The Exciting Conclusion of Farmgirl's Idaho Adventures.

Or...All the rest of the random stuff I thought I should tell you all about.
Which ever title you want. Either one works.
Here you go, World, the rest of the story--in no particular order.

This is the part I like to call
*Preston Stuff*

An absolute MUST if you ever find yourself in Preston:

Pizza Villa.
Get your self a chef salad.

Do not, I repeat DO NOT forget to order the cheesy bread sticks.
(ask for ranch on the side for your dipping pleasure)

And...a new favorite for me, a fresh strawberry shake from Big J's.
(those of you not in the know--Pizza Villa and Big J's are owned by the same people and are right next door to each other so you can order your Big J shake and enjoy it at Pizza Villa!)
Seriously, they are amazing!!
Thank You, Mother!!!!
My mom and I may or may not have made another trip to Big J's for more shakes
..it's hard to remember.
She was the genius who discovered this little gem. I have been told they are only this good in the summer--so plan your trip wisely.

No trip to Preston is complete without a Kings shopping experience.

Let me tell you why...

Here is a random shelf at Kings.
The items include: glass figurines, vases, scrap book paper, fanny packs, bird houses, magic towels, pens, musical key chain, candles, Dri T shirt, and some very revealing nighties.
Makes perfect sense, right?
Only in Kings, my friends.
Only in Kings.

This is the part I like to call
*Fourth of July Festivities*

If, by some twist of fate you are lucky enough to be in Cache Valley over the fourth-
-spend it in Lewiston, Utah.

First of all, please- try to control your jealousy over our amazing running attire.
Amanda outfitted us once again. Our shirts say, "God bless this Hot Mess".
Amen to that, Amen!
I mean, that's my prayer pretty much every morning!
Life is tough, when you are as hot as we are. ;o)
Let's not forget our crowns to top off our glorious, beautiful selves.
My cute Audrey and my brother Jonathan ran as well, it turned out to be quite the family event.

The celebration started bright and early with the Lewiston 5K Boarder Run. FYI- my parents farm is located just about a quarter of a mile north of the Idaho boarder, the 5K starts at the center of Lewiston and goes to
(....you will never guess....)
the boarder.

The cheering section at the half way mark (the Utah/Idaho boarder) can not be beat.
This is a small sampling of the cousins cheering Audrey-and everyone else for that matter-on.

Next up: the fabulous parade.
Does that seem like a lot of kids to anyone else?
My, my, my---we really are a big group- all those little twerps are my nieces and nephews- minus a few.

This next part is vital.
Head back to my parents house after the parade, hang out, visit, eat, let the kiddos play and on some years enjoy the adult slip and slide.
-unfortunately, didn't happen this year :(
p. s. My mom makes a mean dutch oven full of potatoes. Mmmmm...

See all those kids enjoying the swing set and the wading pool?
See Grant?
He's the kid sitting on the tractor.
His life would pretty much be complete if he could just spend it on one of these.

He might be satisfied for a while with one of these.
My mom was kind enough to let him help mow the lawn with her on more than one occasion.

End your day-O-fun atop the haystack--
where you will enjoy the spectacular Lewiston fireworks show.
I know, the picture isn't great-you get the idea.

And, if you are part of this group you will be joining a firework sing-along.
They will favor you with all the great Americana classics + the Star Wars theme song and last, but certainly not least, you will end the night with a rousing version of "And here we have Idaho".


This is the part I like to call
*Shout out to my fabulous parents*
So, I didn't get a lot of pictures of my Dad.
It's been a really wet spring and beginning of summer. First crop hay should of been a thing of the past before I ever arrived. It wasn't even cut yet. Once it dried out and the farm work was in full swing, he was always willing to take some tag alongs out to the field with him.
Which thrilled me as much as it did the a fore mentioned tag along.
:o)

Ahhh, me Madre.
I so enjoyed hanging out with her.
Thanks for letting me and my posse' invade your life for the better part of a month.
This was quite possibly the best Idaho trip ever.

What can I say?
I just love this place.
It is what makes me...Me.
This place, and all the people there, are what made me Farmgirl.
(thank you Robyn for recognizing it)
And I could not be more grateful.
~
Going home is imperative.
Making sure my children's roots run all the way back to this Idaho farmland is one of the most important things I will ever do.