Idaho so far....

 Lots of time spent taking care of the 1 acre yard and flood irrigating!  (It's kind of magical)








Making friends with the horses in the property behind us. (They love apples!)




.......There is a tractor in my garage!...... not sure when I'll get used to this one!



Love the smell of mashed potatoes in the air from the nearby factories....  




Planting a vegetable garden

Garden plot - before any work had been done



Just Planted my first Garden.....I feel so Rural!
Growning, Growing, Growing!

After 1 month!  It's still alive!!!


Strawberries coming in!
Looking forward to Strawberries, Grapes, Apples, Crab Apples, Zucchini, Tomato, Squash, Spinach and Lettuce, 4 kinds of Bell Peppers, Corn and a pumpkin! 

Little baby berries....so cute!













Plans for the summer....

Craters of the Moon National Monument 
Yellowstone
Lava Hot Springs
Bear Lake
Island Park
Fishing 
Camping
                                      


Theme song for the year - Awake my Soul by Mumford and Sons......LOVE IT!



Beautiful fresh flowers from the garden outside

These Peonies were my favorite!

Enjoying those beautiful Idaho sunsets!





If you can't tell.....We are loving our life in Idaho so far!







18 Month Recap!

Whew.....that was one sabbatical. I figure a good update every year and a half is in order!

Colorado Springs in review:

In January of 2011 I got a job working for an Orthotic and Prosthetic company.  I did many different jobs there including front desk, billing and collections as well as office supervisor for 6 months

In February, Brandon withdrew from Radiology School. We felt like this wasn't the right path for us to be on, but it got us to Colorado Springs which is where we're supposed to be - the search continues for what to do with the rest of our lives!

Over Memorial Day 2011, we went camping in the Sand Dunes with our new best friends and their 5 beautiful girls!  It was crazy to be in sand dunes in the mountains at 13,000 feet.



Summer of 2012 was a blast - we had a  Road trip to Grand Junction, Ouray, Telluride, and Glenwood Springs .  We picked up Brandon's sister Kara and her friend in Grand Junction and headed up to Ouray which we always heard was so beautiful.  Rumors were true.  We had a blast hiking, hot springing, and window shopping in the cute town. We arrived in Telluride just in time for the Telluride Film Festival and did some more hiking and soaking up the fun in that amazing and cool ski town.  We ended the trip River rafting in Glenwood Springs.  We saw a lot of Colorado I had never been to before and it really was some of the most beautiful places I've been to.  (see for yourself!)

Beautiful Ouray!
 

A super fun hike

True Grit Cafe - part of the original movie was filmed here

Super cute and posh town of Telluride


Another awesome hike!


Brandon and I spent our 3rd Anniversary at the Royal Gorge in Canon City.   Another place I had never been.  It has the highest suspension bridge in America at 1250 feet high.  It moves with the wind!  It's kind of freaky but was fun.  He also planned a romantic sunset train ride through the canyon.








Brandon also enjoyed some time at the shooting range. 

Doesn't he look so tough?!

The rest of the year was a continuous process of working and being with family and friends. We were so blessed to live so close to family, and they were such a blessing to us in so many ways, and we will never forget the great friends we made there as well.  (Are you catching on to the past tense here.....I hope the anticipation is building!)

2012 started off with a bang with exciting news of a long awaited pregnancy.  We were elated!  Sadly, I did not carry past 6 weeks.  We were devastated at the loss, but still hopeful and looking forward to starting our family in the near future, and are eternally grateful for the love and support of those who knew.

In March Brandon started traveling for some job interviews, and within a couple of weeks he started a brand new job

...........................................................IN.............................................................




................................................WAIT FOR IT...................................................








Right here in between Pocatello and Idaho Falls!


BLACKFOOT, IDAHO!

Population - 11,000;  home of the Snake River, the Potato Museum which houses the world's largest baked potato and potato chip (without a doubt museum worthy!).....

...the Eastern Idaho State Fair park, big open skies, slower pace of life, an amazing sense of community and lots of family and great people to meet and love!


Brandon worked for 6 weeks before I joined him at the end of April.  We are excited for this new adventure and are glad to be close to Brandon's extended family and learn and experience all that Idaho has to offer us during this next chapter of our life!  I'll be better at keeping you up to date of our adventures and minor culture shock in Idaho! (for instance.....I have a tractor in my garage....still not used to that one!)





The Last 3 Months...

September through November in 16 pictures!

Good times at Garden of the Gods - near our house - a very cool place....


(don't you just love the exquisite camera skills of strangers?!)




The U.S. Olympic Training Center is downtown Colorado Springs - also a very cool place!




We drove (yes drove) to the top of Pikes Peak with my parents - Funny story about my dad who's scared of heights....ask me and I'll tell you about it. It was pretty cool - but FREEZING up there for September.



Brandon is 30!


(Homemade cherry chocolate chip fudge cake! Pretty tasty!)


I had no idea that Texas Roadhouse had a saddle on a stool they made birthday boys sit on while they sang - I just thought we'd get a free dessert! Whoops!

Oh my gosh - I turned 30!

Pumpkin spice baby bundt cake - DELICIOUS!


Getting a little undivided attention from my hubby!


It was fun to celebrate both of our birthdays with parents and family. (I almost always get to do this having a birthday on or near Thanksgiving)....but we love being so close to family!

Here we come Christmas....and 2011!!!