Idaho Trip - 8/23/09

Sunday morning we woke up to dreery skies and pouring rain. Phew, we barely pulled off a successful DRY outdoor reception! It literally rained off/on all day Sunday! Seeing as the reception was done, we happily welcomed the rain! We got ready and braved the weather to go to church with Dad. As usual, the meetings are always so exciting with two little crazy kids. I think God was on our side though this time. He rewarded us for dragging the kids to church. He must have put a temporary sleeping spell on Taylee. Because the wiggly thing miraculously fell asleep on the bench for the first time ever!! It was slight peace until Anden pounced on her.

After church, we finally got to venture out and experience Papa Nolie's "farm"! We love it there! We drove the tractor around, went on the Idaho Roller Coaster (aka riding up/down in the bucket of the tractor!) and played tractor basketball!

Of course the fun couldn't stop there. Then we went on an ultra exciting rhino ride!It was drizzling rain. But we decided we could brave it. Dad's rhino doesn't have a roof over the backseat. So Jer made an umbrella/roof contraption for he and Anden. Dad, Taylee and I were in the front. We took off and went all through the fields, petted the horses, splashed through puddles, slid through mud, drove along the railroad tracks and saw and chased a fox! Everyone was loving it and our clothes were still even dry! Then Dad decided it would be a fabulously fun idea to drive through a wide open grain field. There was a huge pivot (sprinkler for those non-country folk) that was geniously watering the grain stubble while it was raining. Dad, being in super grandpa mode, decided it would be a thrill to drive the rhino under the spraying water pivot. Heck, it was already raining on us anyway let's just add some more water to the mix. In his grandpa exhilaration, it clearly didn't dawn on him that the pivot had been in the same position for several hours AND it had been raining ALL day! Needless to say, the ground was pretty soggy. So off we naively drove under the pivot...WHEEEE! It was rebellious and exciting for about 2 seconds until we sank right into the mud...directly underneath the spray of the pivot!! Dad couldn't accept that he was stuck and immediately kept revving the engine, thus getting us further stuck. Jer stopped his laugher long enough to tell Dad there was no way we were getting out. So there we sat under the hugest sprinkler in the world, trying to quickly decide our next move. Jer's measly umbrella/roof contraption was quickly losing the match against the force of the pivot. Yet, it was the only shield we had. If he were to move it to get out, we would all be immediately soaked. Poor little Taylee was still asleep on my lap and I was trying my best to shield her from the water. Finally we decided I would jump out, with Taylee, and run to safety first. Then Jer/Anden and the failing umbrella would go next. So off I ran first. Taylee's sunday afternoon slumber was quickly interrupted with a splash of water to her face. The boys quickly joined us. There we stood, 10 feet away from the rhino and pivot, staring at the remains of our fun rhino ride.

Luckily for us and our pride, we happened to be right next to the road. So everyone that drove by knew exactly what type of idiots we were. Dad immediately volunteered to run the half mile back to the house to get the tractor. I immediately upheld that motion. So there we stood, soaking wet and muddy, waiting for the tractor rescue. Jeremy's embarassment took over and he forced us to walk across the street to a neighbors yard as to look like we were gawkers of the idiocracy instead of culprits! In doing so, a truck passed us and then turned around to come back and help. It was clearly obvious what had happened. But to salvage any pride left in the Furniss name, I quickly told the young men in the truck that I was from Arizona. That immediately explained, in their minds, why such a thing could happen. Unfortunately I then had to show them where my childhood home was...a 1/2 mile away. My cover was blown and so was my Dad's! Yes, a native, did in fact choose to drive through a wet soggy field with little children in tow. And yes, a native, should have known what the outcome would be! So we accepted their offer of help and climbed our soaking bodies into their truck. They drove us back home and pulled in the same time Dad was pulling out with the tractor. Needless to say everyone got a good laugh at our expense.

The women and children were sent inside while the men left to dig out the rhino. Of course I couldn't miss such a spectacle! So I ran in, got Lyndsay and Aaron and then we all drove a nice warm dry car back down to the scene of the crime. We couldn't miss a moment of ridiculing those less fortunate! :-) Good times!