Flu Shy, Don't Bother Me

I made this lovely cartoon that you won't be able to read on the computer.  It chronicles my life and the highlights from each day; things like going to the doctor to laying in bed all day to coughing my brains out and laying in bed all day (all while forcing my children to watch hours of TV).

Oh yeah, its a 2 part series because I'm on day 12 of being sick.  Though, I am starting to feel better.  AH CHOO!  Maybe I should have made one of these of the first 9 months I was pregnant with Lincoln and all the different lunches Lincoln helped me spew.

This is from Mike Rowe, the Dirty Jobs guy.

“The S.W.E.A.T. Pledge”

(Skill & Work Ethic Aren’t Taboo)

1. I believe that I have won the greatest lottery of all time. I am alive. I walk the Earth. I live in America. Above all things, I am grateful.

2. I believe that I am entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Nothing more. I also understand that “happiness” and the “pursuit of happiness” are not the same thing.

3. I believe there is no such thing as a “bad job.” I believe that all jobs are opportunities, and it’s up to me to make the best of them.

4. I do not “follow my passion.” I bring it with me. I believe that any job can be done with passion and enthusiasm.

5. I deplore debt, and do all I can to avoid it. I would rather live in a tent and eat beans than borrow money to pay for a lifestyle I can’t afford.

6. I believe that my safety is my responsibility. I understand that being in “compliance” does not necessarily mean I’m out of danger.

7. I believe the best way to distinguish myself at work is to show up early, stay late, and cheerfully volunteer for every crappy task there is.

8. I believe the most annoying sounds in the world are whining and complaining. I will never make them. If I am unhappy in my work, I will either find a new job, or find a way to be happy.

9. I believe that my education is my responsibility, and absolutely critical to my success. I am resolved to learn as much as I can from whatever source is available to me. I will never stop learning, and understand that library cards are free.

10. I believe that I am a product of my choices – not my circumstances. I will never blame anyone for my shortcomings or the challenges I face. And I will never accept the credit for something I didn’t do.

11. I understand the world is not fair, and I’m OK with that. I do not resent the success of others.

12. I believe that all people are created equal. I also believe that all people make choices. Some choose to be lazy. Some choose to sleep in. I choose to work my butt off.

 

Meet Nate & Lou

 

 

I couldn't get this to upload so here's the Link, pun intended

 

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNldhiKjEo

Sun's Out...

Sun's Out, Guns out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sun's Out, Buns Out

 

 

This Pretty Much Sums Up Lindsey's Visit

Lincoln doing whatever Lincoln wants to be doing, Porter screaming, Lindsey happily tolerating it all even though she just spewed, Florida in the background.  Thanks, Nate, for letting us have Lindsey for a week.

Opa Caught a Fish

It was actually pouring rain, but you can't tell.

 Authentic Southern, with a cane pole. 

 Have you ever seen a frog catch a fish before?  Good thing he has quality rain gear, right?

 Porter looking happy, despite the fact that he wasn't.  Not even for a minute.  But he didn't scream until the end.

 Fisherboys.

Screaming.  Time to go home.

Lincoln Caught a Fish

So I went steelhead fishing this week. I got to the river and started fishing at 11:30 am. I caught a whole bunch of the little smolts but couldn't catch a steelhead. I finally hooked a big one in the evening and fought it for a few minutes and thought I had it tired out. Just as I was ready to bring it to shore, it got off. I fished until 8:45 when it was getting dark. I walked up the river to towards the house and saw a little steelhead in the shallows. I cast at it couple times and was able to catch it and get it onto shore. Nine and a half hours of fishing for this one fish. I tried a lot of different lures and baits. I was just about ready to try a hot dog. I heard that works pretty well. Alright Lincoln, let's see the pictures of your fishing trip.

Look at Me!

Hey Family-

This is Porter and I'm here because I need some attention.  I'm surprised you don't know that since I am constantly yelling.  What's a guy got to do to get a blog named after him these days?  Anyway, I just wanted to point out all the abuses I have been incurring.  In the past week I was vaccinated for 11 diseases.  5 shots at one time is enough to make a guy do a few crazy things.  I pushed over the baby gate and tumbled down the stairs.  Lincoln got a fancy new tee for playing baseball and I tripped and fell on it and ended up with a nice circular wound on my right cheek.  A couple days later we were at the amusement park and I was so tired so I decided to fall right on the front of my forehead rather than take another step.  It also scratched up my nose.  I'm not actually certain about that little scrape under my left eye.  I probably did it to myself when antagonizing that Lincoln-boy who is so popular around here.  I also got a little sun-burn while out one day.  Hey people, just take care of me okay?  I know you can do better than this!  AAAAHHHHHH ....   

Moving For Pennsylvania

 

 

Or I'm beggining to get the hint

 

Lindsey and nate now live 2302.67 miles from Boise in Wayneboro, PA

Katie, Tyler, Lincoln, and Porter now live 2503.87 miles from Boise in Gainsville, FL

Brayden now lives 6,499 miles from Boise in Santa Rosa, Argentina.

Heaton is planning on joining the competition as soon as he can.


Here's some little known facts about the State of Pennsylvannia:

It was the second state in the USA formed on 12/12/1787

The 15th president of the USA, James Buchannon, was born in Cove Gap, PA on 4/23/1791

Capital:              Harrisburg
Largest City:      Philadelphia
Land Area:         46,058 sq. miles. 33 largest sate. (or 17th smallest)
Population:        12,281,054 as of 2000 (not counting Lindsey and Nate)
Highest point:    Mt. Davis at 3,213 feet.  Not very high, but higher than Florida
It is the largest pencil in the world
Nickname:         Keystone State. (not sure what that means, Lindsey get on this one)
Motto:               Virtue, Liberty, and Independance
State Bird:        Ruffed Grouse
State Mammal: White-talied Deer
State Insects:    Ladybug and Firefly   I'm not sure why they needed two.
State Dog:        Great Dane  does Id or FL have a state dog?
State Fish:        Brook Trout
State Flower: Mountain Laurel   I'm not sure how as they have no real mountains above 3,200 ft
State Tree:       Eastern Hemlock
Pennsyvania is home to the Liberty Bell and  Punxatawney Phil

Pennsyvania is a beautiful state but make sure you tell Aaaron that the view is best from the Idaho side.

Please Start Adding to Our Lists For Brayden

To Brayden, a list of 5 things, from Dad

5 Notable Life Events

1.  Jan. 5, 2012  Porter Leonard Rice was born

2.  Aug. 22, 2012  Grandma Joyce died

3.  Oct. 20, 2012  Lindsey and Nate got married

4.  Katie & Tyler moved to Florida (and took their kids with them…how rude)

5.  March 2013 Lindsey and Nate moved to Pennsylvannia

5 Notable Things Around the House

1. Complete kitchen remodel

2. The Big Ash tree in back is gone

3. The last plum tree is gone

4. There are lights out front

5. Pool fence is primed and needs painted  (yes ,that is a hint)

5 Notable Changes in the Ward

1. We changed buildings

2. The McKenzie’s gained 3 more kids

3. The gym at Hill Road is crappy

4. The organ at Hill Road is crappy

5. Your Mom is the Sunday School teacher

5 Notable Vehicle Changes

1. The Rodeo is gone

2. The Subaru is no more

3. The Mazda came and went

4. The Nissan Rogue arrived

5.  The Cougar “the coug” came

5 Notable things in Boise

1. The Whole Foods Store opened, I haven’t been there yet

2. There are 2 Chick-fil-a’s.   I have been there

3. The big hole downtown is being filled with a big building

4. A new convention center is being built downtown

5. There is a whole bunch of new crap out on Eagle road

5 Notable Sports Championships

1.  The Super Bowl.  

The Feb. 2012 Champs – the New York Football Giants.  Feb 2013 Champs – Baltimore Ravens

2. The World Series.

2012 – The San Francisco Giants     2011 – The St. Louis Cardinals

3. The NBA.

June 2011 - The Dallas Mavericks.   June 2012 – the Miami Heat over OKC.  (notice that the Southern California ‘Team That Must Not Be Named’ is not on the list)

4. NCAA Football.

Jan 2012 – Alabama over LSU.   Jan. 2013  Alabama over Notre Dame

5. NCAA Basketball.

March 2012 – Kentucky beat Kansas    March 2013 is coming right up

Footnote:

With all the miraculous time saving devices, I thought I could whip this list out in 2 minutes. I sat down at the desktop computer to write it out.  Since it was during the workday, I kept my work laptop on my lap (where else) just in case someone instant messaged me from work. The house phone rang  so I answered that and then sat the cordless handset down on the desk in case it rang again. My cell phone buzzed and I sent a quick text response to Lindsey and set the cell next to the house phone. I grabbed my IPad and googled some answers to the sports section above.  I also listened to a few new songs on my IPod while typing, texting, googling, talking on the phone, and responding to an instant message. I plugged my GPS into the computer and checked my last hike for distance, time, elevation gain, average moving speed, and how long I have until the sun sets.  Thanks to technology, what should have taken a couple minutes was shortened down to more than a half hour.  It would have taken me longer but the TV remote was within reach and I was able to change stations several times without getting up.  Oh, I have to go. I just looked at my watch and it looks like I’ve been putting in some overtime at work.

This Part is  from Katie

TV shows that all the girls will think you are sexy for watching

   - downton abby

   - sherlock (the british one with Benedict Cumberbatch who is supposedly a heart-throb?)

movies

   - Les Mis (although I still haven't seen it)

   - Blue Like Jazz (dad recommended the book and I think fresh off the mish you would like book then movie quite a bit)

   - brave (lincoln will watch it with you)

   - hunger games

favorite clips from the most recent presidential election-

   - chris rock calling mitt romney blacker than obama

   - snl skit of the night of mitt losing

books

   - hunger games trilogy

music

   - The Lumineers is the only album I've purchased in years.  And now I'm sort of sick of them because they are on the radio every time I turn the station.

   - Easton Corbin for country

   - Phillip Phillips 'Make This Place Your Home'

music videos

   - Korean Rap sensation Psy - Gangham Style

newsworthy news
   - facebook went public
   - Jay-Z and Beyonce had a baby girl named Blue Ivy
   - we have Obamacare ... still uncertain what that will really mean
   - Trayvon Martin
   - the Pope resigned 
   - Amy Winehouse OD'd and died (you know the singer that sang, "they tried to make me go to rehab and I said, No, No, No"
   - Colorado made pot legal
   - Snoop Dog reformed his life and made a reggae album.  He also changed his name to Snoop Lion

Weird news from Florida
   - a lady got arrested for trying to ride a manatee
   - a giant eyeball washed up on the beach
   - a man tried to eat a bum's face off
   - a lady got a DUI in the morning with 9 kids in the car

   - a guy walked into his room and was sucked into a sinkhole (and died)

PS - I use Caps seLeCTIvely

Best Laugh

Now, this will def not be the thing Brayden finds most funny about his 2 years in Argentina, but I am loving it.  I read it to Tyler.  He didn't think it was as funny as I did.  Strange, right?  Well, since the bad news made it's way to Tyler already I think it can go public.  (PS. I would never send a picture to Brayden where I looked bad, but I might send one to him where I looked good and Tyler looked bad).  So, without further ado, here is a piece of Brayden's letter home this week:

i had one funny experience this week, i was showing my pictures of the family to some people, and they stopped on katie and said ¨why is it that all of you have moviestar faces? your sister has a moviestar face¨ i thought that was pretty funny but then it got better, they got to a picture of just katie, tyler, and the boys and she says ¨your sister is so beautiful, but what is she doing with him????¨ pointing at tyler of course. it reminded me a bit of tylers pig face comment, and i guess thats just justice for him. so apparently katie looks like a moviestar and tyler is ugly. 

By Popular Demand

 

 

Ok, here's the unretouched original.

 

 

 



Whopper of the Week

 

Here are some random pics from last weekend. 

 

 

Guys by a buffalo. If you haven't seen the youtube video "Guy on a Buffalo" check out episode 1 and turn the volume up

 

Grand Prize winner

 

 

Lindsey. I photoshopped the whip she was using out of the picture

 

This is a snow sculpture

 

 

 

He's holding it way out in front of him to make it look bigger.

 

 

 

Lindsey hauling all the gear out

 

I did some photoshopping to make my fish look bigger than it actually was.

 

 

Aaron with another whopper

 

 

It turns out that the Whopper of the Week is my weekly conversation with Bill.

 

 

 

Elk watching the Sturgeon jump.

 

 

Danger

Dear Opa-
   In case the sign is too small to read it says, "Danger Jumping Sturgeon."  Next time you go to the MK Nature Center please take proper precautions.  Apparently, last year the jumping sturgeon landed one lady in the ICU.  Consider yourself warned.
                                                                                   Signed,
                                                                                   American Fisherguy Link ('s Mom)

Might As Well Jump, Go Ahead and Jump

 

Jan. 21, 2013

The tempurature got up to nearly 10 degrees so I figured it was a good time to go out to Jump Creek and do some hiking.  I had never seen the waterfall completely frozen before and this seemed like the perfect chance. It was frozen so solid that people had been climbing the fall with ice axes.  The pond and creek was frozen also.





 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bill on the canyon rim above the falls.

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a picture of the falls Jan. 16, 2012. It was a much warmer day and the falls only had a little ice. It was so warm out that even Lindsey hiked up to the falls and climbed around on some rocks.

 

 

 

 

Lunch With...      Snow!

 

 

 

 

We finally got some snow here in town. Lindsey and Nate were here last weekend and it was cold and dry. They went to Bogus and the snow was sparse. Since then it has snowed a bunch. Thursday we got 4 or 5 inches to go with the 2 we already had. School was canceled and I got sent home from work early. Bogus has 10 inches of new snow.  Saturday morning temperature is 1.5 degrees, Sunday is supposed to be colder.