Vaya con Dios

Exchanging a flurry of photos from Christmas with family. A month later, we're all busy with new routines and activities, but it's so sweet to look back for a moment and celebrate the time we had together. It's rare for us to all come together, but this year we were all under one roof at Mom & Dad's in southern Utah! I love this photo taken by our friend Onur who also joined us for Christmas this year.

Every two years will not be nearly often enough, but I'm so thankful that the Boogaards got to come home for Christmas this year. Here we are hiking at Snow Canyon. Today, they leave for Indonesia to continue their life and ministry there. The kids will be a lot bigger when we see them next!

Job hunting

Opportunities abound on Craigslist! Top three on  my list?

      1) Teach ESL to students in China in the evenings (their days).
      2) Be personal assistant to an eccentric businessman who needs help running an unnamed    ministry; odd requirement:  meet at local coffeeshop daily at 6 a.m. to discuss work and upcoming projects.
      3) Bookkeeper/office manager for any variety of local businesses.

Other fun options include: 

afternoon help at a local goat farm,

wine-tasting room attendant at the 3 Horse Winery,

Uber driver, part time Spanish teacher at private school, and the list goes on!

Trying to find one that won't interfere with our busy home-renovation project will be the challenge. But I'm excited about the possibilities!

Heart full

We began this journey two and a half months ago, with our big wagon packed for the road and the many adventures ahead.

We visited family in Georgia, North Carolina and Utah before making our way to Boise. I'm so thankful that we got to see ALL of our family--opportunities like that are rare and definitely worth the long trip.

We're thankful for every moment, and all of the things we got to see and do along the way--what a beautiful country!

Bonding

Most people do not have the relationship with houses that Scott and I have. Perhaps we're unusual or a little bit strange, but we get really excited about the houses we live in. The level of intimacy we have with our home(s) after countless renovations and weekend warrior projects is a sort of bonding.

So, we are extremely excited about meeting our new home on Monday!
After a grueling--but speedy--escrow period, we will finally have access to the house that is our next project; for a year, or more...

We have thought long and hard about how we will tackle the renovations ahead; we have researched the products and finishes we will use and imagined how potential buyers will view the house when it's time to sell.

But mostly, I'm imagining how our belongings will look in this house. They arrived yesterday! It was exciting to see them again, the few things that we decided to ship 2500 miles across the United States. We purged a good bit before the move, yet there were still a few items that made me think--we paid to move that? But overall, the boxes of photo albums, the dining room table that hosted dinners and game nights, the chest of tools that has crossed the continental U.S. twice and even traveled to Mexico--they're all carefully stored nearby and ready to move into our new home!

I'm imagining how our pets will love the open floor plan and loft, how Snickerdoodle will enjoy the large, low windows to look out and watch birds and squirrels in the yard; how Dulce will love all of the nearby trails for walks, runs and bike rides; how we will have plenty of room for grandchildren and other family to visit in the future!

We are ready to begin a life with our new home in Boise!

Calm

So, I'm not going blind; at least not yet! Thankful to know for sure though :)
The keeper of medical records was so apologetic, chalking it up to careless billing/code entry mistakes (made once and then repeated at my second visit).

Nothing like a little health scare to put everything into perspective. Nothing really seems like such a big deal now, which is good, because our loan underwriter is really getting a little carried away. You need us to pay the state of MS to dissolve our business there? No problem. You want us to terminate Scott's contractor's license? Ok...  You need us to sign more papers stating why we chose to open a local checking account... Are you sure you're not getting a little obsessive? Granted, there are a lot of new rules and regulations since 2008, but some of them feel a little impractical. And every new change or needed document means one more day added to the process!!! We just don't want to draw this process out... #soreadytomovein!

And to think, TV is one of the things we have to keep us sane; could it get any more ridiculous?
This whole Trump/Megan Kelly thing is getting out of hand, and with one more Trump show down (or no show?) at the debate Thursday night means we'll be hearing about it for a good while longer. Thank goodness for Downton Abbey.

Business

We are going about the business of getting things done. Signing papers, setting up accounts, planning the first phase of renovation on the home we will shortly inhabit, exercising, making sure our animals exercise, making calls and establishing a new life and business in a new place. It's hard to remember what we've done from day to day because it's never the same, but it's always a bunch of somethings.

Today we had a nice talk with Molly who is helping us close on our house. After prying through the 2" of paperwork on the desk, she complimented me on managing to find everything they've needed so far--since our current personal "office" is literally a box of files. Our life, neatly compiled and labeled in a set of files that fits in a Walmart box. Everything else is drifting along an interstate somewhere, neatly packed in the back of an 18-wheeler, hopefully to arrive around the time we move into our house. It may never be this simplified again.


This afternoon, we walked along the river enjoying the sunshine on a peaceful winter day. When we arrived three weeks ago, the river was mostly frozen over with drifts of snow piled high. Now, it is running freely, teeming with ducks and mallards and a few fly-fishermen in waders.

We're trying to enjoy these slow afternoons, with time to explore and enjoy all that Boise has to offer. We'll have a routine soon enough, and whatever else life brings our way.

Blindness

My greatest fear? losing the ability to see. My grandmother was legally blind, and while I loved spending time with her, taking her on walks, going out to lunch, helping her choose books on tape (one of her greatest joys because books were something she could enjoy in the long hours she was alone in her small apartment), I feared ever being confined in the way that she was by her lack of sight.

I suppose there are greater things to fear, but the personal insight into the limits that blindness place on a life were very real to me at a young age. My grandmother was a very independent woman and her blindness took that completely away from her. I really can't imagine too much worse; it's been a phobia of mine for years.

So today, it hit me hard when I found out that I apparently have glaucoma. Or it could be a total mistake. But there's no way to know; not yet. After taking my online wellness assessment, the new interconnectedness provided by online medical records allowed me to view the most recent reports from doctor visits I have attended. How could I have been diagnosed and not been informed? Yet when I called my doctor's office, the medical records representative confirmed that I seem to have glaucoma. He told me how shocked he was that I wouldn't have been told of or received treatment for this diagnosis.

I'm still in shock.


I don't want to go into complete panic mode until the doctor has had a chance to explain this situation, but in the meantime, I can't stop thinking about how blindness would affect my world. There are so many things that I enjoy seeing, and doing, with my sight.

 I saw this today:

Psalm 1

One of my life prayers: 

 

 

Psalm 1

 

Blessed is the one . . . 

. . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree

planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

 

(v.1, 2-3)

 

Climate contrast

While we've had several snowfalls since our early January arrival, the weather has been overall pretty comfortable. We love waking up occasionally to a couple of fresh inches of the powdery stuff, but with daytime temps reaching the high 40s most days, it doesn't last long. Meanwhile, the mountains surrounding Boise maintain their snowy white caps.

Demonstrating the versatility of climate in the Boise area, today we drove from a mild-winter day in Boise to deep snow in Idaho City--less than 40 miles away. It was a beautiful drive, cruising up the alpine highway, following a mostly frozen stream with snowed-in cabins nestled deep into the trees.

(Here we are sitting on the front porch of an Idaho City coffee shop, snow piled high along the roads and buildings. Brrr!).

After a coffee break and some huckleberry truffles, we headed back down the mountain, leaving the snow and cold behind! We stopped along the river to let Dulce run (and swim) along the shore. As always, she was quick to make friends with the other canines enjoying the beautiful afternoon.

Tour de Boise

Boise prides itself for having miles and miles of bicycle trails and lanes throughout the city and along the Boise River greenbelt that connects Boise and its bedroom communities.

One of the things we looked forward to most in moving here was the opportunity to bike to shopping, coffee stops, the library, along the river and even out into the foothill trails north of the city.

Of course, it's also one of the easiest ways to tire out the energizer puppy. She's worked her way up to 4 miles, and she's no longer bouncing off the walls!  :)

We'll all be a little more fit thanks to a new biking lifestyle!

Basquelandia

The Basque province is the northernmost region of the Spanish mainland, and is extremely picturesque with misty green fields and simple shepherds watching over their pastoral lands. It is a bit of an isolated province--because it falls precariously between the once competing countries of France and Spain, in the more challenging landscape of the Pyrenees Mountains.

The Basque people floundered between Spanish, French and self rule for centuries, and often enjoyed unique privileges of self-government which eventually drove a bit of a wedge between the Basque people and the rest of  Spain who eventually took control of this distinct province. While they celebrated a unique culture and language in their isolation, this special privilege led to mistrust and dislike by the surrounding Spanish provinces and overarching government.

My fascination with the Basque region of Spain began in college. It was during an art history course I took, while studying in Sevilla, that the unique people and culture of this area really captured my attention. I've read more on their tragic placement in Spanish history in recent years, and it's a powerful story, full of the complexities and drama that frequent a strong sub-culture set within a larger one.

Picasso, infamous for his dramatic and misshapen portrayals of people and things, created an unforgettable scene with his painting Guernica. In it, he describes the deep betrayal, prejudice and atrocity against the Basque people during the Spanish civil war in 1936. It is a response to the bombing of Guernica (a Basque village) by German and Italian warplanes at the request of the Spanish Nationalists. Pablo Picasso, a Spanish artist, called attention to the horrific act by having Guernica displayed at the 1937 World Fair in Paris and around the world, and his black and white mural became one of the most moving and powerful anti-war paintings in history.

Ironically, Picasso--already a world-famous artist, had been hired by the Spanish government to create a mural for the World Fair. That he chose to use such a platform to call out the harshness of Franco and the Spanish Nationalist leadership shows courage and integrity on his part while bringing shame to the rising power that ultimately strangled Spain for the following four decades.

While Franco's regime may be credited with unifying the country of Spain, he passed harsh laws aimed at wiping out the unique cultures and languages of minorities like the Basques. His treatment of these "traitor provinces" essentially abolished any remaining autonomy they had.

Because Guernica had left a mark on me at a young age, and because I have enjoyed and celebrated Spain and its rich culture and language for over 20 years, I was excited to learn that there is a strong Basque presence in Boise. The largest, in fact, of any other state or city in the United States. So, Scott and I immediately set out to experience a little taste of this presence. Yesterday, we visited the Basque Market in downtown Boise for fresh paella at high noon. Every Wednesday, the market cooks a pan of fresh paella--a smoky, rich dish of rice, an assortment of seafood and other savory meats, and vegetables--on the patio. They also serve a variety of tapas inside; a smorgasbord of small Spanish-inspired dishes.

Originally, I had imagined that this unique Basque utopia had been born out of the migration that would have likely occurred after the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s. However, I now know that the Basque immigrants who came to California and Idaho in droves were coming mainly in the early 1800s in search of silver and a fresh start.

Mary Colter

Last Christmas, I read a good bit on architect and designer Mary Colter (1869--1958).

I think she was really ahead of her time in so many ways, and I love the way she used her buildings to tell stories and inspire others. Her work, combining the efforts of local artisans and her own anthropological efforts, is truly art on a grand, though-provoking scale.

Scott and I have visited several of her works, including (my favorite) La Posada in Winslow, AZ and her three Grand Canyon masterpieces -- the Watchtower, el Tovar and the Hopi House trading post.

For my own inspiration in our upcoming renovation, I'm recording a few of the notes that I found most interesting. Perhaps we'll incorporate a little bit of her genius into our work!



MARY COLTER,
ARCHITECT OF THE SOUTHWEST
 (by Arnold Berke)

• She possessed a special genius for interpreting the past to create new buildings and interiors that, with their striking forms and fanciful atmosphere, have enchanted generations of travelers crossing the American Southwest.
• MC was an exceptional person who pioneered both as an architect and as a woman.
• Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter was an architect and interior designer who spent virtually her entire career working simultaneously for the Fred Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railway. The two companies worked in tandem, using Colter's innovative designs to help make the West pleasurably accessible to travelers for whom it was starkly but alluringly new.
• Colter designed buildings not just to lodge, feed or otherwise serve these travelers but also to entertain and engage them; she invariable sought to delight the eye and occupy the mind. Her works are beguiling stage sets rooted so masterfully in the history of the region that they seem to be genuine remnants of that history.
• Well-educated and employed as a teacher for years in her early adulthood, Colter remained a lifelong student of art history, natural history, and human civilization. Through her buildings she conveyed that learning, like a teacher, to the traveler.
• Her buildings emerge effortlessly from their sites, and even when new, usually affected a look of age ...  Colter's enduring charge was to delight and comfort the traveling public.
• Colter was the quintessential practitioner of the Arts & Crafts movement (LF McClelland).
• Pioneer in architecture, she left her mark in the architectural world, national parks like the Grand Canyon, and railroad town throughout the southwest. Her story intertwines with the Harvey Girls and Fred Harvey, the Santa Fe Railway, the Arts & Crafts movement, and in presenting the Native American/Indigenous style to travelers.

Mid-century Modern

Scott and I are preparing to do a mid-century modern renovation. It's exciting; it's different; a new challenge. Chip & Jojo did one recently, and they knocked it out of the HGTV park.

We're beginning to gather intel online--the greatest source for inspiration :) We did buy this side table today at World Market along with a TV stand featuring wood and metal barn doors! I'm really loving that combination.

Features in the house we plan to love working around are:  those great wood ceilings (with the skylights, Ramona!), that cool wood-burning stove and the very vintage contemporary vibe the whole house seems to naturally exude. It's very James Bond sipping a martini at a ski lodge.

La Casa!

So we wasted no time finding a house! After almost 2 months of nomadic living and travels to visit family and friends across the U.S., Scott and I were so excited to finally arrive in Boise on January 2, 2016. We settled into our cozy little airbnb house near the downtown (on a cold 20-degree snowy day) and began a fierce round of house-hunting.

Learning the local market was a little disappointing; our financial limitations led us to some scary flip options--including the 30-year smoker house, the very scary basement house, and the stripped bare house. On day two, we found the perfect flip--great bones, cool architectural features like stacked rock on the exterior, and lots of potential! And then we got into a bidding war. We chose not to win. Welcome to the Boise real-estate market.

Our eyes were quickly opened to the reality of our situation. We sold our home in Yazoo City for $70/sq ft. Fully renovated. After waiting three years for a buyer. In Boise, the pace is a little more rapid. We were looking at homes that were selling for around $100/sq ft--needing complete overhauls. And if we didn't make a quick offer, the house might be gone a few days later.

Then Scott found it online--the perfect house for us! A great lay-out, lots of character and when we went to see it, we fell in love with the location. While we were touring the inside, 3 more cars drove up to see it. We wasted no time making a full-price offer; within 24 hours, we had a signed contract!

Now we are planning the renovation while we wait out escrow. Although we'd originally planned to flip for a few years, we just may decide to make this home for a while...

Churchsick

Being homesick is a pretty common thing to experience during a huge life transition, but I hadn't thought too much about being churchsick. Sometimes at night, I wander down the halls of our house in my mind, visiting favorite spots, meandering along the pathways in the garden during a favorite season, sitting on the front porch with a cup of coffee during a summer rainstorm. I will miss all of those things, but on Sunday mornings I really miss seeing the people we've come to see as our church family over the many years in Yazoo City. The hymns we sang most often, the gorgeous flower arrangements one of our talented church ladies had created  -- often in commemoration of one of the people who have touched our lives through the many years there. To share a history with a community of believers is a special thing, and while we are excited about finding a new church family, it's a bittersweet thing.

After months of being in transition, we are eager to build relationships with new people and especially with a body of believers who will share our faith and be a spiritual encouragement to us while we find ways to serve within that body.

     Since they were talking about serious matters, Dahlia decided to get Berlena's take on another subject that had been much on her mind lately. "Berlena, do you believe God is like a tree?"
     "A tree?" Berlena thought for a minute. "Yes, a tree that is strong and graceful. A tree that has many large, shady branches that provide shelter to those who come seeking rest from a harsh world. He provides for us--the way a tree provides fruit for nourishment and kindling for our fires. But I think that I am more inclined to see God as a stream, and we are the trees--drawing our life strength from Him. He connects and refreshes us all." Thinking for a moment, she added, "Like a tree, we suffer and become weaker and more sickly the further we grow from the stream."  (Desert Rose)

Park the dog

One of my favorite things in this journey so far has been the social aspect of ..DOG PARKS (of all things!)

The concept is brilliant; build a park and they will come... The introvert in me never would have guessed that replacing my quiet, solitary walk -- with Dulce in the woods -- with afternoons at a park surrounded by tons of people and their dogs would be one of my favorite things. But it is! We meet new people every day.

We have visited dozens of parks along the southern states of America in the past 2 months, and with each visit, our timid puppy (she's part pit, but mostly part scaredy-cat --we always say) has blossomed into a social, friendly dog who jumps out of the car and runs toward the casual grouping of people and their dogs at the park near our house. Dulce immediately introduces herself with lots of sniffing and tail wagging and quickly finds at least one dog who will run and jump and play with her for the following excited moments. And while she runs and plays, we laugh and chat with the wonderful genre of people who frequent dog parks -- a unique and delightful breed themselves!

We have learned about the best places to eat, shop, find custom cabinets, worship and live... based on casual discussions we have had with people who share our daily routine composed around afternoon exercise for our canine children. Another unexpected blessing to be thankful for!

(Below:  Dulce and her friend Chloe at Morrison Memorial Park in downtown Boise)

Les Bois!

Trees have always held a strong significance in my life--for their beauty, their usefulness and the strong symbolism they represent.

When I was a counselor at Camp Soaring Hawk in the summer of '94, the camp director "Uncle Bob" challenged us one night to sit out and contemplate the role that Christ played in our life. As I sat alone under a large tree in the quiet darkness that early summer evening, my faith became real to me in a way that has shaped my life ever since.

Since then, I have enjoyed the scriptural references to trees--as life, health, security; I have celebrated the symbol of my personal faith in Christ in many ways--by hanging various forms of "the tree of life" on the walls of my home, by referencing the scriptural significance of the tree of life in my first novel and other writings, and by enjoying time among the trees as much as possible. I truly feel closest to God when I am alone in the woods.

When Scott and I moved to 20 Woodlawn, I loved that the property was hidden in a forest of trees. A hedge of tall magnolias hid the house from the road below; several large majestic coastal oaks graced the front yard; other specialty trees like the golden Ginkgo, a mature Japanese magnolia and the blood red Japanese maple heralded each season with their magnificent colors. 

Walking along Woodlawn was my favorite daily ritual--down to Barbour lake, the path surrounded by tall, fragrant green trees. It was restorative--this daily pilgrimage--even a form of worship that allowed me to commune with God uninterrupted.  

Leaving Woodlawn was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It had become our home, a sanctuary, and the place we had poured our heart and hard work into.

Scott has his own story of why he felt God was calling us to leave Yazoo City and go to Boise, but for me it was more a step of blind faith, submissively following my husband because I had no reason to insist that we stay. I was never afraid of the move, but simply chose to focus on living life in the present--in Yazoo City, trusting that God would find a way to confirm our decision to leave--in a meaningful way--when we finally arrived in Boise. As always, He didn't disappoint.

The day we drove to Boise from my parents home in southern Utah, I pulled up the history of our future hometown. Accounts differ about the origin of the name "Boise," but the stories most accepted hit home for me. The first account tells of Captain BLE Bonneville of the U.S. Army and his exploration party who had trekked for weeks through the dry and rough terrain of what is now southern Idaho. When they reached an overlook with a sweeping view of the Boise River Valley, a French-speaking guide--overwhelmed by the sight of the verdant river--yelled, "Les bois! Les bois!" ("The woods! The woods!"), and the name stuck.

Another account tells of the early mountain men, French-Canadian fur traders, who arrived in the 1820s to set their trap lines. Set in a high-desert area, the tree-lined valley of the Boise River became a distinct landmark, an oasis dominated by cottonwood trees. The men called this "La riviere boisee" which means "the wooded river."

I love that we have come to a city named for the beautiful sight of trees growing abundantly along a life-giving river. If I believed in omens, it would be the best kind! Instead, I choose to thank God for giving me this very personal, symbolic reminder of the life we have to look forward to--knowing that in Him, the true Giver of Life, we can grow and produce good fruit--if we remain fully rooted and established in Him.