Take me out to the ballgame

OOOOhhhhh what a great time we had last night!! I haven't been to a Hawk's game in years, and its tons of fun when you can go with a big group of friends. It was a beautiful night in Boise. We enjoyed cold suds and sodas, pretty painted-on tattoos, ice cream and bouncy houses for the kids, and hot dogs for all!  Thanks to Jacob for the free tickets. 

That special something about ice cream at the ballpark

Giggling with Lilly, she's the sweetest little girl

A sweet ending for me, the designated driver ~ Shirley Temple

New Discovery - Boise Urban Market

I can't describe it any better than the website intro:

"If you thrive on hand crafted, unique, exceptional foods, you have come to the right place!

The Boise Urban Market is a group of food enthusiasts in the Boise area. Our private market is held once a month (or every other month) and is only open to club members. Participants can be sure that they are getting homemade products made with loving and thoughtful hands."

I discovered this event through another blogger I follow, and knew that I had to check this out.  Invited some friends and we had a great time trying out all the different concoctions.  The homemade Limoncello Truffles were my favorite of course.  There was also barbeque ribs done Korean style, this very weird Kombucha tea that some of us liked, fresh salsas, amazing Thai cuisine, and so much more.  Other neat features of the event were the awesome band Jonathon Warren and the Billygoats, and the venue it was held at Payette Brewing Co.

Check it out!!!   http://boiseurbanmarket.com/

Our buddy Will won the door prize, which held treats from most of the vendors.

Heather adorably showing off my Red Lightning Heirloom tomato plant. 

AKA Tom

Happy 30th to Me!

I don't mind turning 30 at all, especially when I think back all that's happened this past decade.  A blessed marriage and home, amazing friendships I've gained, seeing the world, an awesome career, and so much more.  I can't wait to see what the next ten years brings to my world.
For the big celebration, I decided we'd start out at PizzalChik for dinner and drinks.  The owners were thrilled that we brought such a big group of 20+ people, to which they doted on the entire time.  We sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather, live band and always delicious food.  Key lime cheesecake with a candle accompanied a fun Bob Marley style birthday song. Afterwards we moved the party down to our place, which lasted early into the morning.  After all the preparations Phil and I worked so hard on, the house looked amazing and a good time was had by all.  Can't wait to do it again.
And of course we must mention as well, the world didn't end!  Ha!  Although I started to think it was going to when the cleaning company I had scheduled with never showed up or called (beware of Bubbling Express Cleaning), which essentially left me on my hands and knees scrubbing floors unexpectedly before go-time.  But oh well, all the work was done in time and nothing ruined my day, it was absolutely PERFECT! 


A funny gift for the Idaho girl

It's a PizzalChik Patio Partttaayyy!

Heather's gourmet salad

Our first Yurt Experience

Banner Ridge Yurt

Well if spring is taking its sweet time getting here, we might as well go find some powder to play in!  There was plenty of that north of Idaho City this past weekend.  We joined the Stenquist crew for some fun at Banner Ridge Yurt for a three day trip.
The hike in was over two miles with about 750 feet climb in elevation. I yelled out a big WOOHOO once I saw the yurt, I was so relieved! 
We had a great time hanging inside eating delicious food, playing cards and listening to good tunes.  Outside we enjoyed the awesome fire pit the guys dug out for us, as well as sledding and of course, a TON of snowshoeing. 

The 2.5 to 3 mile hike in via snowshoes.  Complete with 20-50 lbs. packs per person and one sled full of delicious home brew and other goodies.

A very cold, but very cute outhouse

Love what Phil wrote on facebook,

and still amazed I was able to lure him away from the snowmobiles for once!  :)

Cirque du Soleil's Alegria in Boise

We went to see Alegria with our friends Jason & Courtney last night, and it was absolutely one of the most enchanting shows I've ever seen. 
Next year they are doing a Michael Jackson tribute tour, and I am most definitely going to try to round up a group of friends to go see it in Portland.

Lam Research Celebrates 30 Years

This September marks Lam's 30th year Anniversary.  For our celebration in Boise, I took the guys Go-Kart racing.  It was so nice to escape the craziness of work for a long lunch and have some fun on the track. 

Left to Right

Shibu, Dave, John, Dana, Am, Jeff, Lee, Mato and Charles

Wow, all in just one Friday

Such a fun-filled night!!! 

We finally found the boat we've been looking for.  It's a 2002 21' Sun Tracker Deck Boat. Seats 10 and gets up to 33 MPH, perfect for pulling behind.  Phil's in heaven with the trolling motor and front deck setup perfectly for fishing. Can't wait to have all of our friends & family out for a good time!

Phil inspecting at the shop, this exterior shot shows the two front deck seats

The interior, gotta love the wrap-around seating and sun tanning deck in back

After our neighbors toured the new boat, we walked down to PizzalChik for a few pitchers of beer and some delicious pizza.  Played some foosball and listened to the great house band.  Love that place!

Our favorite cook, Montana watching Bob & Phil play

Shmoozing on my honey as he was teasing me with those nasty anchovies he loves so much.

After all that, we still weren't done. Caught a cab over to Laura's house to catch her birthday party.  We told her on the way over via text, "Its too late, we're not coming" and then as we walked in sent her another, "Surprise, open the gate woman!".  She loved it and I was so glad that even so late into the night, we still made it over.  It was a great party with fabulous friends!  Phil brought her a very appropriate bottle of wine, "Sin Zin".  Ha!!

Exploring Yellowstone with Grandma July 9-11, 2010