Vacation! (Part One)

Last week, we packed ourselves up and headed up to Idaho to spend some time with the grandparents. We only go up once a year (wish it could be more, but work/life often get in the way) so it was sheer luck that we traveled during the one week the sun decided to shine and make everything nice and warm.

But first, a lot of driving.
Actually, I had ulterior motives for this trip, which had been in the works for several months. This time we spent just one day in Rexburg, and then left the kids with Grandpa and Grandma for a few days so we could head off to Boise.

Boise? Why Boise? (cause it's fun to repeat.)

Boise isn't exactly a destination getaway--but really, any place can be a getaway if you're sans kids.

THIS is why.
Ohhhh yes. I think this might rival the Best. Date. Night. Ever.

Since I couldn't manage to get tickets for Wicked the last few times when the show was in our home town, I jumped at the next best thing -- even if it meant driving several hours to get there.

(forgive the blurry; we don't often take pictures of ourselves together.)

The first night there we made a trip to the temple. It really put our trip off to a great start. Since Boise isn't all that big of a town, we checked out the local sights (a.k.a. the mall and surrounding shops) and got some groceries to take back to our room. The hotel room had a fully equipped kitchen and free breakfasts, so we really saved on dining. We went out to lunch at a Japanese restaurant and had enough leftovers to fill us up for dinner too. Yay for economizing!

And then, THE SHOW. We were close enough to the venue to walk, so we headed over early enough to check out the souvenirs. I got an awesome shirt and my customary "I've been to this show" magnet ( I have one from Phantom too). Ammon wanted to get me another shirt, but it was a new style and would have cost more than my two items combined. o_O

While we were waiting for the house to open up, we chatted it up with one of the ushers, who told us she had worked 7 of the 16 total shows, yet she hadn't seen the entire show the whole way through.

Did I mention I'd been waiting to see Wicked for nearly 8 years? It premiered the same year we got married. I had the OBC (original Broadway cast) CD, and had been following the show's run ever since. (Word to the wise, DO NOT read the book. Nothing like the musical.) And now, it was finally my turn to see it.

And I was not disappointed.