Here are some things I’ve learned growing up and living in Idaho my whole life:

1. The weather changes so many times a day.

Not a day goes by that the weather doesn’t change its mind throughout the day. One minute it’s boiling hot and you can’t seem to get cool and the next it’s like you’re living in Antarctica. And then when it’s freezing cold in the morning and you pile on the layers of clothing, only to frantically take them off later in the day because it’s 50 degrees hotter than it was a few hours ago.

2. There's always a moose on the loose so we can't go home from school.

One of the big things that happened almost every year I went to school in Moscow was a school lockdown because of a moose on the loose. We couldn’t leave the school to get on the bus, so we had to sadly wait at the school until the moose wasn’t around anymore. It was probably one of the most exciting things that happened all year, except for when they had root beer milk during lunch.

3. It is simply beautiful.

I love Idaho for this reason. There is so much beauty everywhere you go. From the rivers and lakes in Northern Idaho to all of the trees and mountains in Southern Idaho, it’s a beautiful sight to see. It’s not flashy, so many people don’t think too highly of it, but Idaho has so much beauty in its landscapes and nature that it’s hard to deny.

4. Fry sauce is where it's at.

It seemed so weird to me that fry sauce doesn't exist everywhere. I grew up on fry sauce – it is my favorite thing! I choose certain restaurants to go to because they have fry sauce, and if there isn’t any fry sauce, a makeshift ketchup and mayonnaise concoction works fine too. I seriously can’t fathom this, but I guess that’s what’s good about Idaho!

5. There's a love/hate relationship with Boise State.

Well...maybe not so much love. I’m from Moscow, home of the Idaho Vandals, where there is a lot of hate for Boise State. There is even a cheer, “Who do we hate? Boise State!” I’m not all that into it, but it is definitely very prevalent when going to a football game. My best friend goes to school at Boise State and I don’t know how many times people at home have given her a hard time about it. It’s a funny thing, I’m not too into it, I don’t know what it’s all about really…hahaha but it’s definitely something important to a lot of us Idahoans.

But really, come visit!