What I have learned in seven months of living in Idaho:
1) Idaho is so much more than potatoes. BUT the Boise airport does sells stuffed potatoes and at The Westside Drive In you can get a potato completely made out of ice cream.
2) In the summers, the sun doesn’t set until 10pm.
3) Rivers are a really big deal here. There’s something called the Greenbelt which is basically just a road made for cyclists, runners, and mothers with children in strollers that goes along the river. If you are walking the Greenbelt listening to music, make sure it isn’t too loud of you will get rammed by one of those mothers with children in strollers. They walk real fast.
4) It’s possible to have a clean downtown. Downtown Boise is the perfect example.
5) Driving through Southern Oregon is one of the most empowering and terrifying drives there is. Do not get lost. Or pop a tire. Or get out of your car. You will feel like a rockstar after you drive it, but you might not want to drive it again for a while.
6) There is so many things that go into opening a restaurant. Or honestly, just starting something new. You have go to learn to go with the flow and understand that you can’t make a list for everything.
7) Not just hipster coffee shops have good coffee
8) Some houseplants like a lot of water, others like to dry out completely before you water them. Some houseplants need to be babysat, others are okay with being forgotten about for a little bit. Oldest child vs. Middle Kid Scenario
9) If you are learning violin, sign up for the Christmas recital. If your greatest fear is getting blown out of the water by 7 years olds, you’ll practice. But seriously though, age doesn’t matter when you are learning new things. At the recital, become friends with the 7 year old. They are nervous too.
10) Long distance is worth it. Focus on being best friends :)
11) Chicken is cooked when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. It should not be pink on the inside.
12) That being said, there is nothing you can compare to the versatility of a rotisserie chicken
13) Reading without headphones in a public place is possible, you just have to focus on the words and let the world zone out
14) Snowboarding feels like falling down a mountain. But controlling it. And as you learn to control it, be okay with falling down the mountain.
15) It’s important to build community even if you know you are moving from start.
16) Put the string lights up first. Take them down last
17) Kosher salt is the best salt for cooking because you can use it for everything
18) You don’t have to make perfect cookies. Your friends will still eat them
19) Call home once in a while, let them know you are alive. Because you are so alive here.
20) and when He’s done with you in Idaho, let Him lead you back.