IDAHO SUMMER 2018

We were so glad that we were still able to have our Idaho summer adventure, and thankfully it worked out that we were able to have a long enough stay. And I think this is one of the first times that when we left, Stella didn't cry the entire drive home.

We left the day after Stella's birthday and we stopped off at Maddox for lunch and picked up a pie for Dave and Barb. So we stopped and visited with them first thing. Then we headed to Iona. It was Iona baseball season, so Heidi was pretty busy with all of the baseball stuff and the boys were busy being referees. I don't even remember what we did that night.

The first part of our visit was spent in Rigby watching Cy play basketball. He had games there both Friday and Saturday. Rigby is such a small town so we went to basically the only restaurant there for dinner, but it was tasty. It was right next to this adorable cookie store called The Cookie Cottage and it was closed so we knew we had to come back and visit it the next day. After the games I made Heidi and Wyn go to the one shaved ice place in the town. It was one of my favorite of the year. I got "peach ring" and it was SO good.

Saturday's games were split up by checking out the cookie place, and the cookies were very good. Unfortunately they use sour cream with the frosting so that was a real negative for the cookies and it might have been the low point of the visit. ;) However, our disappointment over the cookies was overridden by Vivi learning to wink and her grumpy face.

Vivi loves to have a book read to her, and Aunt Heidi was reading her books and they started reading a book called Goodnight Gorilla. It is about a Gorilla that breaks out of the zoo and then lets all of the other animals out and then he goes to and old ladies house. Vivi was SO scared of it, and if you offered to read her that book she would look scared and say no and then offer you another option to read to her. So hilarious. It is not even supposed to be a scary book.

On Monday the 25th we decided to make the trek to Bear World. Bear World has officially been open 20 years. And I was surprised to realize while we were there that I was there the first year it was open and it has been that long since I visited. It didn't look anything like I remembered, and to be honest I can't believe it is still there and going strong. It isn't a cheap place to visit, but you can stay as long as you want and drive through the bears as many times as you want as well. So we stayed a pretty long time and it was fun.

We drove through the animal trail first thing and Vivi was adorable as she spotted the animals. "There he is! There he is!" However, nothing made us laugh as much as when we passed the two bears in the little pond who were fighting as bear friends do. "Stop fighting bears! Stop. Fighting. Bears!" It was so hilarious. (Note: She also did not care for the kind of play fighting that the boys do either.)

After our first drive through we went and checked out the baby bears, fed the fish and went to the petting zoo. The petting zoo made Vivi nervous. She did not seem to like it, and later when we went back the second time she told me why. "No like it, poop." There was a good amount of poop everywhere and I can see why that bothered her.

Heidi loves a good petting zoo. It is funny how I learn new things about her as the years go on. She loves petting little deer and she made special friends with one named Sarge.

After petting zoo time we went and checked out the kid rides. The little rides added just the right amount of fun to a visit to Bear World. I got the biggest kick out of the ride with the giant bear that spun around. I went on it once and I have never gotten so much vertigo from a ride in my life. So, that one time was enough for me.

We went through the bear trail, petting zoo, and rides one more time and then we made it just in time to be one of the last people to go through to see the bears before the park closed. Each time we went through we would see different bears and have some sort of fun adventure with the bears, it was great.

On Wednesday the kids wanted to play in the water, so they got out a big plastic sheet to do some slip and sliding, and they made a hot tub by taking hot water from the house and putting it in a raft. It was a nice day to hang out and watch them play.

That night we had the most perfect weather to go to the sand dunes. We stopped off in Rexburg and ate at Cafe Rio. I could not believe how much they have changed everything around the campus. The apartments that I lived in my first year are just gone and it is now a parking lot. And it looks so different around that area that I can't even remember what it used to look like. I wish I did. Oh, they have also gotten rid of where I lived the first year...so it is like my college life never happened.

So we had the perfect weather for the sand dunes. Vivi hated it there last year so we told her that we were taking her to a giant sand box to get her excited. When we got there and she started to play she said: "I love it giant sand box!" And she really did. The sand feels so amazing and it was still warm from the sun and soft and so fun as usual. Vivi loved sliding down the hills, but then she always needed a Gummow boy to help her up. Thankfully they love her and they always did.

We had sand everywhere, as per usual. When I got home to the next day I took a vacuum out to the back seats because it looked like a tiny beach back there it was crazy. It was worth it as usual though because it is so amazing out there. And the sky and moon that evening were so pretty.

We stopped off at Millhollow for ice cream on our way back. Millhollow is one place that has not changed since my college days and I can still get this delicious banana frozen yogurt that I can't find anywhere else. It was a perfect way to end our Idaho visit.

Quote of the trip: We were eating at Panera and Stella and Wyn asked Catcher to sit next to them and she said: "So you want the captain do you?" Killed me.