I spent last week in a fog.

I don’t mean that metaphorically; I was literally in the dense fog of the northern Idaho forest and it was amazing.

Earlier this summer, I moved to Idaho which seemed like a vacation in itself. Between job hunting and moving, we sort of skipped right over our typical summer trip while we were so caught up in the hectic new schedule.

Last week, we made up for it with a trip up north to the mountains and lakes of Idaho which were covered in a layer of gloom and fog for the weekend.

I didn’t mind one bit. The weather went along nicely with my plans to sit by the fire, read some books, play cards, drink fancy coffee, and celebrate my dad’s birthday.

We stayed at a bed and breakfast right on the water with views of the sail boats, the mountains, and the downtown shops and restaurants. I love the old-fashioned buildings with a pine tree backdrop.

Our suite was huge. Bigger than any apartment I could afford! It had a full kitchen, foyer, dining room, living room with a fire place, and waterfront balcony.

It was the perfect setting for a relaxing getaway. The fall colors were so gorgeous and SO VIBRANT. My camera was around my neck every time we left the hotel and not one tree in the whole town went un-photographed.

Our first night at the bed and breakfast, we were offered complimentary happy hour drinks before we explored the beautifully landscaped courtyard.

White wine is my go-to. The sweeter, the better to me!

Since it was late September, the vacation season had ended and we were surprised how empty the town seemed. It’s a very touristy town, so when school starts up in the fall it quickly quiets down. This also resulted in our restaurants having very little wait time and our drives having very little traffic. Brilliant!

My dad ALWAYS talks or blinks during pictures. My solution? Don’t face the camera ;)

Even though the Pumpkin Spice Latte made it’s 2016 debut weeks ago, I was saving my first cup for this vacation. I knew the wait would be worth it to enjoy sipping the spicy special coffee among the gorgeous mountains.

The barista at Mountain Java Coffee Shop made me a hot Pumpkin Pie Latte and it was the best pumpkin drink I’ve had! Starbuck’s PSL gives me a major stomach ache, and so many others are just tooo sweet. This was a perfect blend of spices and had more of a cloves and all-spice flavor than pure sugar.

Another factor in the timing of this vacation was my dad’s birthday. No crazy-long bike rides this year! We celebrated with “mountain size scoop” ice creams & presents on the balcony before we headed out to a local microbrewery.

A lot of our time outside of the hotel was spent driving through the tiny mountain towns and stopping to take pictures of the beautiful scenery.

We stopped at a ski lodge that was out of service since we are between seasons now, just to take some pictures and see if we could find a hiking trail. Another family was sitting on the front porch while their adorable 2-year old labradoodle ran around the property. We talked to them for a while about their dog since I am very much ready to adopt a doodle puppy of my own! :)

Relocating and starting new jobs and meeting new people has been a whirlwind of a summer – all good things, but exhausting at times. Mentally and physically, we were all ready for a break. The mountains provided the perfect escape from work, chores, errands, and city life. I know that weather has been proven to affect our mood, but I actually think the fog and gloom made it easier to relax. It was so cozy & sleepy that you couldn’t help but pour some coffee, sit next to the fire and read or watch a movie.

Our weekend finished with a fishing trip with friends and my first ever Blue Apron meal but I think I’ve overloaded you with enough pictures for one day :) I’ll pop back in tomorrow with the rest of my recap plus my first time ever cooking a (healthy) Middle Eastern dish “Shashuska”!

XO Kenz.