Moscow (Idaho, not Russia)

Two summers ago five young men from Moscow, Idaho came to Orlando to sell pest control. They came to my church and sat in the pew right in front of my family. So we invited them to lunch. Next Sunday they were there again and we invited them to lunch again. And again. And again. That summer we spent almost Sunday afternoon with "the Pest Control Boys." Over the course of the weeks they told us about the classical Christian college in their town called New Saint Andrews. The more I learned about it the more it sounded like the place for me.

But Idaho is thousands of miles away. Before long I mostly discarded thoughts of going there. A few months ago, however, Danny (one of the Pest Control Boys) told me I ought to at least visit the school. I love to travel, so I figured I might as well visit Idaho and add another state to my states-I've-been-to list. Here are a few pictures from my travels:

This is the Ryan's beautiful home, where I got to stay for several days.

Just behind the Ryan's house is a large yard with a barn and several sheds.

Beyond the yard are fields (now barren) and far in the distance the blue mountains, peaks enshrouded in a low-hanging fog.

The one day I remembered my camera there was a homecoming parade in Downtown Moscow. But you can kind of see New Saint Andrews there on the left. If you can't tell, it's a very small school. In fact, the student body is less than two hundred.

Remember the earlier-posted picture of the University of Idaho? This is one I took myself. Sadly, there were no brilliant leaves: an early frost stole away any chance of bright colors.

This is Danny, whose family I stayed with. He was sweet enough to pick me up at the airport, keep track of my schedule, and show me all around the town.

From left to right: Danny, Marty, Caleb (three of the PCBs) and Matt (Marty's roommate). Marty had us for lunch one afternoon, and though it was me and five guys, it was great fun.

After that lunch Danny had to work, so his friend Jessie picked me up. I helped her decorate for the NSA fall festival, and then we went to her house to dress up. I hadn't brought a costume, but we fixed me right up with clothes from her attic and a metal strainer from the kitchen cupboard.

Can anyone guess what I am?

If you couldn't tell, I was a pregnant lady from the 80s. It was slightly scandalous, but SUPER funny. ;)

It seems that wherever I go I end up doing something crazy like piercing ears or dying hair. This trip was no exception.

Sunday afternoon I dyed Danny's sister Lizzy's hair. It was pretty exciting.

Danny will kill me for posting this picture, but it's simply too funny not to share. After standing in the freezing (literally) weather for over an hour, watching a Pumpkin Rugby game that he thought he'd be playing in, he was a little chilled. So I lent him my gloves. Wasn't that kind?

These two lovely girls are Rachel and Bekah, two of Danny's four sisters. If you're wondering, that is a scarf around Bekah's head. We had a lot of fun that evening...

There you have it. Lots of random pictures and stories from my trip to Moscow. "What was the point of all that?" you might be wondering. Well, the point is that I fell in love with the people, the school, and the town of Moscow, Idaho. While there I couldn't help thinking, again and again, "I was created for a place such as this." I plan to go back.