday night trip. You can see we're having just a little bit of fun.
5. Hiking with a view
I am so excited about the opportunities for hiking in our immediate area, in the mountains and in short-day trips. Even during the winter months, we've been able to do a little bit of "beginner" hiking. The exercise and the challenge are fantastic, but nothing really tops the views. I'm sure I'll be writing about my hiking excursions in future blogs... seems like the possibilities are endless.
6. Wildlife at your backdoor
Our wildlife in Allen, TX consisted of mainly neighborhood wild rabbits from the fact that fields had been cleared off for new housing developments (oh, and the occasional squirrel). To compare, when preparing for our Idaho written driver's test, there was a whole section on wildlife having the right of way! So, I think we're in for a treat. Just this weekend, Sydney met some new friends at the cabin in Cascade. They hung around long enough to even get a snack from Justin.
As we made our pros and cons list for moving, one of the major pros was being able to actually experience four seasons. I was particularly excited about seeing a real Winter. After two months of being here, I'm loving the Winter scene, and I love even more that I can actually put away a season's clothes and move on to the next one without the back and forth. Thank you Idaho for letting me wear my coat, gloves and scarves on most days, and not have to work in shorts and flip flops too.
8. College town culture
Living in a college town has definitely had its perks regarding event opportunities. From live music to plays and specialty shows, it seems like every week is full of unique opportunities to do something a little out of the ordinary. To celebrate Valentine's Day this year, Dave and I are participating in the Boise Classic Movies series. A new movie is chosen each month and shown at a classic theatre downtown that is nearly 100 years old. We hear this is a good one, so I'm anxious to check it out (hankies in tow) tomorrow.
9. All-season fishing
I warned you that fishing would have multiple slots on the list. :) Not only are there lots of places to fish, as I mentioned before, but there are opportunities for fishing year-round. This has certainly been fun for Dave, who has a second home at Cabela's, as he has excitedly purchased lots of new fishing accessories for new kinds of fishing. Who knew that you actually need 5 poles for ice fishing, special stands, oh and a slush scoop, but I digress. All the frozen lakes are providing tons of great ice fishing. After all the planning and set up, he is actually catching some fish too!
10. Winter accessories
As I've mentioned in earlier blogs, it sure has been fun to load up on winter boots, hats, scarves, coats and actually use/need them. I quickly learned that my Texas coats might have looked good, but they weren't very realistic for keeping me warm. A couple of shopping sprees later, we're well outfitted, and I've even enjoyed some special gifts from friends to keep me warm. Thanks Nancy!
So, 10 reasons down, and I haven't even mentioned the food! Stay tuned...
Thanks for sharing your new adventures!
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