Road Trippin' With Josh

Josh and I just returned from visiting BYU Idaho in Rexburg. Josh is considering attending there after he graduates in 2011 and we thought it would be fun to visit the campus and get a tour.

A couple of weeks ago Dayna called me and mentioned that she was going to have a work conference in Pocatello. She then asked if we would want to come and stay with her for the evening and then head to Rexburg the next day for our tour. I passed this by Josh and he was game. We made the necessary arrangements with the University and headed out on Thursday to meet Dayna. I was looking forward to spending some "alone" time with Josh and I have to say that we really had a great time. That kid is a funny dude. While we were driving I could not help but realize that the last time I had driven on this road was 1985 -- twenty-five years ago! Dayna had even brought her college scrapbook so that we could look at the pictures and relive some of the memories from our college days at Ricks. Time has certainly flown by!

We arrived in Rexburg at lunchtime and the first thing Josh wanted to do was eat....surprise, surprise:) So...we headed over to the Manwaring Center. Wow...what a shock...it has certainly changed. Actually the entire campus has changed since I had gone to school there. Josh was instantly impressed with the food court, as was I. It had just been remodeled and was simply amazing. When he found out that this is were he would be using his meal ticket if he chose to attend there, he was smiling from ear to ear.

The actual tour was wonderful also. They took us around in a little golf cart and had a student ambassador as a tour guide. She gave us some great information. You could just feel the "spirit" of the school as we drove around. It really reminded me of what BYU (Provo) used to be. The only negetive was the wind. I had warned Josh about the crazy weather in Rexburg. I had also informed him about the cold, unrelenting wind that he would encounter in the winter months, but that did not seem to phase him too much. He was pretty much sold on the campus...as was I. After the tour I knew that we had found the perfect fit for Josh. He was giddy and smiling broadly. The other big bonus was that Rexburg now has a temple right next to campus. What a blessing to know that you could have that wonderful refuge of peace so near. I wish that when I had attended that this had been available to me. We finsihed up our visit with a trip to the bookstore where Josh bought himself another hot chocolate mug to add to his collection. He also scored a free t-shirt from the tour.

The ride home was a lot of fun. Josh and I took turns finding music to listen to and belting out the lyrics. I like to play a game with my kids whenever an "oldie" (sad to say that the oldies are actually songs I listened to in high school and college...I'm an oldie too) comes on the radio. I always ask them to name the artist and if they answer correctly, I will buy them a candy bar. In all the years I have played this, not one of my children has ever succeeded in naming the correct artist. That is until now. Josh made me so proud :) Rod Stewart's song "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" came on and I instantly asked my question and to my great astonishment, Josh knew the answer! Not long after the song finsihed, Josh turned to me and told me that he loved me. Those three little words paid for the trip in full. What a great way to end a great two days. And...I love you too, Josh and I need to buy you a candy bar!