What’s a girl to do in Boise, Idaho?
In case you weren't aware, this is a girl blog. Let me tell you, February was a marathon. I’m about to give you a run down of the social events from this month—personal blog style.
End of January I left my design studio job in downtown Boise, anticipating more snow and my waning desire of working for someone else in an office, my own personal design projects started to pile. It’s 2025, truthfully I started looking for new design gigs as soon as I land one about two years ago — the changing framework of design work is something I decided is not my job to figure out right now, but I will let those who want to figure it out. Otherwise, working in an office? Getting paid once a month? thank you, next. Any work I’m taking up these days has to have a more frequent pay schedule, and definitely be on my terms. We love cash liquidity.
More feelings about graphic design here. I think we may go on a break… or at least, I no longer think I’ll be working for an agency or providing design as a service for others for the mean time.
Kiln
Since I do still work, in Boise, I started working at Kiln. A multi-floor coworking space, complete with atrium, lattes on repeat, and meeting rooms to book. I got their access pass for $45/month and it’s perfect for when I want to record a podcast in a phone booth, take a call in the dignity of an office, and have a scheduled snack time.
I heard from their director this month that they are in fact opening a location downtown, which I look forward to. This was a great space for me to find, although I don’t love working in an office all the time, I like the option to come in for days that require extra focus (it’s tax season).
Enough work, let’s talk play.
Valentine’s Day
A girl does not kiss and tell. What I will tell you, is that Galentine’s day is a sport in Boise, Idaho. It’s the day before V-Day, and every small business throws an event. I started the day at the boutique studio, snuggled with Honey (up-coming local influencer), and hit two more events: one at my coworking space with charcuterie, and my local facial spot.
Listen, I know a monthly facial is a luxury, it’s also kinda therapy for me. After coming back from the desert, I got this treatment where they slathered my face in oil and rubbed a small thin blade all over my skin, removing any peach fuzz, dry skin… that is my new baptism.
On Galentine’s day in particular, I had my eyelashes permanently permed, curled up. Mostly, I drank half a glass of champagne and chatted with my esthetician, Aris, about body building, lagree, and the joys of working in women-dominated fields. I’d pay money just to chat with Aris.
Farm to table meals
Even earlier in the month, I attended a Persian cooking workshop at JUMP. Sticky date pudding, lentil soup, yum. The chef told us this story about how she cooked for 100+ people at a DIY burning man in Montana, with 3 make-shift pits. She’s a great storyteller and she hosts these farm-to-table dinners in town regularly at random locations. It’s a dream of mine to go to a wandering table event by Chef Gina.
The River Club
This is a country club, where I attended an event for the Women’s Council of Reality. I’m an unofficial pre-licensee, it’s not really a new thing, I just decided to take it seriously this time. Maybe sometime before the summer I will officially have my real estate license. I’m learning about the various options in town for working agents: boutique agencies, home builders, etc. I kinda like the idea of working with a home builder. I’m in the discovery phase.
In my life before graphic and digital design, I was an Urban Studies major at Stanford. I took some commercial real estate, urban planning classes, I like investing, etc. Mostly, I love community building and intentional spaces.
I cannot tell you how refreshing it was to show up to an event with essentially all female professionals. You could just feel the motivation and femininity, and I got a great book recommendation: Unreasonable Hospitality. Not least of all, Get Social With Cait, gave a talk on social media and content, which obviously I love. I truly have a love-hate relationship with reels, so she taught me lots. Fun fact, if you upload your images in an Instagram carousel with music, the algorithm will push it as a reel, and often show it to people twice in feed.
Up next:
Content and Curls with Tuuti
GIRL DINNER w/ Boise Girl’s Club — I’m frothing (politely), I’ve been dying to go to one of these events
Dear Book Club — yes queens, I joined a book club. Going to my first meeting next week.
Things I’m loving:
Coconut oil. I slather my face and nose in this at night, and I do in fact still oil pull in the year 2025. I swish it for 30 minutes and it helps to lube up my throat before I talk on a mic in front of 15 of the most dedicated moms I know—teaching lagree of course.
The Tower 28 Hypochlorous acid spray: this is pretty great for avoiding bacteria build-up
This episode of Art and Cocktails, reclaiming Art + Ambition (are you sensing a theme?)
Bro, I have been eating a meat stick every morning for breakfast. The ones from TJ, turkey, beef… They’re 10g of protein and I eat this before my morning coffee, vitamins, etc.
At home workouts with sandbag weights — mostly for glutes doing some combo of barre / mat pilates.
Lagree, obviously, two-three times a week. I space it out at least 1-2 days and I’m locked in when I show up.
Noise proof headphones. I legit always have a podcast or music going. It’s my safe haven. It helps me to feel like I have my own mental space. I’ve had the same beats since 2019, and I just replace the ear pads.
LMNT electrolytes. These are bomb. I’m a thirsty girl. I stay guzzling water, but just plain water is not enough for me.
Cutting out things I don’t like doing as an act of self-care.
I’m on a journey to explore everything Boise has to offer, live creatively on my own terms, and re-claim a non girl-boss identity. If you’d like to contribute to this effort, you can subscribe now.