& Life is Complete..

 For probably as long as I have had a bucket list I have always wanted to go Ice Fishing.. 

& When it started to seem more real that we would probably be moving to somewhere without much of a winter I kept thinking that we HAD to go before we left or we probably never would get a chance..

And for our Valentines Date this year.. all of my wildest dreams came true!

[But really.. it was awe.some.]

& Easily the BEST thing about Rexburg is the fun/kind people that live here..

I love how many adventurous people there are here that have so many fun hobbies and are always wanting to get out and do something and are nice enough to let us tag along with them..

The whole time I was watching this drilling hole experience I was reminded of when my sister was really little and she told my Mom, "You're only a better scrap booker than me because you have better supplies".

That's what I was trying to convince Blake.. they are only better ice fishers than us because...

um they know what they are doing, they know where to drill the hole, what bait to use, how to even tie on those dang hooks.. 

They have better supplies. 

& Even though it felt like we had to be trained in absolutely everything.. 

We were HAPPY little campers..

Can you see our reflections in the water?

I think that I spent most of the day on my hands and knees leaning over our ice holes..

The COOLEST thing about ice fishing is that unlike any other kind of fishing you can completely just watch the fish as they try to decide to take your bait  

and when they actually bit it I think I started screaming every time..

Yup... one guess to who spilled their hot chocolate all over the white snow.. 

& got to sit in the brown puddle of shame..

& Then to MY excitement after we had been out a little while and it was getting a littttle cold.. 

The guys that we went with decided that we should probably get to sit in the warming hut.

And who was I to disagree with that.. haha

When you were inside of the little tent everything kind of lit up and you could see under the water really really well..

[We added this to the list of better supplies we would need to get before we could be serious ice fishers.]

By the end of the day Blake and I had HOOKED 3 different fish..

We may or may not have actually caught them however.. haha 

The first one we had out of the hole and one of the guys we came with was actually touching it but Blake and I's hooks got tangled together.. 

[oh & maybe because I was so excited I forgot to real I just kept backing up.. 

I obviously do well under pressure]

& The fish slipped back into the hole and swam away..

Where we were fishing it was catch and release anyway but I was just hoping to get to hold and take a picture with the fish before we had to throw it back. 

:)

But this was definitely one of my very favorite Rexburg Winter experiences EVER.. and a major check off of the Bucket List.

I'm constantly amazed at our beautiful world and all of the fun uplifting things there are to do.

I definitely think that doing things in nature also makes me feel closer to God and by getting me away from the loud busyness of the world helps me put into perspective the things that really matter.

Thank you Idaho for being awesome.. 

But.. I think my life is complete & I'm ready to move and actually remember what it's like to be warm again now.

:)