Adventures in Boise- part 2

 

Day 4- We started this day with breakfast and a walk around the green belt behind our airbnb. 

We went to the Discovery Center with family and it was a big hit, the highlight of the trip for two of my kids. That month they had an impressionist art exhibit (Degas has always been one of my favorite artists so that was fun), fossils, simple physics, space, and a big LEGO area. 

We had a smoothie bowl lunch at Boise Juice Co (100% gluten free + vegan at some locations) where our whole party either chose the peanut butter bowl or the Chocolate Cherry Cashew bowl. Delicious! 

Then we headed downtown! 

 

Maybe it's my dad's construction background coming out but another thing I love on trips is admiring beautiful old architecture. My husband loves this now, too, which is so fun! We point out neat old buildings to each other as we drive/walk and marvel at the craftsmanship differences between then (arches, turrets, balustrades🏰⛪!) and now (tall rectangular skyscrapers 🏢🏬, fast, so we can move on to the next 🤑🤑🤑) 

Our main focus downtown was a set of sister bookstores. Rediscovered Books is a store full of new books and Once and Future Books is their used branch. We did leave the used bookstore with several children's books thanks to Nana. 

We made dinner in the Airbnb and it was a learning experience. The plan was to do Boise Juice Co for lunches and to alternate rice bowl dinners with our hashbrown taco dinner but then we saw a new, clean ingredient veggie burger and everyone wanted to try that instead. It was good (our new favorite, definitely recommend) but it was a lot more work / more time intensive to make those + fries and next time we'll stick to the plan. 

Hubs and I ended our night with two episodes of A Thousand Tomorrows. 

Day 5- We slept in, ate breakfast in the Airbnb, and all went to a park with a great playground. My husband and I enjoyed a Lime scooter date- so incredibly fun! I do recommend these, but I recommend a helmet. You can get going a lot faster than you might think. 

We again had lunch at Boise Juice Co. I opted for the Popeye smoothie but I found it to be so bad it was undrinkable! I'm a green smoothie girl and I add far more spinach and kale than most people but I still found it to be bitter, bitter, bitter. Fortunately they'd accidentally made an extra smoothie bowl so I just had that. Again we all had the peanut butter or chocolate cherry cashew bowl. 

We checked out VIP Games and then got several items from our lists at Half Price Books, a store we enjoyed in Texas. 

This night's airbnb dinner was another I find to be so simple + easy for feeding a crowd- hashbrown tacos! I dumped hashbrowns, salsa, canned beans (drained + rinsed), canned sliced olives (drained + rinsed), and leftover sauteed mushrooms + onions into a casserole dish, mixed, and baked at 350 until nice and warm. In the meantime I steamed broccoli, sliced avocado, and added a thin layer of cashew cream to all the tortillas. That's it! Warm hashbrown mixture plopped into tortillas, avocado slices for those who want them, steamed broccoli on the side. You could easily add meat + cheese for those who want it. 

Uno and Sorry were played and then we said our goodbyes, packed up the Airbnb, and finished A Thousand Tomorrows (loved the show!)

Day 6- Time to head hoooooome! 

We checked out of Airbnb and grabbed smoothies + bars to-go at Boise Juice (three of us had The Original and three had the DragonFLY, both were hits) and began the trek home! 

Idaho books we have loved...

Adults: Before I Called You Mine (Christian) // Beyond (Christian... I feel like this is more of a middle grade/YA book though) // I'll be Seeing You (Christian) // A Promise Kept (Christian)

Middle Grade: Running with Wolves (secular)

Picture books: Beauty and the Beak (secular) // Goodnight Idaho (secular, board book) // The Skydiving Beavers (secular)

Adventures in Boise, Idaho- Part 1

 

We recently enjoyed a trip to Boise, Idaho to compete in an extracurricular event and then meet up with extended family + explore Boise. I always enjoy sharing our adventures here! 

Things that worked on driving days- chatting // music // 90s trivia for my husband and me // Family Feud for everyone (haven't finished every card but nothing inappropriate so far) // Innotab (old hand-me-down I can't even find on eBay to link) + my brother's old Game Boy Advance + my grandpa's old handheld Solitaire game, but during scheduled intervals and not as a free-for-all // foods we brought from home

Day 1- We got into our hotel in time for a late dinner. Settled in and ate, checked out the event venue, read and relaxed.  

Day 2- We started our day with breakfast we'd brought from home but some of the other families at this event said the breakfast was good. We got kids registered for their event and then we took a beautiful riverfront walk right outside a hotel entrance. 

We had to pass a giant chess board and checkers board in a courtyard so of course we played those, too. 

We went back over for the start of the event and socialized with others for a bit (had the coolest conversation with a parent from Venezuela who shared so much of his life journey with us + was stunned to learn that Americans don't typically get a passport unless they're about to travel to another country) and then I took the younger two back to the hotel room for a while. (The littles and I went back and forth for their sake).

We all just ate lunch we'd brought from home and then the littles and I ran to Whole Foods to grab some dinner items. We admired a lot of art on the way and I realized that's one of my favorite things when we travel, seeing the art in different cities and towns! 

We were all so mentally + socially drained by the time the event was over! We had just-add-water soup/noodle snack plate dinners in the hotel room while watching Jumanji since it was playing on one of the channels (we bought an electric kettle just for this trip and wow, highly recommend!)

My husband and I also (finally!) watched the first of six episides of A Thousand Tomorrows before bed.

Day 3- We slept in (needed it!) and lounged around in the hotel room for a bit, ate breakfast I'd brought from home and then took another beautiful riverfront walk. This time we saw people surfing! 

 After our walk we packed everything up to make our move to the Airbnb we'd gotten for the second leg of the trip. We couldn't check in or meet extended family until 4pm so we had time to kill. We started with the aquarium which wound up being so great!  

My girls and I have been doing the TGTB Wind and Waves science unit and they've all been pretty fascinated by the ocean info + loving an ocean science kit on the side. This got them so excited! Some of my kids fed fish + pet stingrays and starfish, and everyone enjoyed seeing all there was to see. 

After that we went to the mall to look for a birthday gift component for an extended family member. We of course checked out all the puzzles and games while we were there. 

The rest of the night went by fast! We met up with family at Natural Grocers to buy food for our meals together, got all set up in the Airbnb, and the kids played Uno with family while I made a super easy dinner for a crowd. 

If you're ever cooking for a big group, I highly recommend burrito bowls. It's so easy to put multiple meal components out and et people add whatever they want to their respective bowls. I cooked a big batch of rice + riced cauliflower as the base and then we put out bowls of options on the table... Steamed broccoli, sauteed mushrooms + onions, pinto beans, black beans, salsa, Pico de Gallo, romaine lettuce, cashew cream, coconut aminos! You could also add meat, cheese, whatever 

After that Hubby and I finished setting up the airbnb, tucked in the kids, and then curled up in bed to watch the next episode of A Thousand Tomorrows and then read! 

Virginia!

My husband had to travel to Ashburn, Virginia for a work trip recently. I intentionally read Virginia books before and during his trip so I could put his photos together with my Virginia book reviews... But then it was during the Canadian wildfires and it was pure smoke so he basically went to the training center, his hotel, and South Block Juice. Plus one Uber ride to Whole Foods to pick up some grocery essentials for the week.

He ate at South Block Juice for every dinner and made his own breakfast and lunch in the hotel... And at South Block he ordered the Loaded PB&J smoothie bowl every single time. Still, I shall share! 

He had a layover in Minneapolis... 

... and brought us home these raw vegan "donut holes" from South Fork (delicious!) 

 

📖Virginia books: All Things New by Lynn Austin (Christian, historical fiction) // Fireflies in December by Erin Valent (Christian, historical fiction... trigger warnings, but man, what a read!) // Vanished by Kristi Holl (Christian, middle grade) 

📖 Books he enjoyed while in Virginia: The Complete Book of Chess Strategy (secular, nonfiction) // Killing Sacred Cows (secular, nonfiction) 

Arizona

This particular trip was focused exclusively on Flagstaff. It was a short trip and the focus was family but we still managed to squeeze a lot in! 

Flagstaff Favorites (past and present): 

All That Dance performances // Bookman's // Brightside Bookshop // Grand Canyon // Jay Lively ice rink // Late for the Train coffee shop // Lava Tubes // Local Juicery // Lowell Observatory // NAU football games, dance, and theater performances // Riordan Mansion // Snowbowl // walking downtown 

Arizona picture books we've enjoyed- Goodnight Arizona (board book, secular) // Grand Canyon by Jason Chin (picture book, secular) // Roxaboxen (picture book, secular)  

I wanted to read some Arizona-based Christian fiction while in Arizona so I got Fire Dancer by Colleen Coble. This book is so full of Arizona, so that part was fun. But y'all, this book was just so dark and twisted! Filled with trigger warnings and lacking much redemption, I strongly recommend against this one even though it's very authentic to Arizona. 

In the past I read Christmas Joy Ride which was much more lighthearted but the Flagstaff descriptions were so wrong that it pulled me out of the story once I got to them. 

I'm still on the lookout for a great Arizona-based Christian fiction to recommend! 

Arizona books on my TBR- Borders of the Heart (Christian fiction) // Brighty of the Grand Canyon (secular middle grade) // A Distance Too Grand (Christian fiction) 

Texas

I've spent a good amount of time trying to figure out what this lovely purple flower is called (grows on a vine) but no luck! // Getting my amalgam fillings removed safely at Transcend Dental in Round Rock (Austin area)- highly recommend!!) // Museum of Texas Tech University in Lubbock // Magnolia Market in Waco // Welcome to Texas // cactus flowers on a cloudy day walk // Mardel Christian bookstore in Cedar Park (Austin area) // The craziest neon yellow mushrooms I've ever seen! Leucocoprinus birnbaumii // Fabled Books in Waco (full blog post here) 

Texas favorites: 

Austin- Always Hungry // ATX Cocina // Wilder Wood 

Bee Cave- Daily Juice Cafe // Learning Express Toys 

Brownwood- Honey Bee Natural Foods 

Cedar Park- Half Price Books // Mardel Christian Books 

Copperas Cove- Library bookstore // Underground Games 

Fredericksburg- Natural Baby + Kids (my favorite!) // walking downtown 

Georgetown- Half Price Books 

Johnson City- Johnson City Coffee Co (which also has the BEST Little Free Library in their outdoor seating area) 

Lampasas- Brooks Park Christmas lights // Mojo coffee // Putters & Gutters 

Lubbock- Mardel Christian Books // Museum of Texas Tech University // Sugar Browns Coffee 

Marble Falls- Hill Country Health // Johnson Park // Miss Lollipop's Toys // Mojo coffee // Putters & Gutters // Tea Thyme 

Round Rock- Transcend Dental! I had my mercury amalgam fillings safely removed and followed their protocol to pull additional mercury out of my system. I am eventually going to put up a full post about my health journey, including the books that have helped me along the way, but I do believe this procedure has been incredibly instrumental. I adored Dr. Chang and the whole staff and can't recommend them enough! As a note- they dont work with your insurance company so you'll have to pay out of pocket and then submit claims for reimbursement. 

Temple- The Book Cellar 

Waco- Magnolia Market // Fabled Bookshop 

Texas children's books we've loved: Goodnight Texas // I Love Saturdays y Domingos // The Legend of the Bluebonnet // Madeline in America // 'Twas the Night Before Christmas in Texas // Opal Lee and What it Means to be Free // The Three Little Tamales 

Texas grown-up books I've loved: Beneath the Seams // The Delusion // Love and a Little White Lie // The Magnolia Story // Miracles from Heaven // Shadow in Serenity // Tacos for Two 

Book-filled vacation

We just got back from a little mini vacation in Lubbock, Texas, and it was so filled with books! 

First, the amazing stack of books we got for $1 each at Mardel, a Christian bookstore. 

This morning we stopped by a Sugar Browns coffee shop and I did morning time at the table while I waited for them to make my husband's coffee + my chai! (I haven't had a chai in 2-3 years and gosh, I had forgotten how delicious they are!) 

(Current morning reads: the book of Luke, Nothing to Prove, Theodore Roosevelt)

4 books I finished on this trip: 

The Dragon and the Stone by Kathryn Butler* (middle grade, Christian)... This fantasy delight is going to be so fun for my kids! It wasn't super deeply spiritual in this first installment but it certainly could be and I'm just happy for the clean read anyway! This is a fast-paced, well-written, engaging adventure that I happily added to our sixth grade shelf. 

Elysium Tide by James R Hannibal* (suspense, Christian)... I'll be honest- the surgery in the first chapter had me feeling quite squeamish. There's some medical description + insensitive talking in the book that was almost too much for me and it took me a couple chapters to get used to the Hawaiian speaking style but this is a riveting suspense fans of detective novels will enjoy. 

Lewis and Clark by George Sullivan (chapter book, secular)... I liked this offering from the Good and the Beautiful Book List, now on our 4th grade shelf. 

Science Book of Volcanoes by Patricia Lauber (chapter book, secular)... This is a simple nonfiction and I liked it just fine. I put it in our 4th grade shelf just because of some difficult names but it's probably about a 3rd-4th grade reading level otherwise. 

* I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Fabled Books- Waco, Texas

My favorite part: you can actually enter a wardrobe, complete with hanging fur coats, to get into the children's section 😍 

Spokane birthday adventure

We checked out Book Traders and Giant Nerd Books, browsed Main Market, ate lunch at the delicious all vegan + gluten-free Boots, found a ton of board games were all interested in at Merlyn's Comics and Games, made trades at several Little Free Library boxes, and got a parking ticket. 😅