Sun Valley: The Non-Conference Part

Bruce had a Healthcare Administration conference in Sun Valley this past week, so, seeing this as a perfect excuse for a mini-vacation, I took off work for a couple days, and I went with him on his trip!

So we sent the pup to the kennel for a few days, and on Sunday, we started making our way up toward Sun Valley.  We got to see the early morning sunrise, traversed through Craters of the Moon, and saw vast expanses of nothingness, until suddenly, we found ourselves in a beautiful valley with lush green grass, colorful trees, and towering hillsides.  We knew we had to be getting close.

And sure enough, within 20 minutes, we were in Sun Valley.  That area is completely gorgeous, and we both decided that when we are rich and famous (yeah, right!), we are totally going to have a vacation home in the area.

Bruce spent the bulk of the next 2 days in meetings and conferences, which gave me all sorts of time to explore the area on my own.

I went for a few walks in the wooded areas in Ketchum, wandered through the Sawtooth National Forest, drove into Hailey, went to the Sawtooth Botanical Gardens, took pictures, and enjoyed being away from work for a few days.

Here are some pictures of the beautiful things we saw while there!

Cooper the Wonder Pup!

We put up with a lot from our silly little pup.

So, it seems only fair that he put up with some of our antics as well...

...like putting him in people clothes!

he doesn't seem to mind this one too much.  Probably because he's BatDog.

We also put him in a little red hoodie, which he was less than thrilled about.  But he looked adorable.

Yes, it is a little silly that we treat him like a doll, but I guess that's what happens when you don't have kids.

Facebook Free...sort of

About a month and a half ago, I made a decision that has made a big change on my attitude, at least as far as social media goes.

I was getting so sick and tired of all the crap that was bombarding me online.  The rants, the asinine comments from people, and the ignorance and bigotry that keep seeping in through my Facebook newsfeed.

So, I stopped "following" everyone and everything.

And it has been glorious!

I don't have to see any of the things that drive me nuts, but I can still get notifications, and decide if I wan to check things out or not.  Now that is true freedom.

Epic Summer Recap

So...in case you're wondering, we are still alive.

The break in posts wasn't intentional.  We've been busy off and on since we moved to Pocatello in the middle of May.  And eventually, I plum forgot about this little place.

So, I shall briefly recap our time since May, and hopefully I can get back into the swing of things!

MAY

• The hubs and I moved from Idaho Falls to Pocatello in the middle of the month
• Bruce got called to be the 11 year old Scout leader in our ward (once a scout leader, always a scout leader)
• Cooper graduated from puppy training (but he's still a puppy, and always requires more training)
• We experienced some crazy thunder storms.  The weather here is intense.
• We started work on improving the yard in front of our house...it's a big project.
• Bought a new car

JUNE

• Got the swamp cooler set-up in the house, so we wouldn't melt all summer!
• Locked ourselves out of our car, walked home 3 miles in our bathing suits, only to be locked out of the house...an epic sunburn ensued.
• I graduated!
• We celebrated our 1 year anniversary at Lagoon for the weekend.
• Replaced the old 1950's stove with one that actually cooks things evenly!
• Went to Utah for my niece's baptism and birthday
• Caught a kitten at my in-laws, and was able to find it a good home.
• Had a vertigo relapse
• Bruce got a job as a male caregiver

JULY

• Cooper got neutered and had to wear the Cone of Shame
• Went to Utah for the wedding of Bruce's best friend Joey
• Spent time in Idaho Falls with Bruce's family
• Took Cooper to a lake...determined he doesn't like waves
• Discovered that dog parks are amazing, and now we go almost daily with the pup

AUGUST

• Bruce started his first semester of his last year of his undergraduate degree
• I got a promotion at work
• I took a brief break from the cooking blog.  And Facebook.
• Started getting dental work done...no bueno.
• The Scholes Family Reunion in Lava Hot Springs was a success
• Bruce was super sick (temps around 102) for a week
• I spent a week in Utah at WGU's Academic Meetings

That is a little bit of what has been keeping us busy.  Hopefully we, or rather, I will be better about keeping this updated in the future.

Farewell

Tonight one of my dear friends hosted a small "Going Away" party for Bruce and I with some of our friends.

It was nice to sit and chat with these people that I have come to know and love so much, and hopefully, we will stay in contact, this is, after all, the digital age, and there is a myriad of ways to stay connected, so there is hope!

Even though we have only been here a year, it has felt like home, and it will be sad to leave.  Hopefully we can meet some wonderful new friends where we are going too.

Sugar-Free

Bruce and I are cutting out sweets and added refined sugar from our diets for the month of May.  I have gone sugar-free before, so I'm not overly concerned about the shift.  But I must say that starting the sugar-free journey in the midst of a move is actually not a bad idea, since most of the food is already out of the house.

Here we go!

Boxen

And so it begins...

Boxes are slowly starting to take over the hallway.

It is taking me a lot longer to pack everything than usual, though I am not sure why.  I just can't seem to get the motivation to keep up the steam of packing.

But since we only have about 2 weeks until we move, I really do need to get these things taken care of.