I am a born Californian, and I am proud of it. This makes it hard to live in North Idaho (or anywhere in the state, for that matter). Idahoans don't look too kindly at us Californians — insisting we have stolen their jobs, ruined their economy and otherwise taken over their great state. You hear things like this all the time — mostly from people who have never had a job, don't know what the word economy actually means or have never been outside their own state. Okay, maybe that is a little harsh, but I get a little defensive about my home state, even if dear Arnold is running it into the ground.


I will always be a Californian, but I think, after about 10 years in the state, I am entitled to also being an Idahoan. After all, I did marry someone who has spent his whole life here. So, shouldn't it be like U.S. citizenship? Maybe I need to get a green card of sorts.


This brings me to the actual topic of today's blog post — the Idaho Passport Policy. There isn't one, but there should be. I often feel I need a passport to come to the northern part of the state. The culture here is so different from anywhere I have ever lived.


Exhibit 1:

Isn't this the greatest thing you have ever seen? No need to go into a Walmart, wait 20 minutes at the gun counter to get the attention of the man with the mullet (who has ignored you because you're a woman and a woman doesn't belong in the gun section, but at home baking cookies for her hunter-gatherer) to get you some worms out of the little cooler next to the ammunition. Now, with just a little cash you can purchase your bait from a soda and snack machine outside the gas station. This is by far the best invention ever.


I have decided to continue to document other evidence of why people need a passport to visit this amazing and beautiful state. Further exhibits of this evidence will follow in the days to come.

Jon and I finally got to go camping all by ourselves this last week. Jon's parents took the kids and we went up the Coeur d'Alene River to Graham Creek. It was so nice to be somewhere quiet. We got to fish and go on a 10 mile hike. I was not catching a thing in the river so I finally convinced Jon to go to Steamboat Pond, where I caught a fish almost everytime I cast out my lure. It was so fun. You could see the fish all chasing after your lure all at once. We also saw a river otter and her two babies, a turtle, and a bald eagle.





The last day of camp a deer went right through our camp and stood there watching Jon cook breakfast. It was really cool. With our Vanagon it is so comfortable to go camping. Jon and I put down the Z-Bed in the back and sleep in the van while all of our gear goes into a tent.

At night Jon and I messed around with the exposure on our camera and took some pretty cool photos with a lantern and the fire. We came back a little earlier than we wanted to because it started to rain and it was pretty wet. After it rains there are hundreds of gigantic snails there. Jon and I gathered a few for a photo shoot.







Next month Kyle is going to Scout Camp and Moira is turning 8 and getting baptized so we will have a busy month. Not to mention that Jon and I both start at the University of Idaho on Aug. 25th. Yeah, I will finally finish that degree that I have been working on forever.

I will blog soon about our new hometown of Moscow, which is turning out to be fantastic. We really love it here.

Well we have finally settled in enough to go camping. So this last week we ventured towards Elk River and the Resevoir to camp. There is a nice little camping spot there right on the water. We swam and fished, and had s'mores. It was a lot of fun, but the kids are exhausting. Jon and I went fishing, and Jon caught 4 fish right in a row. I caught one the first day and one the second. I was so excited, even though the fish weren't real big. The kids loved the water, but not the mosquitos. Maggie claims that she has 36 bites and Kyle has 29. The rest of us escaped with just a few.

Pictures will come later!!!!