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

Fire at The Fetty's

http://www.fox12idaho.com/story/15119814/goody-fire-burns-2900-acres

This "Goody" fire came right up to Jen and Jeff's property out in Middleton.  The firefighters did an amazing job of protecting all the homes.  They evacuated for most of the evening, and returned afterwards to this mess.
I saw these facebook photos go up, and I knew Jen needed help as soon as possible.  I took that next day off of work, loaded my car with a hose and cleaning equipment and booked it out to Middleton.  From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. we hosed, we scrubbed, and tried to laugh rather than cry.  As if that weren't enough excitement, had to call the Fire Dept. again for a hot spot that started back up nearby.  Overall, we agreed we'd much rather be cleaning up fire retardant than ashes.  Removed quite a bit of the red stuff off, however the bill by way of professional cleaners is still going to be quite a big claim.  Crossing our fingers our hard work at least persuades the insurance company to waive the deductible. 

So very thankful our friends are OK, we love you Fetty Fam! 

All four sides of the house were drench by Fire Retardant. 

The siding, patio furniture, the cars, fencing, landscaping - you name it and its RED.

Smells like antifreeze

It looked like the movie Carrie with the prom scene.

It was our hope that if we got it off before the sun hit that side of the house, that it wouldn't stain.  Unfortunately the white vinyl window frames, as well as her beautiful water fountains, and anything else that was porous did just that.

The edge of the fire where it came right up to the neighbor's property.

They lost a shed filled with 30+ years of Christmas and Halloween decorations.

Fourth of July

Mom & Dad drove out from Michigan to spend the holiday with us. 
Toured Mom around the antique shops in Hyde Park and had a delicious lunch on the patio of 13th Street Pub & Grill, followed up by some delicious strawberry ice cream at Goody's.  Also took her to the Saturday Market in Eagle, where we found some nice jewelry and these neat bird houses fashioned out of  Idaho license plates.  The rest of the week was spent relaxing around the house in the warm sunshine, sipping ice tea and grilling on the BBQ.  Phil was excited to spend time with Dad on the Studebaker, they painted the new engine and got it placed in the car.  We also went out on the boat for a night ride, and I took my first swim of the year (finally). 
The Fourth of July itself was nice, we set off some fireworks in the culdesac at the same time as watching the show the Hawk's Stadium put on, Mom & Dad loved it and said "there's something to be said for living in the city". 

Thanks for coming out Mom and Dad, we love you!

Enjoying the shade on a hot & sunny day

Phil and Dad dropping a shiny new engine in the Studebaker

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 Camp 2011

Happy times at Happy Camp

Driving through 2000+ sheep

Kickin' it up at Baumgartner Hotsprings

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

CJ Strike

First camping trip of the year, went to Strike for the weekend with Tim and Di.  It was an extremely windy weekend.  The day before we arrived, three guys had capsized their boat and were rescued after 40 minutes in the water - lifeflighted out.  The guys went out once, but us girls decided it was nice to look at from ashore. 

                                                                      CJ Strike Dam

Full on waves out there, nevermind that thought...