Life in Boise

We moved to Boise at the beginning of August. We really feel lucky that things worked out the way they did for us to end up here. It was so relieving to be leaving Rexburg with a plan and an idea of what was coming next. It was stressful to try and find a place to live though. We wanted to find something close enough to my work for me to walk, and also wanted something bigger than the apartments we had been living in, but not huge since it's just the 2 of us. We came to Boise a couple times to look at houses, and left feeling discouraged that we weren't going to find what we wanted. 3 days before we were supposed to leave Rexburg we found out that we had been picked to rent a little duplex that we really liked. We were so happy! It has hardwood floor in the living room, the kitchen is painted red and all the other rooms are painted fun colors like yellow and green, we have a garage so we won't have to scrape ice off our car, a little backyard, and to top it all off it's a block away from my preschool. It literally takes me 3 minutes to walk to work. We are so happy that we ended up here and are having so much fun putting it together! Here are a couple of pictures of some projects we've been working on.

we found this table at a garage sale

and here it is after a few coats of paint! (p.s. how fun is our green wall?!)

we got this dresser off of Craigslist

and here it is painted, but still a work in progress. I haven't found the right dresser knobs yet.

I'm not going to post pictures of our house because no room is completely done yet, but we're slowly getting there and I'm really happy with the way things are turning out! Ty and I both agree that we appreciate our home a lot more now that we have been putting a lot of work into it. 

We've also had a lot of fun exploring our new city! The first few weeks we were here we would just get in the car and drive around to try and get more familiar with where things are. We spent weekends walking around downtown and taking trails just to see where we'd end up. I still don't feel like I know my way around very well, but I just need to give it time. Yesterday I took the car while Ty was at the Priesthood session and got lost trying to get to the mall. Umm, that's a slight problem. I will never feel at home in a place where I can't find my way to the nearest Target! I'm learning. 

Here are some pictures of things we've done in this new place we call home:

Ty participated in a street ball tournament for work. It ended with a dunk contest in front of the Capitol Building. Pretty cool! 

We've explored our farmers market. so many fun stands and fresh flowers everywhere!

we've given talks in our new ward (which we love),

chaperoned a youth dance, where we were mistaken for youth when we walked in. Thank you?

and we went to a Boise State game! we had a good time, but I will always cheer for my wolf pack!

We also celebrated our 3rd anniversary here in August! We had a fun dinner downtown and went out to ice cream after. It was a great night and I'm so thankful for the past 3 years we have been able to spend together. So much has happened, including this move and new jobs, and I can't imagine going through all of this with anyone else! 

isn't he so cute? I just love him. 

We're so thankful to be here and are so happy to be starting this new phase of life! I'll be honest, it has been a bit of an adjustment. Ty has already been so busy with work and I feel like we barely see each other, but we're figuring out our new schedules and feel blessed that we had such a smooth transition out of college. And so, here we are in the "real world" bracing ourselves for whatever comes our way. Wish us luck! 

The Riverhouse Reunion

I love going to the Riverhouse for Ty's family reunions. It's so nice to see his parents and all of his siblings, and hang out with our cute nieces and nephews too! I love watching Ty interact with all of the kids. He's going to be such a great dad someday (not an announcement)! Here are some pictures we took at the reunion!

We played lots of games, went rafting, played some volleyball & soccer, went to a Pioneer Day celebration, ate tons of food and stay up way too late talking. There's always so much to do when we go to the Riverhouse! I also felt like I got to know the older grandkids a little better this year. It's nice to talk to them and learn more about their personalities. Each one is so different and uniquely their own person; I feel so blessed to be an aunt to so many great kids!

so many kids everywhere!

this is the cutest thing I have ever seen

We also took some family pictures. This part of the reunion is always an adventure and usually involves a lot of crying, but this year I felt like everything went really smoothly and they turned out great!

Ty with his siblings

Ty is the youngest of 10!

Paul and Jenny with their grandkids

The whole gang! 2 parents, 10 siblings, 8 in-laws (one not pictured) and 26 grandkids 

(and one more born just a few days ago!)

I am so grateful to be a part of this family! At times it's overwhelming and crazy to have so many people around, but I love getting to spend time with all of them and getting to know them better. I wish we could see everyone more often. Thanks Paul and Jenny for letting us take over your house for a few days, Can't wait until next year's reunion! 

A Small Vacation

Before going to the Riverhouse for the reunion we stopped in Reno and spent a couple days with my family. We hadn't seen them in a few months, so it was nice to be able to get some time in with them. Too bad Idaho is so far from home. The road trip is just awful sometimes.

in the car, getting ready to leave. we brought my sister home with us from Rexburg too!

sometimes the farmland is pretty. 

always so happy to see this sign!

my mom made this sign for us and taped it to the front door! going home is the best.

We had a great time with my family. We tried to cram a lot into those 3 or 4 days we were there! We went out to eat, spent a day at Tahoe, went on lots of walks, watched my brother play football and just soaked up some good family time. 

dinner at a Mexican restaurant! so good 

I love hanging out with my siblings. I can't believe how old my brother looks in this picture. stop growing up Danny! 

On our way to Tahoe!!

my cute mom

so pretty! too bad the water is so dang cold

Ty, Andrea, Danny, and Danny's friend Isaac jumping off some rocks. I didn't want to go (surprise surprise)

We were also able to go to my brother's football camp while we were in town. Of everything I feel like I've missed since I moved out, watching Danny play football is the thing that makes me the saddest. I can't believe I can count the number of his games I've been to on one hand. I'm so grateful for any chance I get to watch him play because he's so good and I can tell he really loves it. Because my dad is one of his coaches and helps with the game film, we've been fortunate enough to at least watch the film from all of his games. I'm glad we got to watch him in action a couple times before we left! 

I just love the mountains in the background. home means Nevada!

We had such a great time in Reno. Can't wait to go back again!