Boys' Weekend and Sunday Drives ...

Well, life has been a bit hectic around the Fox Casa, so I'll be catching up on two weeks for this post. Our Winter Wonderland continues here in the Northwest; we've actually had some pretty chilly temps. Things are warming up this week, however, and our sunshine (and mountain views) have decided to return. It's a little crazy how quickly we have adapted to the weather, and a return to the 30s has felt downright toasty. But, alas, it wasn't so toasty last weekend, so we'll begin there.

While I traveled back to Texas, Dave took Justin up on an offer to go ice fishing up on Cascade Lake where the Arringtons have a cabin. They had single digit temps, but being the avid fishermen that they are, they were not deterred. Before I left last Saturday for my plane, Dave was hurriedly packing just about every piece of warm clothing he has in anticipation of the weather.

For day 1 of fishing, they used the sled to get their supplies out to their fishing spot.

The temps had been so low, the ice was 14 inches thick, requiring some elbow grease to set up their fishing holes.

Set up and ready to go ...

Obviously the boys needed some supervision, because, for day 2, they decided to use the Rzr as their mode of transportation out to the lake.

Despite the cold temps, the weekend's stories proved that fun was had by all, and ice fishing is definitely being added to Dave's long list of new hobbies. We need the three car garage just for fishing poles, supplies, backpacks, tackle boxes, etc., but I digress. :)

With the family back together this weekend, and friends and family members planning visits over the next several months, we decided to spend some time this weekend doing some research at our closest ski resort, Bogus Basin. Since the the temps warmed up and roads are clearing up, we decided to test out the 4 wheel drive and make our way up the mountain. Bogus Basin Ski Resort is actually only 20 miles away from home, but thanks to the mountain roads and elevation changes, it's about a 50 minute drive. And, wow... was it ever worth it.

After checking out the views and the tubing hill, we took a quick self portrait before heading to the lodge.

We were able to take a quick hot cocoa break and watch the skiers at the main lodge. Dave was very disappointed to be there without his skis.

We were thrilled to learn of such a wonderful place for skiing and tubing so close to home! Buses actually leave several stops in the Boise area and head up the mountain all day on the weekends, so we're anxious to head back up soon for some skiing. I've also added snow shoes to my wish list; there were several gorgeous trails we saw on the way up. We're ready guests ... buckle your seat belts for some adventures!

Let it snow ...

Happy Friday everyone! We're wrapping up a winter wonderland week here in Eagle. The Texans got a good taste of snow this week. It's been beautiful and definitely a change to experience and navigate around.

Our snowy week started with an unusual drop in temps last weekend. We just had a little leftover snow on the ground, but the highs were in the teens and 20s. We didn't let the cold weather deter us, as we were anxious to get started with this book, which I received as a Christmas present.

We're still newbies, so we decided to start small and headed to the Boise Greenbelt to start one of the first recommended 5-mile trails. The scenery was beautiful, and we even saw a huge, beautiful owl hanging out near one of the bridges. Since there was no wind or humidity, the cold was really tolerable, and we managed a five mile walk around the river. This is a pic from one of the breaks that someone who's name may or may not start with a D insisted we take. :)

After checking my Garmin, I was pleased to learn we burned about 800 calories. We remedied that in about 30 minutes by visiting one of the super charming coffee houses downtown for a post-walk treat.

After our weekend fun, we got a real surprise when the snow started on Tuesday. We ended up getting about 4 inches total that day, followed by another 2 or so yesterday. Here's our view while we were out and about driving yesterday.

We've learned that Sydney is a snow bunny extraordinaire. She has been endlessly begging to go outside, so she can hop and dig around in it. This is the result AFTER we've tried to towel her off. She could make her own mini snowmen.

I had to join in the fun last night a bit myself.

As we're figuring things out, Dave has learned all about snow shoveling, and we've certainly made use of our new utility room accessory.

As the first full week of January comes to a close, we have made it through what Idahoans call "heavy" snow. We also are official and have our new Idaho driver's licenses (even had to take a new written test), and we're continuing to drink in the beauty. This is a sunrise from this week before our new snowfall. Here's to cozy sweaters and waterproof boots (thanks to Jenny!)

Holiday in the mountains

Happy 2013 everyone! Wrapping up 2012 proved to be a doozy for the Foxes, but we're thrilled to continue our new adventure in the new year.

After finally unpacking the last of the boxes and getting settled before Christmas, we were able to enjoy the holidays with a little rest and exploration of our new home town. Justin and Cindy had us over for their family celebration for Christmas Eve. It was fun to hear the native Idahoans tell us all the places we need to visit first, and the food and games were a blast. Everyone made us feel so welcome.

For Christmas Day, we decided to get out into the town a bit and hike around the river. We were in for a surprise as we learned of the true beauty hidden just off the main streets here in Eagle. We started with this view, just while driving around town to our hiking spots.

We found a great trail just off of Eagle Rd, and we ended up hiking around the most beautiful scenery of the river, the river rocks lining the banks, and the mountains in the distance. We also came across some beautiful homes, and their backyards faced the river. I told Dave to tell these people they are living in my house, and they need to get out soon.

Here's just one of many awesome views we had that day.

After a few days of work post-Christmas, it was time for our next holiday adventure. The Arringtons invited us to spend the long weekend at their lake cabin in Cascade and partake in some winter sports. We dusted off our ski clothes and jumped at the kind offer. We were ready for some snow!

Cascade is located in the mountains about 90 minutes north, and the Arringtons' cabin is right on the lake. The drive up was spectacular.

Once we got settled in, we headed straight for the ski slopes. Brundage Mountain is located just 30 minutes from the cabin in McCall. The town is spectacular, and the ski resort was a perfect blend of great trails but not huge crowds. Justin, Cindy and Dave took off for their trail adventures, and I took off for a beginner's lesson. :) My instructor, Gary, has been teaching for 35 years, and he was patient and kind and really re-introduced me to skiing in a way that makes me can't wait for more. It was a beautiful day on the mountain (and I only fell once).

We headed back into town with weary bodies and enjoyed a yummy Mexican dinner (yep, can't take the love of Mexican food out of the girl).

For New Year's Eve, the girls did a relaxing day in the cabin while the boys went ice fishing. Dave loved his first experience out on the frozen lake, and they caught quite a few fish. Here's Justin and the ice fishing set up.

We also learned just how much Sydney loves the Winter weather. She had a great day running around on the frozen lake and in the snow outside the cabin. She was definitely the biggest snow bunny of us all.

Our last stop before heading home was tubing. What fun! We spent two hours trying our hand at every type of configuration. Dave and I even tried belly first down the hill together. Here's a view of the hill.

Now it's back home and back to reality. We learned that the activities in Idaho for Winter are abundant, and I also learned I need some waterproof boots. :) We're looking forward to a happy 2013, and let's face it, if these two can get along, there's hope this year.

Lotion and Hot Tea

Hello again. What a long and productive week we have had as Idahoans. I am sitting in my cozy new living room, fire blazing, and some snow flurries just started outside the window. What I'm not doing, thank goodness, is unpacking boxes! That's pretty much what our week has been like. But, first things first. What has the new place been like for our first week? In a word, amazing!

As I mentioned in my last post, the truck from Texas arrived on Tuesday. The entire day was pretty much dedicated to unloading, and thanks to the complicated inventory involved in a cross-country move, there wasn't much work we could do to unpack while the unloading took place. By 9:30pm, our bellies were full of Dominoes Pizza, our floor space was covered in boxes, but every last thing was unloaded and accounted for. We basically dug up our bedroom linens and crashed. Seriously, would it ever end? Wednesday morning we were also pleased to learn our Jeep had also arrived to its new home. All Fox possessions and family members were now present and accounted for.

Well, four days and countless hours later (while working in the midst of everything too), every last box has been unpacked (well, except those in the garage we hope to ignore for the next year), and we are officially settled in. Everything arrived unscathed, but one kitchen item (R.I.P. Southern Living tray), and after about 4 trips to Bed, Bath and Beyond, 1 to Home Depot and 2 different grocery stores, and what feels like 14 loads of laundry, we are returning to a somewhat normal routine. (Seriously, has anyone out there had to start completely over with everything in the fridge and pantry -- beating).

Here's what everything looked like on Tuesday night when the movers left.

Here's what it looked like by the end of the work week.

We are both settled into our new home offices too, and I even treated myself to a new desk. I think this is going to be a super cozy place to work.

We ended the week by celebrating a little and enjoying a nighttime view of Boise's Christmas Lights by helicopter. What an amazing experience. It felt like a perfect end to a long week.

Next step: closing on the Allen house next week (please cross fingers). Oh, and of course, preparing for a lifetime supply of lotion and hot tea. My new town is accelerating my appreciation for hydrated skin and hot beverages. :)

Merry Christmas!

So the adventure begins ...

It seems like there is no time like the present to dust off my love of writing and chronicle our new adventures. I'm a blog newbie, but I thought it was worth a shot. There's lots ahead that we'd like to share with family and friends, and I know as we get settled, these early days will fade in our memory, so a lovely "journal" to look back on sounds like a good plan. I hope to post fairly often and include pics.

Frantic Friday was upon us more quickly than we expected, which was both good and bad. Our house had gone on the market on November 1, and a mere two weeks later, we had an offer and had to put a plan in place for our move, our new digs and everything in between. It was a blessing and a curse. The good news is that we pulled it off. After double-digit trash trips, over-flowing giveaway boxes, a garage sale, 2 trips to Idaho, loads and loads of packing, about a million phones calls (not to mention a pretty nice, multi-faceted project plan.. if I do say so myself), and our final friends and family goodbye dinners, we were ready for our final days as Texans. Those days moved FAST, and before we knew it, we were waking up on Friday morning in a local hotel, bags packed, with our compass headed Northwest. After seven years, here is a little of our final views of 1813 Flint Ridge as we said our goodbyes.

Next stop: DFW airport. Yeah... not our favorite part of the whole adventure, and this was something we'd been dreading for a while. We made it through security and safely to our gate, with a little time to spare. So far, so good.

Two flights and 6 hours later, we landed in BOISE! The kiddos were a dream, and all our travel was smooth and easy. We rented our car and headed out into the cool air; we'd finally made it. As we fell into bed that night, I think we were both operating on adrenaline and not much else, but we did fall asleep with a relieved smile.

The agenda for our first full day in Boise was to get the keys to our rental house and explore our new neighborhood. As we excitedly got ready and headed out, what we didn't expect was the sheer beauty of the view waiting outside the hotel doors. The snow-capped mountains were breathtaking. The air was crisp, and it felt and looked like winter. That moment was amazing and has been a theme for our entire first weekend. As we drove to our new house, the views continued. I don't think we blinked much on the first day.

The rest of the weekend has been a blur of exciting new discoveries. We learned we have some of those same mountain views from our house. We have a quaint neighborhood backdrop, and all our expectations have been surpassed. We immediately launched into the Christmas spirit, and as we plan today for our belongings to arrive, we feel so grateful that this project came to fruition.

Now, there's unpacking.... ugh. You can see that Sydney is ready to go and has her priorities in order.

Until next time!