I’m from California - born and partially raised. I never quite felt like I fit in with the excess money and brand names at 15 years old. So when my family packed us up and moved us to Boise, Idaho, I didn’t even fight it. I was excited but I didn’t understand why. I had no idea what this place was about, other than they had potatoes apparently. And farmland? What does that even really look like? Would there be malls and grocery stores near our house? But when we moved to Idaho, I felt calm. I felt more at home in this state than I ever really did in California...but why? This didn’t make sense. All of it was new and I barely had friends. But I started to explore, there was so much to do!

I made new friends with such different hobbies than any of my friends back in California. My new best friend was raised riding horses. I thought it was seriously the coolest thing to go out and ride her horses after school instead of going to the mall like I used to. My roommate in college did this thing called 4H where they raise and take care of animals like cows. She grew up on a farm which I think is awesome. She had so much open land growing up to run around and experience fresh air.

Day trips were different too. Instead of going to the beach, we went to the lake in the mountains. And let me tell you, I fell in love. The green trees, the giant mountains and beautiful rivers, I had never seen anything like it before, or felt so at peace...at home. Weird right? But I knew that this is where I belong, somewhere where the downtown was the perfect amount of excitement but relaxing. The mountains were literally right up the highway from my house and if you drive 20 minutes out of town anywhere in Idaho, you end up somewhere beautiful. People always ask when I’m coming back to California, but in all honesty, I don’t want to go back. Not even for a vacation really...I don’t feel like I fit in anymore. I don’t think I ever did fit in, which is why I felt so at home in Idaho. Living here has really given the meaning to the word Idahome, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

All of these different lifestyles Idahoans had growing up really gave me some different perspective on life. I see the world with a much more open mind. I like to see the simplicity in life too now, I try to slow it down when I feel like I'm racing through somewhere. The drives through Idaho can be pretty boring, but with a different perspective I started to view the wide open valleys of sage brush lined with mountains really beautiful - most people would never see this site except in picture form. I get to see this every day. It really is a place that I never expected to fall in love with. Yet here I am, never wanting to leave it.