Memorial Day Weekend: Ashton, Idaho

This past weekend Steve and I made the 5 hour drive to Rexburg to go camping with some of our married friends over the holiday weekend. We hadn't been camping since September of 2012 and have missed it a lot so we thought it would be fun before this baby comes.

We got to Rexburg Friday night and of course the first place we had to stop was Karie Anne's. Karie Anne's is an Italian Ice/Custard stand and it is pretty much the best stand in Rexburg (let alone anywhere)!!! The best thing to get there is their Gelati which is Italian Ice, Custard, and more Italian Ice. It is so good!!!

Saturday morning we had some maternity pictures taken by Paint the Sun Photography (the same gal who did our 2nd Anniversary pictures). I'm patiently waiting to see how they turned out! I can't believe that this baby will be here in 2 months and we'll soon be getting newborn pictures done for him. We headed out to Ashton later in the afternoon (30-40 minutes outside of Rexburg) to start our camping trip. We went with two other married couples and Brett (his wife was at a wedding in California so he was solo). Steve's friend (Brett) in-laws owns a cabin and some land in Ashton, ID and that is where we spent the rest of the weekend. The land they own sits on a lake so we enjoyed time on their dock fishing/jumping in the lake, kayaking/canoeing, played sand volleyball, played horseshoes, had campfires, played ladder golf, etc. We didn't stay in the cabin because the electricity and plumbing are off, but the whole point of the trip was to go camping outside and that is what we did. We set up our tents right when we got there and played around on the land. I don't think we would have gone camping without an air mattress and that was definitely a lifesaver especially at 7 months pregnant (glad we found one on sale at Cabela's a few weeks ago). For dinner we decided to forego making hotdogs and we all went to Frostop Drive-in down the road. They have really good homemade root beer and really good huckleberry shakes. We ended the night with a bonfire until it started raining.....the boys found something else to do which included catching wild rats/mice.

This is by far my favorite picture from the trip

It seriously felt like we were at a resort! I love this place!!!

Sunday morning we all got up and made breakfast burritos over our camp stoves (so good). We then decided to go to Warm River to feed the fish. There is a part in the river where you can't fish, swim, or boat so there are always lots of fish to feed. It was a lot of fun and they were all hopping of out the water to get the bread.

Steve and I

All the guys

L to R: Michael, Steve, Dan, and Brett (the 3 on right all lived in the same townhouses when they were single and Michael is from the same city Steve grew up in). They are all married now, crazy how time flies. 

After feeding the fish we went on a small hike up the road. It was a lot of fun and it was nice to see the scenery around. It is so beautiful up in this part of Idaho.

After our hike we made one last stop at Lower Mesa Falls and then turned back around towards our camp spot. The rest of the day we just enjoyed the land and camped again that night. The weather was so perfect and I even surprisingly made it without getting burnt (thank you sunscreen). At night it was also a perfect temperature and only got down to 45 or so degrees.

Playing sand volleyball

Polly caught the 1st fish (15 inch Rainbow Trout)

Steve kayaking

Steve and I canoeing. I was really reluctant at first because the canoe had a small hole in it and was letting in water. I don't know what I would do if the canoe flipped, but I grabbed a life jacket and went out hoping things would be ok, and it was. 

Kayla and Polly canoeing

Kayla and I. It was so good hanging out with her and the other gals for the weekend! 

Monday morning we all packed up our tents and played one last game of sand volleyball before heading back to Rexburg. We hung out the rest of the day with the Greenwood's, made our last stop at Karie Anne's again, and then made the drive back to Ontario later that afternoon. This was probably the best Memorial Day Weekend I have ever had. It was good to go camping and spend time with friends we love so much.

Aside from all of the fun we had I would like to thank all of those men and women who have served our country and who are serving our country today. They don't receive enough credit for what they've done/are doing. I love the country I live in and the freedoms we have.