I am personally not a big skier- okay, so I really do have two left feet, but whatever! I have, however been told that we have great skiing here in Idaho. Bogus Basin is probably the most popular ski area because of it’s close proximity to the valley (a whopping 16.5 mi. from Boise!) , and great rates.

Bogus always has some sort of event going on- for example, this next weekend they will be hosting the Dotty Clark Races. The Winter Games, for recreational and amateur athletes of Idaho and the region, are also currently taking place.

For anyone interested, I did receive a really great special in the mail today. Bogus is having a Presidents Day Sale from February 14th – 19th, and they have season ski passes (the rest of this season AND all of next) for $199! They also have fabulous rates for families and children.

At these prices, maybe I should give skiing another go! Or maybe not.

Obviously a very wise business man, Don Hubble has focused his marketing dollars directly towards Realtors. Unlike the housing market of 2004-2005, he seems to understand how important the Realtor- Builder relationship is to his business. His plan seems to be paying off- I was at a new community last Friday, and they had sold 18+ homes in January alone! Those numbers are amazing, and only help enforce my belief that our market is getting ready for another switch- in the right direction! Very Exciting!!!

The event was very nice- Dinner, drinks, music and some fun contests. We were able to meet quite a few Realtors, which is always a networking bonus. Spoke with several agents who said their phones were ringing a lot more frequently, and they definitely saw their sales picking up.

I think we made a wise move! Feeling the positive energy all around~

HAVE A FABULOUS WEEK!

We’ll be meeting with area small businesses over the next few days. We’ve created a monthly newsletter, and will be offering free advertising and coupons for these businesses. It’s been wonderful seeing how small business owners can still flourish here. We’d like to do all we can to promote them, and in return, ourselves.

Good news keeps sprouting up here as well. All the market indicators show that we continue to deplete the existing housing inventory, and homes are continuing to rise in value. The last numbers I read were that we had a 5% increase over last year (not a bad number, looking at so many of the other housing markets nationwide). Our office numbers almost doubled last months, another great sign. We’re so excited that we chose Boise to grow our business!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Hope ya’ll enjoy the new blog!

• Best places for business and careers: # 3 (Forbes Magazine, 2007)

• Urban environment report card: # 6 (Earth Day Network, 2007)

• Boomtowns: Hottest cities for entrepreneurs (mid-size cities): # 9 (Inc.com, 2007)

• Most secure places to live (500,000 or more residents): # 1 (Farmers Insurance 2006)

• Best places to live: # 8 (Money Magazine, 2006)

If you weren’t aware, the Broncos had a loss-free season last year, and proceeded to upset Oklahoma in the infamous Fiesta Bowl.

We’ve been lucky enough to attend two home games this year. We went to the opening game against Weber State- a game that Boise dominated (56-7). And then the Boise/ University Nevada Reno game- although my birth state is Nevada, Reno was always UNLV’s rival, so I had no problem cheering Boise on to an ultimately difficult, 4-OT win (69-67). This game set a record for most points in an NCAA Division I-A game since 1937, when official record keeping began. This was a toughy to watch, but we pulled through!

Seeing all the Orange and Blue at these games was amazing! And the tail-gating… Let me just say it’s something I’d never seen in my life! The entire Bronco Stadium parking lot filled with motor homes, pick up’s, passenger cars- grills and big screens, tables, chairs and tents. A sea of Orange and Blue!

Tomorrow we face Fresno State. We are the favorite, but there is sure to be some excitement as both teams have some of the best special teams in college football. If you care to check out our Boise Broncos, they’ll be on ESPN2 tomorrow night! GO BRONCOS!!!!!

The dam was built in 1901, and is the oldest hydroelectric dam on the Snake River. The original plant is still in place, and they offer tours with advance notice. Swan Falls is also part of the Birds of Prey National Conservation area.

The day itself was absolutely beautiful. Not a cloud in sight! Fishing could have been a bit more productive, but I did manage to hook a fishette A baby small mouth bass. The area we were in does have bass, crappie, and trout, but the fish were avoiding us at all cost.

These Coots seemed to be doing a lot better than us with the fish!

Before leaving we had the opportunity to watch a couple of guys parasailing. It was magnificant watching them navigate and know and understand the wind. I’ve got to try that one of these days!

You’ll hear me talking a lot about the Treasure Valley, and the cities that are part of it in the future. Every city and town is different, and has it’s own personal charm. Just another little thing I love about this place.

If your thoughts are anything like mine were a few years ago, your probably thinking, “Idaho?”. What the heck’s in Idaho? Potatoes?

Yep, there are potatoes in Idaho, but I’ve yet to see any growing.

Idaho- Southwestern Idaho to be exact. Friendly people with great family values. A small town feel with big city culture and amenities. Four true seasons. Some of the best year-round outdoor activities in the country. A fabulous economy with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S. Thats exactly what brought us to the Boise area.

GETTING HERE
Most of you know that Gary and I finished up at Quarterhorse Estates in Las Vegas last June. I so needed to get out of the Las Vegas rat race. Although my birth city will always hold a special place in my heart, the heat, traffic, crime, amongst other things had really gotten me down.

I’d done a lot of reading and research on many different cities, primarily in the Northwest, and because of the many positives that the Boise area had to offer, took a trip up and absolutely fell in love!

I thought I’d start blogging since so many friends and family have inquired about this little gem of a place. Give you all a little glimpse of what I’m experiencing here, although being here and experiencing it for yourself is what you really should do!