Boise Bucket List
By Drew Dodson Photo Kimberlee Miller
Florida native, Diana DeJesus, is in the business of changing lives. She isn’t a doctor or a counselor or even a social worker. She doesn’t put on a suit and fight crime at night, nor does she magically grant wishes. Instead, DeJesus works in higher education at the University of Idaho College of Law and is a self-described Instagrammer that runs her own blog.
Now, if you aren’t sure what an “Instagrammer” is, you’re not alone. The writer in me wants to think it’s some kind of helpful service that meticulously proofreads and optimizes written text in a matter of seconds. The millennial in me knows it undoubtedly has something to do with the social networking app that’s been taking the world by storm since its launch in 2010. To a recent Boise transplant like DeJesus, however, the popular app has hardly taken her world by storm, but rather built it.
“Instagram has helped me create and cultivate relationships with people,” she explained. “I’ve met people directly from Instagram.”
If there’s anyone who knows how to cultivate relationships, it’s DeJesus. Since moving from the seaside state of Maine to Boise last Fall, she’s been changing hundreds of lives one social media post at a time. Instagram is just one of the ways she forges friendships with other Boise locals. A few months after moving here, she started a Facebook group titled “Girls Night Boise” for Treasure Valley women who are looking to get out, have some fun, and make a friend or two while doing it. Less than a year later, the group has ballooned to over 300 members and has organized dozens of events, including brunches, bike-bar outings, and more.
“People come and meet other people and then walk away with new friends…I’ve witnessed it,” she said. “I don’t need to be the center of it. I like to plan it, see the execution and then I’m happy.”
For all her Instagram and Facebook success, it’s still not what she’s best known for. That title belongs to her blog, Boise Bucket List, which she uses as a visual narrative to document her experiences as well as motivate herself and her readers to get to work on their bucket lists.
“I like to cross things off the list. For me it’s like a check,” she said, making a swooshing gesture. “I literally do that.”
Surprisingly, DeJesus’ dating stories posts have become such a hit that her inbox has been flooded by readers asking for dating advice and even sharing their own dating stories. As a woman of the people, this prompted her to use the extensive network she’s built to find ways to help struggling singles—after all, it’s what she does.
“I got some good tips from insiders on where to hang out,” she teased. Among those tips? Avoid the “Barmuda Triangle” downtown, check out concerts and beer festivals, and most importantly, “be patient and low key.”
Dating advice, event guides and foodie reviews to boot, Boise Bucket List is empowering readers to live life to the fullest in the City of Trees. “Life can get mundane and boring sometimes,” she said. “I want to advocate that your own city can be your playground.”
