{ Picturesque Pine, Idaho }

First, I want to start by thanking you all for the birthday wishes, those that left comments here and those that sent me emails.  I want you to know that I am ever so thankful of the friends I have and I appreciate every one of you :)

We had decided that we were going to Boise, and then out to dinner with the family, but Saturday night we changed our plans.  Instead, we chose to head out to beautiful Pine for the day.

We had lunch at a very cute little cafe, delicious food in such a pretty setting, and then drove around a little, stopped at the hot springs and enjoyed the fresh air.

I honestly couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my birthday.  I am not into big settings, and busy things, and huge parties, it's just not what I am comfortable in, and to tell you the truth, I would rather spend my birthdays with family doing nothing, than going out or partying.

Jasmine took this picture of me.

When I first looked at it, I wasn't too happy, I didn't like it very much, and mostly because I can see my age written all over my face.  Maybe it's the fact that a few days ago I was going through old photos and smiled at how young I looked, and this one really signifies 40 for me.

But the more I looked at it, the more I started loving it.  This is me now, this is the 40 year old woman, the woman who has lost two babies to miscarriage, has two teenage children, a retired husband, two aging pugs and has gone through so much in her life, but I've persevered, and now every single line, every wrinkle, every imperfection has a story to tell.

Anyway, let me show you where we spent my birthday, it was so beautiful, and so many times we caught ourselves saying "it looks just like a postcard".  It did!

My gorgeous daughter has grown into such a beautiful young lady.

My handsome son is also quickly growing, unfortunately he is at the age where he doesn't like me to take photos of him. I will keep trying though.

This is the Hayhurst Bed and Breakfast. They offer free tours and we went by to find out rates etc. It is absolutely gorgeous, I was in love. The rooms were beautiful, the decks oversee the water and it is just a dream setting.

I didn't want to leave.  I could have just stayed there overnight, but it is out of our budget at the moment, just something we would have to really save up for.  One day.

The kids had a blast splashing in the river, playing with the mud and were very interested in the hot springs. Natural hot springs.

Let me tell you, we all tried to touch the water and it was SO hot, goodness. You could see some bubbles coming up in different spots, and in the winter you can see the steam. I would love to go back and see that.

The next area we will visit will be Featherville, which is not too far from Pine, but there is an old ghost town nearby, and you know I can't pass one of those up.

I just love day trips like these, they are inexpensive, you pack a picnic, grab some quilts and head out to nature for the day.  Truly nothing better than being out in the fresh mountain air enjoying earth's natural beauty.

If you're ever in the area, do be sure to visit Pine, you will absolutely fall in love with it.