Ian and his Mom Moments Part 2: Boise

Here are the top 10 Ian and his Mom moments in Boise and some of the ones that have stuck in my brain more:
10. Our extended bike ride last year me on the tricycle and my Mom on her bicycle. It was probably about 10 or so miles and it got me even more confident on my tricycle skills that I will practice this year.
9. Getting picked up from the Senior Party by my Mom at 5 AM. There have been only 3 times I've been up all night and that was one of them. Exhausted and delirious she saw me eating a plate of cold nachos her words: "nothing like nachos at 5 AM."
8. Seeing my Mom's face when I won Spirit of Boise State and Volunteer of the Year. Seeing how she saw all the people who have supported me and all the excitement on their faces was one of the first times she really knew that Boise State was one of the main instruments in my life.
7. Moving to my current apartment from my old one and starting to unpack which would be finished several days later. I honestly think my Mom's face when she saw how happy my apartment looks and how clean it has stayed and for her to say that my place feels like home over and over and have friends verify that makes me so happy. And having lunch with her that day made it even more meaningful.
6. Having my Mom have all the chats that she has had with me in town. One of the best chats was when I had a lot of hard things to deal with and she said that I'm a man men do these kinds of things to change their environment. That talk was the catalyst of an eventual change that got me where I am at today.
5. Seeing my Mom's face light up at the Youth Sunday service in 2003 and the youth choir 3 years before that. Just because church hasn't always been a positive experience for me and because that's when she knew that Southminster will always be there for me. Nearly two decades later I call it my church home.
4. The epic kings-in-the-corner battles that have dominated the competitive family card game blotter for a decade and a half. I am even starting to play with friends and I seriously love all the experiences and the challenges of learning the intricate ways that luck plays into a game with a smidgen of skill. We are very even and while we have had some other card games that we have done for a bit (Egyptian War and Rummy come to mind as the most prolific) Kings in the Corner is the longest lasting and most fun.
3. The conversation about questioning my sexual orientation. While this wasn't a total surprise and probably needed to have, I feel like it was candid and grew with time. When I came out to a small group of friends and my family the response was negligible in support. When I came out on Facebook, the response was surprise. Now as someone who screams progressive and is open about it the response while there are some hang-ups is mainly respect. Even in Idaho. and later that year I came out as bisexual and I was never happier
2. The time I went with my Mom to look at a place to live this year. After much searching for roommates and by myself we found the perfect place despite still getting used to safety items and no dishwasher or laundry facilities. I love where I live and the excitement on my Mom's face talking to Joe said it all.
1. My Mom putting me in the group home because she genuinely cared for me. That gave me my first real community and more than 20 years with those friends that I can call family. The care she needed she couldn't give me. While I didn't understand it then it did, in fact, change my life.