Monday January 27, 2025
Dear Diary,
Good morning God,
- Thank you for this day.
- Thank you for hot springs.
- Thank you for the Holy Spirit.
- Thank you for my church family.
- Thank you for love.
- Thank you for an abundance of everything I need.
I love you!
I awoke at 3 AM. I played wordle and connections and wrote my blog. I put on a sleep meditation and slept more from 5 AM to 7 AM. I got up and let the dogs out and listened to positive affirmations while I made myself tea and a smoothie. Angel woke up and I made her breakfast. She ate while I cleaned up the kitchen.
We left to drive down to the valley to spend the day with my mom. On the drive we listened to Nancy Drew. When we got to Weiser, I stopped at Valley Fruit and Feed. I had seen on Facebook that they were selling flats of strawberries for $12.99. I went in and asked if they still had them. The owner of the store whose name is Maywen said that they did and took me back into the cooler. I bought 2 flats and she gave me a $1.00 discount. We chatted and I asked where she was from. She said Thailand and I told her that’s where the really good durian grows. She was surprised that I knew what durian was and told me that her family has a durian orchard in Thailand. Oh my!! I want to go visit her family!! I asked her if she ever went back to visit and she said she went a couple of years ago. We chatted some about harvesting huckleberries here in Idaho and other things. Then I got back on the road.
At Fruitland we went across the Snake river to Ontario, OR. to return some items to Home Depot. I showed Angel the sign that said we were entering Oregon and she thought it was amazing that we were in another state. I returned the items and got a refund without any issues. Then I went to the grocery store and bought some pineapples, carrots, apples and oranges. I plan on making juice with it all, including the strawberries I bought in Weiser.
I showed Angel the Idaho sign when we went back across the river. She’s used to living in central Texas where it takes hours to get to another state. In Idaho, we live we are right along the Oregon state line. I like shopping in Oregon because there’s no sales tax.
My mom didn’t answer the door when we got to her house. The door was unlocked, we went inside and found her in her sewing room. We hugged hello and figured out what to do the rest of the day. We were going to go bowling but the bowling alley was booked full with leagues all day. So we decided to go swimming at Givens Hot Springs. I had not been there for years and was excited to go, not just to swim but because of the drive there. It’s out near the Owyhee mountains and I love the Owyhees. The mountains are in the high desert and they have a rugged mysterious energy. There’s an old mining town in them that you can only access in the summer months called Silver City. The town has no electricity and is run with generators. I’ve stayed in the old hotel there many times. I love that place. It’s a ghost town that’s still alive. Just thinking about Silver City makes me want to go on an adventure in the Owyhees. Here is a nice article about the Owyhee mountains:
https://peakvisor.com/range/owyhee-mountains.html
The drive to the hot springs was fantastic. We passed Lizard Butte above Marsing, Idaho. Then we entered Owyhee county and followed along the Snake river. With the river on one side and the Owyhees on the other, the views were incredible. Idaho is so tempestuous and beautiful. It’s good to be home.
We arrived at Givens Hot Springs. It was much nicer than the last time I went there. It used to be all enclosed but I heard a few years ago that the roof fell in. That might have been for the best because it’s much nicer without a roof. Unlike Zim’s, the dressing rooms aren’t heated but the water was nice. Angels played with some kids her age while my mom and I soaked. I swam a lap to one end of the pool and back to get my heart rate up, then I stretched and floated on my back, fully relaxing my body.
We swam for about 45 minutes and drove to long way back to my moms, crossing the Snake River at Walters Ferry. Walter’s Ferry also has an interesting history. I thought this was a great write up about it:
So many memories were brought back driving up highway 78 and crossing Walters Ferry bridge. My dad had a favorite fishing spot along the Snake River between Walters Ferry and Marsing on the other side of the Snake River. In high school, one of our youth group advisors took a few of us teenagers out exploring in the high desert below the Owyhees with his jeep. The jeep broke down and he had to leave us kids and walk for help (before cell phones). We were out in the middle of nowhere and he had to walk miles to get to a house. (There’s a lot more houses out there now than there was back in the 80’s). He didn’t make back with help until after dark and I remember him being really worried he would get in trouble with the church for having to leave us all alone in the middle of nowhere for hours. I don’t know if he got in trouble or not but us teenagers thought it was a great adventure…or at least I did. I think I was born with an adventurous spirit.
We left to drive back up to New Meadows as soon as we got home to my mom’s. I wanted to get back to let Lucky out. Her owners said that she is ok being alone long periods of time but I try not to. We listened to Nancy Drew on the drive and watched an amazing sunset. Lucky was happy to see us when we got to her house. I let her out and gave her treats. She played with Bits while I fed Angel dinner.
After brushing our teeth, went to bed early. I read Angel a chapter of The Princess and The Unicorn. Then I put on a sleep meditation and we went to sleep at 8:30 PM.
Tuesday January 28, 2025
Dear Diary,
Good morning God,
- Thank you for this day.
- Thank you for my mom.
- Thank you for hot springs.
- Thank you for sunshine.
- Thank you for mountains.
- Thank you for peace.
I love you!
I awoke at 5:30 AM. I let the dogs out and put on morning positive affirmations. I made myself tea and a smoothie. I woke Angel up and fed her breakfast. Then we drove to Council so I could clean the bank before it opens. On the drive, Angel told me a story she had made up. It was a good one. I want to write it down later.
Angel did her schoolwork at my sisters while I cleaned the bank. When I got done, Angel was finished with school and playing Minecraft. My sister left to go to work and Angel and I stayed at her house until it was time for jujitsu and Bible study. I used that time to write my blog. I sat on the bed upstairs to do my writing and the dogs Huckleberry and Bits laid on the bed around me.
I received a message that jujitsu was canceled. So when it was time, Angel and I walked to women’s Bible study together. Angel played in the children’s classroom while I met with the other women. Bible study was fantastic. We talked about fasting which I have a lot of experience in doing and know a lot about. Fasting allows the body to heal in amazing ways. We also talked about discouragement and faith. I really enjoyed it.
When Angel and I got back to my sisters, we walked to the thrift store. I found a small dresser that will fit into the closet in my camper. It cost $2. We walked to get my truck, got the dresser and took it out to my camper. On the way, we stopped at the library and picked up Angels jujitsu bag that she had left there last week.
The dresser fit into the camper closet perfectly. I rearranged some things in the camper and it is so cute in there. I like it a lot. While I was there, I took pictures of the motorhome to send to my son Scott. He has plans to gut the whole thing and fix it up. I’m glad it is going to be getting some love and I know it will look really nice when he gets it done. I’ll bring it down to him in a few weeks.
Angel told me another story on the drive to my pet sitting house. When we arrived, I let Lucky out and fed Angel lunch. I was feeling tired and took a nap while Angel played with her toys. I slept hard and it took me a while to become fully awake when I woke up. I wrote my blog some more and talked to my friend Brett on the phone. He had been out cross country skiing and I invited him over to play scrabble. He said he would be over in a while.
I made Angel dinner. I told her that she needs to eat more than bread and cheese or she us going to get scurvy and warmed up some leftover rice and vegetables. Brett came over as I finished cooking and got the scrabble game set up. Angel scoffed at her food but was hungry enough that she ate some of it. She watched TV while Brett and I played scrabble. We played 3 games and he was happy that he won two of the three. While we were playing, Scott sent me a picture of a smoothie he was drinking. I asked him what was up with the smoothie and he told me that him and his wife have been eating healthier and exercising. I was glad to hear that. My kids usually make fun of me eating lots of fruits and vegetables and I’m glad one of them is following my example.
It was after 9 PM when Brett left. Angel and I brushed our teeth and went to bed. She read aloud part of Oh The Thinks You Can Think and I read a chapter of The Princess and The Unicorn. We shared what we were grateful for. Angel was grateful for Minecraft and I was grateful for Bible study. I wrote down my blog notes and put on a sleep meditation. We went to sleep at around 10:30 PM.
Thank you for reading my blog and being a part of my life. I appreciate you.
Love, Victoria
P.S. this blog post was inspired by the Holy Spirit.