We've been reminiscing about Idaho this week, since we have been in touch with several friends that are there currently. So I thought this was a good flashback for today. (I searched and searched for a picture of us with Lance and ReNee, but I came up empty handed. I guess I was not quite the camera fanatic back then as I am now, when a day doesn't pass without dozens of pictures.)
I can't say that Idaho was our favorite place to live (sorry, Idahoans!). There are things that are stacked against it - it's a Mormon-heavy land, which made it very difficult to fit in, it's not in the South, it was a fairly small town (read: no malls), and it wasn't in the South. Oh, did I say that already?
However, there were some great things about Idaho. We loved the snow, the outdoorsy things (yes, me!) that we never would have experienced otherwise, the climate, and our church. The snow was awesome - powdery and perfect, and it was here that John and I skied for the first (and last) times. Probably our greatest source of fun was the four wheeler we purchased a few months after moving there. It was a blast! To this day, I can smell a dusty road with an exhausty type smell (okay, rather hard to describe) and it instantly takes me back to flying down a trail with the wind in my hair, arms wrapped around John for dear life screaming FOR THE LOVE OF MY LIFE CAN YOU PLEASE SLOW DOWN? No, I'm really only kidding - I LOVED the speed, and for the record, never once asked John to slow down (and probably more often it was the opposite!).
This photo was taken in, I'm guessing sometime in the year 2000. My family had come to visit, and I remember my Dad saying for years afterwards that this was his favorite vacation ever. It was THAT fun! We borrowed two of our neighbor's four-wheelers and took off for a few days, riding during the day and then staying in a little cabin at night. It was SO.MUCH.FUN. If someone offered the opportunity for me to go back to Idaho to go four-wheeling, I'd snatch it up in a heartbeat.
I remember stopping in the middle of nowhere on this day and enjoying a picnic. Seriously smack dab in the middle of nowhere. And I remember seeing lots of wildlife, some a little scarier than others. I remember zooming off and trying to "hide" from everyone on a trail, and then popping out and chasing after them. I remember screaming - happy screams, and lots of laughs and tons of conversation about our adventures afterwards.
I love that John is taking this photo (when did THAT change?). I love that my Dad is waving. I love how happy my Mom looks. I love that Jonathan is just returning from peeing in the woods. No, I'm totally kidding, I have no idea why he's off to the side, but I did just crack myself up. I love that everyone has a jacket on but me. I wonder if John was wearing a jacket? I love the scenery.
I really do love the South, and just about everything about it.
But I hope that Heaven is a lot like Idaho.