Idaho Potatoes

So yesterday I was shopping in Wal-Mart by myself and I bought a bag of potatoes.  The label of course said "Real Idaho Potatoes."  As I said the name aloud a wave of emotion came over me and I had to fight back the tears right there in the vegetable aisle.

                                                                                                                                                                                  Idaho Idaho potatoes have a lot different meaning for me now. 

 It's our friends who are potato farmers, It was the potato field across from my house, it was tractor's on the road, it was the entire school dismissed for harvest, ......it was the small town of Aberdeen, ID.    I know we were there only a few years, but they were good years. We miss our country life.

 This morning I walked into the girls room and they were talking about all the things they missed about Aberdeen.  Their friends of course, but also living in the country.  Hattie said "now we just live in a neighborhood, we can't ride our fourwheeler a long ways."  Hailey said, "We can't chase butterfiles for a long ways, and we'll never have a rock driveway again."     

I'm really learing that this is a grieving process, it really is like losing a loved one...saying goodbye to a season of life and friends that you care about.  Just writing about it makes me sad.  Don't get me wrong we are all very healthy, happy, together, Eric loves his new job, we have a nice house, and the kids do actually love living in a neighborhood and riding their bikes around the cul-de-sac..  But it doesn't erase 7 years in Idaho. 

All of our friends from church...so many years and adventures together, watching each other kids grow up. Ten---s, Callan------s, Rein-----s, ....so many good memories.   I think about all of you often.  My kids often mention all of your kids by name & how much they miss them.  This morning Hattie said " I miss all the times we went to campgrounds with K---"....(SURVIVOR).  Me too Hattie.  Me too.  Those are memories we will never forget.  It's like a wound that is hard to heal .  Hard to forget 7 years and just let it go. 

Miss the Tetons.

 Miss going to Yellowstone twice a year.  Miss Snow Skiing.

 Miss our house. 

Miss my good friend and  neighbor and her girls and their sheep and horses.  Miss all my Biblestudy friends (J, C, K, D, M, S).  So thankful that you still make an effort to keep in touch!  (I wish we could all just live close together. Guess that is what heaven is for.)

You are on my mind.  I have not and will not forget! 

(I was telling Eric is seems like the stages of our life will be remembered by the states wehave  lived in.  The Arkansas years will be remembered as the pre-kid years...so many good memories of adventure racing, waterpark, FCA Biblestudy, PGCC, The Shoe....s, The Patter....s, The Euban....s.  And we still keep in touch with our friends from that season of life.  The Idaho years are our pre-school kid years....UBC, Survivor, and all our friends fom Idaho.  The Carolina years look like they will be our kid's Elementary age years.....We'll see after that.  Minnesota is looking like the junior and high school years for our kids.....but who knows what tomorrow holds.) 

The States of our Lives.....Life is an adventure.

The Equestrian

Hattie has been taking horse riding lessons. She has probably been 10 times...these pics are from week 3. We all love it. Such a peaceful setting..and great horses. Definitely money well spent. She has to go catch her own horse, brush saddle, and clean it's hooves all by herself. And then after riding, take the saddle back off, brush the horse again and then walk it back out to the pasture. The horses are very good so she is getting very confident...she doen't realize that all horses

aren't quite that easy. (These are older and ridden everyday by little girls who don't know what they're doing. As she gets better he'll put her on more spirited horses.)

Learning to post. (In English riding there is no saddle horn to hold on to. )

I love riding horses and am wondering if this is more for her or me. The more we are out there, the more I really want our own land and pasture and horse. I was lying in bed this morning on my birthday and thinking what is it that would I really like to do for my birthday. I really want to ride. I think next week I am just going to ask if I can pay & ride with Hattie during her lesson time...she may hate that.

To the Beach

Spring Break! Grandma & Granpa Winter came to visit and we headed to Charleston, SC.

We splurged a little for ocean front rooms, but decided that life is short and it's worth watching the sun come up over the ocean and listening to waves at night.

A little cold for boogie boarding...we did give it a go.

Just right for playing in the sand.

Dad always builds cool sandcastles.Patriot's Point.

Definitely recommend touring the aircraft carrier. I think we spent 3 or 4 hours there.

Who was with us taking all of these pictures. Grandma & Grandpa of course. This is from the deck of the aircraft carrier in front of the bridge in Charleston Harbor.

There is a really cool park under the Bay bridge, with a replica of the bridge for the kids to play on.Tired troops waiting for mom. This was at a really cool water front restaraunt called Reds.