My Wishlist

Christmas of 2009 may be over but my wishlist was simple. It's not a list at all, really. All I really want for Christmas is this to happen...

Angry Elf

In the spirit of Christmas, I'm posting one of my favorite "he thinks he's an elf but really he's a midget" scenes. Actually, no other movies or scenes come to mind that have that exchange in them. Although, I'm sure they're out there.

There I go rambling again.

Undie Shots

Featuring Noah and Timo.

Picture of the Week

Earlier this week the boys were decorating sugar cookies like we do every year. I'm worse than the kids when it comes to eating what you decorate so I opted to quietly sit down and take pictures of the experience instead. Mikey insisted on ignoring me and the camera for the most part. Then, Mikey looked vaguely in my direction, as I sat there waiting patiently, and I got a picture of his big blue eyes.

FAIL. Ever have one of those days?

Thank You For Stopping By

Awesome Boise State Picture

The Boise State Broncos emerge from the smoke filled tunnel hand-in-hand only to sprint onto the field as Winston Venable proudly carries out the hammer. The hammer is awarded to the player who had the hardest hit in the previous game.

Immediately one of my favorite pictures of all time.

Picture of the Week

For the first time in a while I went almost an entire week without taking one single picture, putting this weeks POTW in jeopardy. Finally, yesterday I dusted off the camera and got a few pictures of Mikey. Then of course I gave Mikey's toes a little nibble. I apologize in advance if you're offended by a close-up of my big face. But I love Mikey's feet. That's not weird is it?

Why?

Why is that when I go to the gym I search for the closest parking space to the front door? I don't get it.

Quentin Tarantino and Lady Elaine Fairchilde

Is it just me or does Quentin Tarantino look a lot like Lady Elaine Fairchilde from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood? By the way, that Elaine Fairchilde puppet scared me to death when I was a kid.



Eerie. I got chills right now.

Rite Aid?

Tell me, when was the last time you stepped foot into a Rite Aid? Has it been days, weeks, months, years, ever?!?!?

On my way home from the YMCA this evening I remembered I needed to stop and get some work gloves. The only store on my way home was Rite Aid. In case you haven't heard, the entire western United States is freezing right now. I wasn't about to veer off course.

The last time I was at Rite Aid was 2006. I was skeptical before I walked in. This particular Rite Aid must get customers because it's still in business. But there were no customers to be found in this store, only two visible employees. I figure this makes Rite Aid a glorified convenience store.

Now for the anticlimactic finish to the story. I bought a pair of sweet gloves for $2.99. My trip home was interrupted for maybe five total minutes.

Not a bad store. I may go there again...before it goes under.

Picture of the Week

Depending on where you live in Boise, we woke up to between 1-3 inches of snow this morning. We were closer to three. The boys get really excited about snow until they go outside and realize snow is COLD. Timo, Noah and Mikey lasted only five minutes or so outside this morning. That was still enough time for Timo to make a snow angel.



And of course this is what's left of our old couch. I'm in the middle of breaking it down so it can be thrown in the dumpster. Guess I'll have to wait a day or two to finish it off.

Bonehead Moment

I remember when the Chicago Bulls used to be my most favorite team on the planet. Now, I hardly watch the NBA.



I can't imagine Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen, or any other respectable NBA player just standing there watching a player tie his shoe with ball in hand during a live play. As if this game was being played on the playground and you have the authority to say, "timeout, I need to tie my shoe" while everyone waits for you. That's Bull. Pun intended.

Holy Christmas Lights Batman!!

We found a cool house in North Boise that has a ridiculous amount of Christmas decorations. Our family enjoys driving around during the Christmas season to look at decorations people have worked hard to put up. It works out well since the boys love the decorations and I'm attracted to bright colors.
Anyway, I heard of a home that boasts having "around 500,000" lights. That puts the Griswold house to shame. I tried my best to take pictures. I may have had some better pictures if I hadn't forgot my dang memory card.

Click to enlarge for better clarity.
















You could easily play catch in their driveway in the middle of the night. I'm hoping to go there again so I can try to get a better panoramic picture. If I do, you know I'll post it!

KISS sighting

I post this video with some slight hesitation. You see, Noah was trying to do his business on the toilet, which he has trouble with sometimes. I thought I would help by scaring the poop out of him.



Yep, that's Gene Simmons. Don't worry, Noah is just fine. And I'm happy to report my controversial tactic worked producing results less than five minutes later.

Picture of the Week

Thanksgiving is over and now the Christmas season is in full swing. Our family had a good little dinner here at home. Becka made a delicious moist turkey accompanied by your normal Thanksgiving treats. As usual, I ate way too much pumpkin pie. And by too much I mean, I should probably go to the doctor afterwards, too much.

That leads into this weeks simple POTW. While eating our Thanksgiving dinner I pushed two cans of Full Throttle together and discovered it was picture time. I zoomed in on the cans to make it look like a double Full Throttle label. It actually makes a cool wallpaper, although you might be mistaken for a Full Throttle vendor if you put it on your computer.

Idaho Falls Temple

I took this picture a few years ago. I'm sure you've noticed it's the Idaho Falls Temple. I really like background/foreground pictures. It also makes a good wallpaper. I was flipping through pictures and thought I would share. Enjoy!

Did I ever tell you...

that one time I was stuck on the side of a cliff?

Okay, maybe "stuck" is an exaggeration. I was only about six feet high.

Picture of the Week

On Vista Avenue here in Boise there's a decorative fire hydrant sitting loudly along the side of the road. I don't know why it's decorated. It looks the like the spawn of a fire hydrant and a zebra, with some pink sprinkled in.
It's peculiar looking so I thought I would share.

Picture Comparisons

We received school pictures from Eric and Timo this week. Timo was really excited about getting his first Kindergarten picture. I also thought it would be fun to do some comparisons.

Poor Timo was sick on picture day but he was a trooper (that's right, I said trooper).



Eric's second grade picture. He's always excited about picture day. You can tell from that glow.



Now on to some comparisons. I thought it would be fun to compare Eric's kindergarten, first grade, and second grade pictures.

I like seeing how he's grown a little over the past few years.


I just happened to find my own picture from second grade. Let's do another comparison.


Wow. The first time Eric seen this picture of me he said I looked chubby. Although that's true, I still can't get over my hair. Let's be real. Eric is a handsome little boy but he looks downright radiant when we're side by side.

Do you...

Do you have little kids? Between the ages of 2-5?

Does your kid have four legs?
Do you feed your kid puppy chow?
Do you make your kid wear a flea collar?
Does he/she drink water from the toilet?
Does your kid rummage through neighbors trash can looking for food?
Do you take your kid for a walk every morning and evening so he/she can potty outside?
Do you plan on neutering your kid?
Do you take your kid ducking hunting with you so he can retrieve the ducks you've shot, out of the lake?
Has your kid ever come home with dozens of porcupine quills stabbed into his face?
Did your kid ever get hit by a car, survive the car, even though he lost a leg and now you've nicknamed him "Lucky?"

Do you put your kid on a leash when you walk around with him in the mall????



I want to be done seeing these people.

Picture(s) of the Week: Boise State Football Edition

Yesterday Eric and I were fortunate enough to go to the Boise State-Idaho game, thanks to some online friends who hooked me up with some tickets. This was the first rivalry game I've attended and it was a blast! It was cute how the Idaho Vandals were coming into Bronco Stadium boasting a mediocre record. For the record, Boise State won 63-25.

I'm going to ignore any hyperbole I could easily come up with at this point and get on with the pictures.


Heisman candidate Kellen Moore throws from the pocket.


Number 23, Jeron Johnson, surveys the Vandal offense before the snap.


I gasped in fear as All-American, Kyle Wilson lied on the turf far too long after a play. It turns out he was okay. He took a shot to that one place where guys don't like getting hit. You can refer to a similar incident here.


This is my favorite picture of the bunch. Austin Pettis caught four touchdowns on the day and this is just one of his sweet grabs. Too bad that pesky goal post is in the way. One more thing. Pettis may have the best hands I've ever seen...ever. Hyperbole doesn't apply here, I mean it.



It was good times. Eric and I both screamed wildly as we braved the cold weather. I badly wanted to post a picture a nice lady took of Eric and I but I look a bit too chubby in it. Maybe next time.

Close-up with Timo

Last night I was goofing around with the camera, like I often do. Close-up pictures look cool to me, so I take a lot of those. Maybe it's because of my bad eyesight.


Here's some Timo feet. Zoom-in style.



Timo's football. Zoom-in style.


What actually happened was, Timo was picking up his football while looking at me, and I said, "STOP!!" I told him I liked that look, get ready to pose.



There it is. Playtime with the camera is always fun.

Here's Johnny!!!

Boom goes the Dynamite

I'm a few years late posting this video since it hit it's height of popularity a while back. If you've seen it or not, it's pretty dang funny...well if you find other people in awkward situations funny, like me.

I heard this guy has a job as a reporter now in Texas somewhere. He has videos all over YouTube.

Whenever I start to complain too much about the local announcers here in Boise I watch this video to remind myself it could be worse.

Picture of the Week

A few days ago I posted some pictures from a BSU basketball game we attended as a family. After the game the BSU players stood in a line so they could greet and thank fans for coming to the game as we exited the arena. The first player we walked by was Kurt Cunningham, who stands 6'9". He was very nice so I asked him if he would take a picture with my boys. He generously said yes. He even offered to hold Mikey for the picture, but Mike panicked. Of course we joked that Mikey isn't used to being that high up. The other boys had a good time at the game but posing for a picture with Kurt Cunningham really topped the night off for them.

Update to Previous Post

After my previous post I felt it was necessary to do a follow up and explain things a little.

First off the desire to move has been on our minds for a while now. The thought of moving back east was something that occurred to us fairly recently. Since then, we've crunched numbers, analyzed scenarios, done extensive research and discovered, yes, moving back east is a real possibility. When we figured that out, my brain has been flooded with anxious excitement. That prompted me to dig deeper, find more information about possible locations. I've done so much research and thought about it so much I've given myself stress headaches over it. However, this excitement for the past few weeks has only been shared between Becka and I. I had to get it off my chest. I figured telling people collectively on my blog might be a good way to go.

But then again, what exactly am I telling you? I'm saying, hey, we may or may not move far far away in approximately 5 years. I know that sounds so vague and tentative. I can tell you what I do know for sure.

• Within 5 years we're going to move somewhere. I can say that with absolute certainty. Whether that's New England, Las Vegas, Tacoma, California or Twin Falls, I have no idea. But right now, somewhere in New England is at the top of our list.

• Becka and I do not fear the unknown. Not knowing what may or may not happen is very exciting to us. So moving back east, to us, is a big deal. That idea of living somewhere that's practically foreign gives me an adrenaline boost.

• When we do move, it will be careful and calculated. Everything will be considered. We've made several mistakes before when we've moved and we absolutely have to minimize our mistakes the next time. We've even made in-town moves and really screwed things up.

• Idaho isn't for me. I know I keep coming back but the *older* I get, the more I realize Idaho doesn't fit me. And when I say me, I mean us, as in Becka and I. Our decision is made together and we just so happen to feel the same way. Now, I don't want to make it sound like I look down on prideful Idahoans because I don't. There's a lot Idaho has to offer. I've just discovered more and more over the past several years that I don't fit in here like I used to. Not because I'm chubby, because I've changed.

Situations can change. There are so many variables when you consider moving somewhere. Five years from now our situations can be completely different. I assume they will be. And who knows what the economy will be like five years from now. That could very well dictate the decisions we make when it comes to moving our entire family somewhere. I'll admit right now there's always the possibility I could have a different opinion about Idaho in five years. Or, maybe we'll want to move to Texas. I hear Denton is nice. Or maybe we'll want to move to Florida, I don't know. Although, we can probably rule out Florida due to the swift population rise of Burmese pythons. Yikes!! Listen. Snakes don't scare me. Snakes the size of a telephone pole scares the crap out of me. I'm not living by anything that can swallow me.

Sorry, I got a little sidetracked. I watch way too much National Geographic. Anyway, the future is uncertain but despite that uncertainty, Becka and I have set apart some goals. I want Becka and I to be able to dictate our own lives. Do what's best for our family. I know we will, whether we do that here or 2,000 miles away.


*Editor's Note: By no means am I implying that I'm getting old. I'm reminded constantly that I'm still just a kid. What I mean is, the more I mature, not old in the literal sense.

I have the urge to move again...imagine that?

Caution! Frustrated rambling ahead. At least it's short.


Sooo, I've had this almost uncontrollable urge to move again. This time I want to move to somewhere in the Northeast U.S. That's right, Northeast. Maybe Pennsylvania. I realize this move sounds more ambitious than our usual moves. I'm growing more serious about it every day. The catch is, we won't even attempt to move again for a few more years. After Becka finishes school. So, who knows how we'll feel in a few years. If Becka and I could do it right now we would.

I grew up in Idaho, lived most of my life in Idaho, but I'm discovering more and more I'm not an Idahoan at heart. Becka feels the same. We don't fear making changes. Sometimes to a fault. We tend to keep things exciting that way I guess. Also to a fault.

Maybe this will all be moot in the near future. But I honestly don't think it will be. We have a few years to keep you updated.

Tallest Skyscrapers

I know. You've been dying to see a comparison picture of some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world from the past 75 years or so. Let Jeremy's Forum help you out.

I'm a basketball fan too!

You might think I only support Boise State football but that's not the case. My first love was basketball and I love college basketball. Naturally I love the Boise State basketball team. Attendance to BSU basketball is embarrassingly low. On the other hand, that makes tickets very cheap and you're almost always guaranteed a good seat.

Last night Boise State opened up the season with an exhibition game against Willamette University. Ticket prices for this preseason was so low we were able to take the entire family.

The bad thing about going to any kind of sporting event is I always tend to sit in front of the moron who "knows everything" about the sport. Then the guy complains about every single missed shot. I should digress here before I go on a tangent.

I really sucked it up trying to take pictures of the game. I don't know why. Here's a few decent ones.


BSU captain and fifth year senior, Anthony Thomas, shooting a free throw.


LaShard Anderson going for a layup. Ignore all those empty seats.


I can't remember his name but he's a walk-on freshman. He better not give up too many of those wide open jumpers in the future.


Mikey giving me the stink eye.


Now, I'll admit that at the game I spotted several BSU football players in the stands. I'll refrain from posting the paparazzi-esque pictures I took of them. It was good to see them supporting the basketball team. Although, I noticed some of them weren't actually watching the game. I'm looking at you Titus Young. *stink eye*

Picture of the Week

Well, after some sickness and serious procrastination the Picture of the Week is back.

I have a simple picture this week. Eric, Timo, and Noah we're crazy excited for Halloween. I figured it made sense to show their costumes. In case you're not sure who they are.

Eric - GI Joe
Timo - Optimus Prime
Noah - "Army Man"

Our trick or treat strategy in Boise is simple. Go to a wealthy neighborhood. The boys we're determined to gather as much candy as humanly possible, just like every other trick or treating kid on Halloween. The boys filled their little baskets thanks to receiving full size candy bars. I only ate two of them. The boys and I capped Halloween night off by watching an episode of Ghost Adventures in the dark. The boys we're scared. I did my evil laugh. Then there was a good laugh by all. Good times.

It was a fun day and most importantly the boys had a great time.

Unique Jack-o-Lanterns

It's Halloween and who doesn't love Jack-o-Lanterns? I'm not a big fan of carving them myself because I'm really bad at it. However, I'm a fan of anyone who can carve some cool designs into pumpkins. I found some pictures of unique Jack-o-Lanterns on Wired.com. Here's some of my favorites.


Ah, yes, the thriller pumpkin. You know me and Michael Jackson.


I'm not much of a Star Wars fan but seeing a Storm Trooper is still cool. That is a storm trooper right?


It's our favorite Gremlin, Gizmo!


The New York City skyline.


Any collection of unique Jack-o-Lantern pictures wouldn't be complete without the evil Mr. Burns. Excellent.