the idaho farmer - the series

s.p.r.i.n.g. 2012

WHISPY

SPRING FOREST

LAYERS OF SPRING

DAYS END

JOURNAL NOTES:  coming soon

headed east

We took a ride to Driggs last week to have the car serviced - I always love going there! While the car was being serviced, we took a walk! We hopped on the walking path off to the side of the highway and walked and walked for over an hour! We almost made it to Victor - not the best idea because we had to walk back to Driggs! The day was amazingly warm for the beginning of April. Justifying our long walk, we visited Pendl's bakery for a treat - for several treats and totally 'undid' all the miles we put in - but ohhhhhh, so worth it! My 'oh-so-favorite' treat is NUSSNACKER and my second favorite is FLORENTINER. However, everything is just amazing. I remember traveling to Sun Valley when Bob was coaching and visiting their bakery there and was blown away then they moved to the other side of the state and opened shop in Driggs. Love! IF you travel that way, you HAVE to stop and chill.

Then we headed up the road to Alta, Wyoming - the road to Targhee. There's a little spot there I love more than anything . . .

A big part of the area is surrounded by a beautiful pond filled with geese and other wildlife . . .

It has the 'best' view of the Tetons . . . .

It's a cemetery! It's where I told Bob I want to be buried because look at the VIEW you would have on resurrection day!!!!! This little headstone broke my heart as two little children rest there back from pioneer days. Life must have been hard back then as these little ones did not live long lives. I love the inscription written below - it 'screams' FAITH.

We ran into a hawk that just sat and looked at us for the longest time - then, decided he'd had enough!

We had a great day and we got approximately 14,500 steps in THANKS to our long walk on the most beautiful day ever!

spring has sprung

I've taken some 'down-time' and, of course, regret doing so as SO many things have happened around here! Sometimes LIFE gets in the way - oh well, life goes on for sure.

We're doing GREAT - 'spring has sprung', day light savings day has arrived (love, love, love) and the trees are budding. We usually get unexpected snow-storms from time to time - and I'm sure we have a surprise or two left before summer sets in. I love this time of year - there's a 'newness' about everything that is really exciting. You have to live through a winter in Idaho to truly appreciate good weather. This year was an exception as we had very little snow and cold weather as was the case with most of the country. This was the first year since moving to Idaho that I did not miss winter - I loved the bare roads and mild temps which tells me I wouldn't mind moving to a milder climate. I still love the slow-paced life and open spaces however but you know, there's nothing like a good old blizzard!!!

We had some family-drama that smacked me upside the head about three months ago. Things do happen for a reason and one person involved is moving on and healing beautifully, I'm happy to say.

I'm still taking photos - haha - surprised? I came home from a meeting a week ago and Bob said, "Guess what?" I'm always afraid to ask, "What?" But this time it was a great surprise! "Jerry called (BYU-Idaho) and wants to buy another 20 photos for the college!!!" Not a pretty visual - but I was jumping up and down for joy - at least my spirit was - actually, I must confess, my spirit was doing flips!!!! That makes me pretty happy. I will keep you posted on the outcome. Jerry said something to the effect that they have been 'stealing' some of the other photos and putting them around to fill in bare-spaces and thought many of the new ones would be hung in the testing center - but, don't quote me on that.

We've been out taking photos since the temps have gotten warm and we ran across some amazing places - one in particular that I'm especially excited about - a "antique car graveyard"! Stay-tuned for some exciting scenes from our next adventure! I can't wait.

I do have to share an exiting blog post from my son Tyler. It made my heart happy to read it! 5 years ago he suffered a stroke at an early age and has been fighting his way back ever since. He's always kept a good attitude about what happened to him but reading this post confirmed in my mind what a strong and positive person he truly is! When he told me about this experience, I encouraged him to write it down - it truly is uplifting and discovered he's a really good writer as well! Click HERE to read!

Be back soon! COMING SOON: UPDATE HOLLYWOOD - GRIF'S BIG INTERVIEW!

just a thot

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

HAPPY b.i.r.t.h.d.a.y. TYLER . . .

valentine's day - 2012

YES, it's Valentine's Day and time to get busy . . .

This is dangerous for me - baking and chocolate and sugar . . .

Okay, just ONE chocolate/cherry . . .

What Valentine's Day is all about . . . but come to think about it, everyday should be about LOVE . . .

Oh yummmmm, come to think about it, these are one of my favorite cookies - peanut butter . . .

Got an extra BIG cookie sheet from Bob not long ago (so big, it doesn't fit in one of my ovens) and bakes a lot of cookies all at once . . .

This ONE I saved FOR YOU . . .

Bob loves Adele so I bought him her CD so he can listen in his car and office - trying to convince him iPod is the way to go - but still is not converted . . .

Getting ready to head over to Grandma's with some sweet treats and a few gifts for 'my valentine' . . .

I'm NEVER ALONE - Bella, my assistant, just waiting for me to drop anything so she can taste-test . . .

All done and I only ate a fewwwwwwww (they'll never miss them!) . . .

We had a very simple and quiet Valentine's Day - Bob working and when we finally checked out some eating-places, they were FULL so we headed to Taco Time (yes, you heard it) and had pulled pork burritos! Shortly after, my Valentine showered (and I mean showered) me with gifts! Who said Christmas was over!!!!!

I heard of a few families who lost loved ones today - makes me sad and MORE thankful than ever to have my special family and friends close AND to never take them for granted!

Hope you had a wonderful day!