idaho shakespeare festival

Summer visits with the cousins.

Boise is not really “on the way” to anywhere special.  Consequently, we LOVE anytime family or friends make an effort to join us in our neck of the woods.  This summer, Tim’s sister and her family joined us for a few days in August.  We made sure they got to dabble in an authentic Boise experience.

We of course floated the Boise River, made the short trek to one of the best views in the city at Camel’s Back park, played in the fountain at Ann Morrison park and caught a play at the Idaho Shakespeare festival.  We rounded out the weekend with a trip to Stanley for the solar eclipse.  Not bad for a quick weekend trip.

 

Keeping marriage alive.

Date night.  I used to think there was no way we could pull it off.  Our kids were difficult, babysitters were expensive, we were so stinkin’ tired by the end of the day that doing anything besides hitting the sack seemed ridiculous.  We wasted many years justifying our low frequency of date nights.  Then our oldest turned 11.  And suddenly a whole new world opened up to us.  Tim and I could pay her far less than hiring outside help, but enough to keep her honest.  So date night became a thing for us.  We have a basic rotation of what we do for our dates – a monthly lunch date, an evening at the temple, an occasional game night with friends, movie night at home, a walk or bike ride on the Greenbelt.  My favorite though, and of course it’s the most expensive of the lot, is our season tickets to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.  4-5 plays a summer and we book the tickets ahead of time so that it’s on the calendar.  Works like a charm.  It’s a built-in date night doing something we both love.  Outdoor theater with my man.  Building our relationship one act at a time.  Genius.