Sunday, October 21, 2012

Slow News Day

When I was a teenager, I wanted nothing more than to get out of Idaho. Not because I didn’t like it, or because it was boring. I have great memories of my childhood and would not change anything. I just knew there was so much more out there to explore. I knew college would be the perfect time to broaden my horizons and had high hopes of escaping. However, Ricks College (only 30 minutes from home) offered me a full academic scholarship, and money talks.  So, I stayed in Idaho and made Rexburg my home for one year as I raced through my Associates Degree.  The day I took my last final, I was headed to Seattle. I had $200, a mountain bike, and some clothes. It was there that I got my first real job, met James, bought our first (and second) house, thoroughly explored all the area had to offer, and had all four of our girls. We loved it there and lived life to the fullest in the Pacific Northwest.

Twelve years later, we were presented with the opportunity to move back to Idaho. I was hesitant, but James was excited. He was offered a job as a professor at BYU-Idaho and really liked the idea of being a teacher and leaving the high-stress corporate world behind. He liked the idea of living somewhere where everybody knows your name. I was a bit skeptical for a few reasons. First, the winters. They are long, cold, and snowy; exciting to visit, but arduous to live in. Second, growing up in a small town, I discovered there are also bad things about “everybody knowing your name”. Last (but most certainly not least), I really like good food and wasn’t sure I could survive without Trader Joe’s.

Now, living in Idaho, I love it. I endure the winters and have taken up cross country skiing to pass the time and keep me from hibernating, which would be my tendency. Last fall, I even bought some cold weather running gear and ran outside though most of the winter-go me! The  people are extremely friendly, and I have found ways to keep up the quality of our food by way of a little ingenuity. However, I would like to share the thing I love most about it. The following is a list of complaints I collected from the "Law Enforcement Summary" section in the local paper:
  • Grand theft of elk antlers from property
  • Neighbor kids throwing potatoes at horses (no, these were NOT my kids.)
  • Mama moose and calf reported in neighborhood. Caller worried about kids going to school with moose in area.
  • Moose eating neighbor’s raspberries (This is one naughty moose!)
  • Woman spreading vicious rumors
  • Family down the road disturbing the peace
  • Report of farmer’s trucks speeding through school zone
  • Report of people blowing leaves all over by the Baptist Church
My kids are free to spend a great deal of time outside running, exploring, riding bikes, and collecting rocks and pet stink beetles without concern on my part. They love the outdoors and, for now, are sheltered from the concerns of the rest of the world. I'm sure it won't be long until they are aching to expand their horizons somewhere more exciting...