The Spirit of Boise

I often tell people how wonderful it was to live in Portland because it is such a great city.  Last week when Mary and Jackson were here, I was reminded that Boise is pretty great as well!

Jackson loved our visit to the Discovery Center of Idaho. It's small but full of fun things to do.  Our dinosaur crazy boy particularly loved the T-Rex exhibit.

His favorite in the 'hands-on' area was the train set.  No surprise there!

Next we did paddle boats on the Julia Davis Park Lagoon and feed the ducks way too much popcorn!

Jackson liked it much more than his facial expression shows!

I felt guilty about the popcorn when I learned that this duck's deformity is caused by a nutritional deficiency in vitamins and minerals combined with a high level of carbohydrates and sugars - like in the bread people feed them.  He will never be able to fly. Hopefully popcorn wasn't as bad.

Friday evening we joined John, Monica and Isabella at the Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic to see the "Night Glow".  Just us and 100,000 of our closest friends! It was spectacular!

The finale was a combination drone and balloon show that highlighted Idaho.

We loved it!

Of course my favorite part was watching these cute cousins playing together.

I love being a Grandma!  And I'm so happy that Mary and Jackson came to visit!!!

A Little Person

In the time since I saw Isabella in January, she has changed from a baby to a little person with a big personality and I LOVE it!

Now she plays a little video game - well sort of, with help! 

As soon as she saw George's Apple watch she knew to scroll to find something interesting. 

Johnny and Monica are going to have fun raising her as she is pretty opinionated.  She wants to WALK when we go for a WALK - not be in the stroller and not be carried. And she is fast! 

I tried and tried to teach her how to go down our stairs on her tummy. 

She was having none of that...no one else crawls down the stairs so why should she?  She even fell down the last two steps and it didn't phase her!

She loves the park and her uncles, Matt and Scott! 

And her 'cousin' Jackson...who isn't totally sure about her as she keeps taking his toys.  I love this photo bomb picture! 

I know I am totally biased but I think she is pretty adorable! 

Flood

No not another flood in our house, thank goodness!  The Boise River is at flood stage. Homes in a couple of subdivisions are in danger.  Of course those subdivisions are named "Island Woods" and "Two Rivers" so the people did have some hint that they were in the flood plain and I am sure they all are required to have flood insurance.  Having just had a 'water heater malfunction' flood in our Eagle home, I know what a mess a flood can be so I hope the water doesn't rise any more.

Here's the parking lot at one of our favorite restaurants.

Boise has a wonderful path along the river that goes for more than 20 miles.  I don't think this part will be open for awhile.  Trail closed....seems like a good idea when the water is almost to the top of the railing!  Hoping for a slow melt in the mountains this year!

Of Broken Legs, New Apartments and Grandma Time!

About a month ago we got one of those phone calls no parent ever wants to get!

"Hi Mom!  I'm in the emergency room.  I think I broke my leg skateboarding."

And break it he did!  He had a nasty break that required surgery and will mean a couple of months of being 'non-weight bearing'.   George and I did some tag team parenting with Dad taking the first couple of post surgery days and Mom spending the next two weeks helping out.

I think he was glad for the help, food and company!  His post-op x-ray is pretty impressive.  I was amused by one comment after seeing the x-ray on Facebook. "You impaled a comb into your leg in a skateboard accident. Brutal."  I think he is going to set off the metal detectors in airports from now on.

 His scar is quite something too!  Yes this was some major surgery!

 

I'm happy to report that 5 weeks out, he is doing well, healing like the doc would like, and keeping in pretty good spirits!  I'm glad I was able to be there to help.

I also got to be there when John, Monica and Isabella moved into their new apartment.

 

They don't have much furniture yet but we were able to do some 'furniture dreaming' while I was in town!

 

 Plus I got to spend time with Scott and part of that time was out on a soccer field, which still seems perfectly normal!  Also enjoyed a fun pizza night!

 

And of course I relished my 'grandma time' with little Miss Isabella!

 

5 months is a fun age!  She learned to reach for her Moma!

 

And tried her first solid food!

 

Which she did learn to enjoy!

 

She now rolls over, loves books, smiles and makes adorable happy noises!  I love that sweet girl.  She is pure joy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes We Are Soccer Crazy!

The U-16 team Scott has helped coach this spring won the Idaho State Championship which qualified them to play in the Far West Regionals.  This tournament is for the champions of states west of Colorado - ages U12 - U19 girls and boys.

The location of the tournament rotates among the states.  When Scott played in Regionals we played in Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Washington, and Colorado.  This year the tournament was in Boise again so George and I decided to drive over to watch his games.

It felt so normal to be back at Simplot Fields watching youth soccer!

I've watched hundred of games but this was the first time I've seen this....

Pre-game Scott discovered a boggy area right in the middle of the field.  When he reported it to the referees, they agreed that it was a dangerous situation.  A broken leg waiting to happen!  The grounds crew came out and dug out the mud and tried to fill it in. They suspect that a sprinkle head failed to pop up so all that water was under the sod. Even with this work, it was still considered unsafe, but luckily there was an empty field right next to us so we just switched over to that field.

Astute soccer fans - notice anything amiss in this photo?

Yep, the other team had 2 number 16s!  We never figured out how that happened.  The officials should have noted it in their check-in procedures.  Oh well! The club could have complained more because it certainly smacks of ref incompetence.  Were both #16s on the roster?  We'll never know for sure!

Scott's team tied one game and lost two games. We still are so glad we went to spend time with these two guys enjoying the sport we all love!

We also took time out of watching games to check out the new Meridian Temple.

Its location on a bluff overlooking the valley is spectacular.  What a wonderful blessing for this area!

We love Portland but we sure love the Boise Valley also!  

State Champs

Scott has been working hard for the last few months coaching a high school soccer team in Boise. And they won the Idaho State Championship!  1-0!!!  Way to go Coaches Scott and TJ and Timberline boys!   Also the team won the Academic State Championship with an average GPA of 3.73.  I think that is quite impressive!  Smart group of young men!

We are so glad that in September we made a quick weekend trip to Boise to see the team play.  I still find myself wondering when Scott is going to go in the game!  My eyes are immediately drawn to the tall blond kids!  Years of watching for my own tall blond soccer players is ingrained in my brain!

George and I were particularly pleased to read this in the Idaho Statesman:  

During its three game tournament run, Timberline’s great advantage was ball movement and superior possession in windy conditions.  Its talented and technical midfielders smoothly interconnected with strong, calm defenders and aggressive forwards. Every single player was a difference maker at various points during the tournament.

We like to think that Coach Scott had a hand in training the boys on 'ball movement and superior possession'.  He certainly learned that style of play during his 5 years of playing  in Spain. And he was definitely a talented and technical midfielder himself!!

Just wish we could have been there to celebrate with him!

Education Week 2014

We've known each other and been friends for almost 26 years!  I loved being with this great group of friends.  Our children grew up together and we've shared all kinds of experiences over the years.  We've enjoyed many years of BYU Education Week as young moms, moms of teenagers, and now for most of us, Grandma years!  I love this group of women.  They make Education Week extra fun!  A few highlights:

• I realized that when I met this group of women I was the age that Mary is now.  That seems impossible to believe but it is true.  Several of us have daughters that age.
• Attended 30 classes and took 94 pages of notes.  Last time I went to 36 classes and took 116 pages of notes.  Fewer classes, fewer notes but I also have 220 photos I made of the power point slides of several teachers.  Don't know what I'll do with them but I have them.
• Only made 5 goals and I've already completed 2 of them.....the two really easy ones!
• My roommate Jan and I stayed up WAY too late every night and regretted it every morning but there was just too much to say! Felt like we were college girls again. At least it did until we had to drag out of bed in the morning!
• I walked 38.3 miles.  (I love my Fitbit)
• First rain during Education Week in all the years I've been there.  And it wasn't just a little rain.  It was a LOT of RAIN!  
• Favorite tried and true speaker - Michael Wilcox. His topics this year were "Defining Femininity - Portraits from the Scriptures " and "The Way Back to Heaven: The Power of Being and Becoming". 
• Favorite new speaker - Shad Martin. He taught a great series on "Basic Training for Gospel Teachers: Simple Fundamentals to Help You Reach Those You Teach." I got lots of ideas for my year of teaching teenagers at 7:30 a.m.
• Confession time - I ate 8 Mint Brownies and 1 chocolate chip cookie with ice-cream, plus I ate at Chic-Fillet 3 times!  Amazingly I didn't gain any weight.  The 38 miles must have helped with that.
• Another confession - Jan and I rode the shuttle from the Conference Center to the Wilkinson Center.  We weren't planning to.  The driver stopped and asked us if we needed a ride.  Did we look like exhausted elderly ladies?  To him, we probably did but Jan had run a marathon a few days before and I still walk with vim and vigor....at least I think I do.  Taking the ride gave us more time for shopping and eating anyway!
• Enjoyed a fun evening with my Sister-in-laws Tammy and Katherine and niece Jennifer.  Started with drinks and appetizers in Richard and Tammy's Tree House/Gazebo and then went to a new Indian restaurant. Always fun to catch up with family!
• Heard an Apostle, David A Bednar, speak on social media and its potential for good. Truly Facebook, twitter, and blogs are fulfilling the Biblical prophecies to spread the gospel to all the world.
• Funny moment in one class - Shad Martin was ending his session and said something about "young and old" and just as he said old he looked directly at ME.  I leaned over to Jan and whispered, "Did he just say 'old' and look at me?"  Bad thing was that he heard me and said, "No I didn't just look at you and say old."  Well, actually he did look at me and say 'old' but he was going to say it anyway....he didn't look at me and THINK 'old' 
• Jan and I already have a plan for Education Week 2015!  Can hardly wait!!!!

The Graduate

Matt graduated from Boise State University on Saturday!  Happy day!  There were more than 2000 graduates....that is a lot of names to read and a lot of people to get their diplomas!  The whole thing took about 3 hours but we wouldn't have missed it!

Matt has worked hard and overcome lots of challenges to make it to graduation.  His Dad and I are so proud of his perseverance and dedication!

Matt's advisor is the professor in the orange.  She was instrumental in his success.  George and I were  happy to meet her and thank her for being a mentor to our son.   She is on sabbatical but came back to see Matt graduate!  All professors should be like her.  The other professor taught Matt and also taught me when I took a Spanish class at BSU.  Can't believe she remembered me!  She is also a excellent teacher.

Matt and Scott have been a great help to each other this semester.  I'm glad to see the way they support and love each other.  They have become close friends.  We all missed Johnny and Mary and wish they could have helped us celebrate!

The BSU class of 2014 is the first to have this giant shiny B to use as a backdrop for graduation photos! 

After the festivities the guys 'enjoyed' a round of golf.  I'm never sure if 'enjoyed' is the right word for golf!  It can be a frustrating sport. 

I enjoyed driving around in the golf cart watching them and being reacquainted with the beauty of Boise!  So different from Portland but beautiful in its own way.

I do love those wide open spaces!

So congratulations Matthew Walter Lewis! The best is yet to be!  To quote Dr. Seuss, "Oh the places you'll go......".  Hopefully one of those places will be back to Barcelona sometime soon!