I meant to post this back with our camping pictures but I somehow forgot it....
I, however, did NOT attempt this. Last time I try to do a back-flip into the water I ended up doing a funky awkward 1/2 side face dive into the water. I'll probably never attempt it again.
I made a new blog that shows the steps to make a "CUSTOM BLOG". It's under "The 411" on the sidebar and it's called "Blog Design 4 Dummies"...how fitting is that? :)
Hope it helps anyone in need of a blog change.
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, if it is recent or years old, silly or serious--anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.
This applies to Trace or me...or both...or none...or neither. You decide 2008.
(Sniff, sniiiiiiff) Ahhh...the frest mountain air! (Something Trace and I have been craving for a while.) We decided it's been long enough since we've taken in some cool mounatian air...so we packed up the Expo and headed for the hills on Friday night when Trace got off work. We went up the Payson Canyon. Who'd a thought that we were surrounded by such B-E-A-utiful scenery? 
Look at the two HAPPY campers!
Brody enjoyed crawling around in the dirt. He also really enjoyed eating it. (Hey, a little dirt never hurt....right?)
We took many hikes around the different lakes up on the mountain. They had so many neat little trails.
This is me and Budah...notice that little wooden bridge we are crossing over? (It's barely noticible in this picture. Oh wait...MOM had a thought...
Let's put Brody on that cute little bridge and take a picture of him...(brilliant idea Tara) 
As you can tell he isn't too sure of it and he begins to rock back and forth...however, my "cheetah speed" (see 3 posts ago) did NOT kick in and Brody went face first into the water...(If you can't laugh at that you can just leave.) He was soked. I just wish Trace would have gotten a picture of him in the water. 
This is us just strollin around a different lake. 
This is Brody floating in the lake. He would get SO tense...
I was there to help him along though...
There was the prettiest scenery around the lake....
Look how cute that little path is....I must say, "Darling!"
That picture above is of a little stream. (Surprised you didn't know that.) We tried to follow the stream using this tiny"elk/deer/racoon" trail and hiked through a jungle and someone ended up at this little waterfall. It's almost as good as Spelunking.
We also saw some baby deers. Hello there little buddies...
Oh and let me tell you...that water was Fa-REEEZING!! So cold. (Oh and PS. I thought the waterfall would be A LOT bigger than that. In reality, I could probably climb the side of the cliff [well, if and only if I had the wiked crazy rocking climbing skills to do so...which I don't]...anyway, if I could somehow get on top of the waterfall and sit down I'm PRETTY sure, at least 60% sure, that I could dam up entire waterflow and stop the waterfall completely. ) Oh and PSS. What did the fish say when it ran into the cement wall? ANSWER: DAM!!! 
This is me trying to convince Brody that hiking, sitting in FREEZING cold tundra ice water, and taking a million pictures is TONS of fun!! 
Anyway, after the hiking, exploring, spelunking, swimmin, and all other sorts of outdoor fun...there's nothing like mornings in the woods and enjoying some delicious pancakes.
And playing with sticks....small...
AND BIG...
And spending some alone time with the ones you love!!
Last weekend we went to an OREM OLWZ baseball game. I think they are minor league...AAA. I'm not sure. It was fun to go though and Brody LOVED it. 
The field was so pretty and the weather was perfect. They have this HUGE grassy area for the kids to run an play on.
He's ready to play!
And good news...it was a 1/2 moon that night! The lighting was perfect!
Tricked ya huh? You probably thought it would be a picture of a moon...not a little boy's bum crack. 
The little boy was all tuckered out....Check out that ghetto booty. No wonder why he always has a plumber's crack. We had a great weekend! We also decided that we are going to do more outdoors-y things. I'm planning an adventure already! Yahoo!
So my life is full of imbarrassing moments. Luckily I can somehow laugh them off and people don't think I'm a total idiot. This one happened just a couple of weeks ago while I was in Arizona. I debated sharing this story, but I thought, "Eh, what the heck, why not." You think I would grow out of these "imbarrassing moments"....but NOPE.
Ok, so it was Saturday, the 5th of July and suprisingly enough it was drizzling rain outside. We were in H-town (for those of you who don't understand gangster talk- that is Heber.) Many people said, "This is the coldest July 5th of my whole life." I admit, it was strange to have a rainy day prior to the fireworks.
Anyway, enough about the wheather...let's move on to the story.
So a bunch of us friends get together and played a game that starts with an S. Sammy, slappy, S, Sssss, Ssss...swooshie, sloopy, smoody....SMOOCHY!!! That's it...I was WAY off! Anyway we, as in Trace, Banning, Me, Jaime, Andrew Crandell, Bethany, and Baylon, gathered at the Capps Middle school field. I was very unprepared for SMOOCHY and I wore a white shirt. (OH, and on a side note: The sprinklers were going and I was sittin on the edge of the truck and Banning thought it would be a good idea to have a wet T-shirt contest and decided to deuce me with water...GOOD NEWS- I won the contest cause I was the only one that got wet! Go me!) On with the story....So we split up into two teams.
TEAM 1: Super Competative Trace, Quarterback Uncle RICO aka Andrew, and the fantastic ME
VS
TEAM 2: Prego Jaime, Mr. All-Star Banning, Baylon, and Bethany (Banning's little bro and sis).
The game is pretty much like ultimate football...no tackling allowed. You have to throw the ball to your teammate to advance up the field then you have to run or throw it to a teammate through the goal. You have to catch the ball, if you miss it, it becomes the other teams ball. That is the jist of it...even though Banning kept throwing out random rules the entire game!
So we are playing and I, with my cheetah fast speed and cat like reflexing, am pretty much the MVP of the game. I was running SO fast that mud began to flip up on my white shirt and all over the pants. (Remember the rain + the sprinklers + grass + dirt + my incredible super crazy speed = WET, MUDDY, SLIPPERY GRASS.) So my apponent, Jaime, takes off her outer shirt and just has her undershirt on that is capped sleeve. (You know, the kind that covers up the G's..aka our underwears.) So I think to myself, "Hey, what a BRILLIANT idea. I'll just take my white cute shirt off and put it over on the fence so it doesn't get all muddy and yucky." Then, without another thought and 1.2 seconds later, my shirt was off and I take off running towards the fence. I look down and see my white garment sleeve hanging out. I had a confused moment...what the?? So I continue to look down at myself and realize that I only have a black TANK top on and wasn't wearing my full cap sleeve black undershirt on like I THOUGHT I did. (key word = THOUGHT!) I tried to hurry and put my white shirt back on before anyone noticed...HOWEVER, they were all laughing, so I'm pretty sure they noticed. I was standing there struggling cause during my rush to get my white shirt off (remember my cheetah speed) I turned my shirt wrong-side out. So I sat there and fiddled with the darn thing for what seemed like Eternity as I stood there in my little black tank top with my partial underwear hanging out. I FINALLY got it back on and the look on Trace's face was priceless. I wish I had a picture of it. I want to say dumbfounded or confused or amused...maybe a little subdued. (Alright, not subdued, but it rhymed...so I threw it out there.) These imbarrassing moments may never stop. I seem to always find a way to do something stupid.
AND THAT'S HOW I ROLL!!!
PS. My team won....I believe it was because I distracted my apponents with my slightly "exposed" moment. It was all in the game plan.
Taralee sent this to only a few people and i got a kick out of it (prolly cause she quoted a few movies) and i bet you laugh too. she is super hilarious. yes tiff she should be a writer.
1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing? oh heck NO, YUCKY. (gag me)
2. Have you ever smoked pot? NO- I don't think metal would smoke very well. I guess I have once when my brother was welding a new pot for my mom and I was near by
3. Do you own a gun? Yes, when I got married I inherited like 6 of them...what's mine is yours.
4. What's your favorite drink at Starbucks? Orange Mocha Latte-frio. (or something like that.)
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Oh yep, I get really nervous and I put my hands in my arm-pits and then I smell them. ha ha. j/k. No, I don't get too nervous.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Oh I love them. I think I ate like 15 of them one time when I lived in Vernon...I instantly regreted it though. I should enter a hot dog eating contest. I could wipp that little Chinese dude.
7. Favorite Christmas song? Hey, what's that one song when Grandma got ran over by a Reindeer? ha. And I like "Where are you Christmas" by Faith Hill.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Cereal Milk...you know...after it is all sweet and flavorful.
9. Can you do push-ups? Oh I can do like a million. (eh-hem...not really.)
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? Oh my wedding ring FA SHO! And does a hair tie count as jewelery? Cause I don't leave home without it.
11. Favorite hobby? Anything outdoors. I love to go spelunking...cave exploring for those of you who aren't as smart as me.
12. Do you have A.D.D.? Actually no...I'm a C cup...I WISH though!
13. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? I'm not a hater. I'm a lover.
14. Middle name? Reidhead...or as my hubby says, "Retard-head"
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? I think that drink I just took had cafenine in it...I'm wired. I hope it rains today...and I can jump in puddles with Brody. And I need to go back to school...cause this job sucks.
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? water, Crystal Light (the FOCUS kind..yummy, yummy) and water.
17. Current worry right now? That I have to go to the bathroom and I have like 27 questions left. Oh my, my.
18. Current hate right now? I'm not a hater. I'm a LOVER...I already said that....HELLOooooo!
19. Favorite place to be? With my family or Trace's family...they are both my favorite. Both are good. If not my family, then Trace's family....both are my favorites.
20. How did you bring in the New Years? At the Rockin Stephens party! At their house...makin out with my hubby!
21. Like to go where? Oh boy, so many places in this world. Alaska, Figi, Africa safari, New York...or somewhere on the east coast. Australia would be awesome and Brazil...I want to explore the jungle and maybe even go spelunking.
22. Name three people who will complete this? Your mom.
23. Do you own slippers? Oh heaven's yes. But I need some new ones. The furr is falling off of mine.
24. What color shirt are you wearing? BLACK.
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Never tried it before. I would guess yes though...if I shaved my legs every single night.
26. Can you whistle? Um, depends on the day...usually no.
27. Favorite color? Green, Purple, and Red. I love ALL colors. I really like Yellow too.28. Would you be a pirate? Yes, but instead of stealing I would spread love and flowers to everyone! ha ha.
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? Anything that I heard that day. Just to let you know, I have AN AMAZING shower voice.
30. What is your favorite girl's name? Taralee...duh. It's amazing...everyone should name their little girl that. I actually won't disclose that information cause I don't want it to get stolen.
31. Favorite boy's name? As of right now, BRODY!
32. What's in your pocket right now? Don't have pockets. I'm wearing a skirt. My purse has a pocket though and it has like 4 things of chapstick.
32. Last thing that made you laugh? Trace walking/running like an old man. He cracks me up.
33. Best bed sheets as a child? I would have to say Mickey Mouse flying in an air balloon.
34. Worst injury you've ever had? My dad pert near cut my finger off while trying to sheer my lamb for the fair. It was horrible. Oh and one time I wrecked going down hill on my bike and flipped over the handle bars and scrapped my face and stomach and arms. It didn't look very graceful.
35. Do you love where you live? I like where I live...I'm learning to love Pootah. I't's a love/hate relationship.
36. How many TVs do you have in your house? 1 and it's enough.
37. Who is your loudest friend? Oh boy. I would have to say my MOM. She laughs SO loud.
38. How many pets do you have? 1 dog, it's in AZ though. I'm deathly allergic to it.
39. Does someone have a crush on you? Oh you know it. Trace does. He'll always have a crush on me...at least I hope so.
40. What is your favorite book? Hm, I love the Hungry Catepillar book. It's SO fun. And I love Green Eggs and Ham. I'm very advanced in my reading.
41. What is your favorite candy? Candy corn, candy canes, and SYRUP!!
42. Favorite Sports Team? The freakin PHOENIX SUNS...I will never give up on them.
43. What were you doing 12 AM last night? That's kind of an oxi-moron. 12 "am" "LAST NIGHT" doesn't really make sense huh? Anyway, I was laying in bed talking to Trace.
44. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I'm HUNGRY.
Alright that's all for now! Enjoy! Hope you all had a good day. Can you tell I'm bored?
Love to all...I'm off to the bathroom,
Taralee
This is for my eldest brother RYAN....
Remember when we lived in Vernon and we would lay on the trampoline and you taught me how to shoot those darn prairie dogs in that HUGE field next to us with the pellet gun? I sure do. However, I'm pretty sure I never hit a single one...even though you would always say, "Hey, I think you got that one." When in reality I would just hit the dirt and a cloud of dust would shoot up.
Remember when we were riding that old piece of crap 4-wheeler with the fenders that were bailing wired on and we got it stuck/high centered on a stump up by Cinderberry Mountain? I do and I also remember that you told me to bounce up and down on the back of the 4-wheeler while you proceeded to rev up the engine and rock it back and forth. Then once we got enough momentum to "bounce/jump" over the stump, the 4-wheeler took off and I went soring through the air like an acrobatic flying squirrel. Lucky for me I gracefully landed in a cedar tree and walked away with only a few minor bumps and scratches.
Remember when we would get in some major "play" fist fights and I actually bruised your back once? I do...and now I am forever paranoid about the "payback".
Remember my freshman year when you would offer to give me a ride to lunch?...Well if and ONLY if I was quick enough to run across the parking lot, dodge other driving cars and trucks, and make a running jump into the back of your truck BEFORE you peeled out and sped off. Then once I made it into the back of your truck I believe I had my life flash before my eyes at least 3 times!
Remember when my chevy truck got broken into and I couldn't get it to turn off or move or do anything cause the dumb person that broke into it broke the entire driving column shaft thing? Or remember when I had a flat tire on the side of the freeway? Or remember when I somehow wrecked into a guard rail and pretty much totaled Mike's dodge truck? Or remember when I was driving Rustin's old white car down to the valley and it somehow died? I remember all of them AND I remember that you were there to fix the trucks, drive me to where I needed to go, buy me something to eat, and then have to drive the 4-6 hours back...usually hauling my broken down something or other back with you.
Remember when I made an irrational decision to move up to Cedar City, Utah? Then after 3 months decided that I didn't like it and you came up there and loaded up all my stuff and helped me drive back to AZ in the middle of the night and in the middle of a snow blizzard. Nuff' said.
Oh remember when we worked out on the farm and I would ride with you every morning and I would PRAY for my life the entire trip? Oh and remember when I sunk a tractor in like 9 feet of clay/mudd/dirt/sewer water and you and Kameron spent a couple hours trying to get the dag-blasted thing out? I remember...and I also remember feeling like a helpless retard.
Remember when Kameron or someone decided that I was smart enough to drive the Roadsider? And I spent most of the day cusing and hitting that dumb machine? Then you got in it and it performed perfectly and you did it like 100 million times faster than me. AMAZING!
Remember when we would go bunny bashing/shooting out at the farm and you would fly over those farm roads like nobody's business and I would occationally hit my head on the roof if I wasn't holding on tight enough to the "Oh SH*%" handles. You especially liked to do that if I was trying to reload the gun or following a jack rabbit with the spot light.
As you can tell I have a lot of great memories of my brother Ryan. He's the smartest Redneck around! He can fix or at least jimmy-rig anything and everything, drive like a bat out of hell (while making you feel as safe as a swaddled baby), blow a thick and very dense smoke all over your enemies with his suped-up truck, and help you out of any "OH CRAP" moment....without complaining or expecting a payback. My oldest brother Ryan is the best.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN (1 day late). I love you and hope you had a great day. Thanks for everything!
So the other night Danica called me to get a HOT FUDGE RECIPE. This is how the conversation went:
T: Hello there Nica.
D: Hi, do you have the hot fudge recipe?
T: Oh you know I do.
Silence....
T: Oh, do you want me to get it for you?
D: Um, hello? YES.
T: Oh well geez...hold on.
T: (grunting as I climb on top of the stove to reach the recipe box) F....not in the "F's". hmmm....well where in the heck would it be? WHO ORGANIZED THIS THING?
D: (laughing)
T: Oh it's under "H"...who in the hell-fire put it there? Are you ready for it?
D: Yep.
T: HOT FUD-GY res-i-p-i?
D: Recipe.
T: Oh yes, recipe. Ok, put in-gred...ingre-di-ents in pot:
1 cub-ey but...but-t-er.
3 TBSP (sounded out like t-b-s-p) co-co-a.
1 sm can e-vap...evap-or-ate-d
D: ARE YOU SERIOUS???
T: (clearing my throat) Mmmmhemmm...1 sm can evapor-ated mi-lk. (laughing) and 1 TB-SP fl-o-ur, flour? DID YOU GET THAT?
D: Yes (as she rolls her eyes...I couldn't see her, but I know she did). You are so dumb.
T: Melt to-get-her and bring to boy-ill?
D: BOIL??!!
T: Ah yes, boil. You better stir it though...you don't want it to stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
D: Oh well thank you.
T: Oh you're welcome and THANK YOU for the invite...
You all may not get a kick out of it...BUT I sure did.
Just a few more pictures from our Arizona trip. (I promise I'm almost done.) This is Devin's little girl, Kindsey with the one and only Brody and Aunt Olivia. 
Olivia loves her little Budah boy.
Brody loved splashing in the water and chasing the dogs around the yard. You can't really tell in the picture but there IS water on the cement. He just doesn't go around all day and bang on the cement.
We also got to spend some time with Grandma Bowers. She is a wonderful lady! 
She also made me a quilt with the fabric used at my bridal shower in Heber. I was SO excited to get it. She teased me and kept saying that she was going to auction it off if I didn't get over there and pick it up. I'm pretty sure there would have been a fight once the auction started! I'm glad she decided to keep peace and harmony within the Porter Clan. I love my quilt though. I need to lay it out and take a good picture of it. THANKS G-MA BOWERS!!
We also got to spend a lot of time with some friends. I'm pretty sure I'm retarded cause I forgot my camera at almost EVERY outing. I did get this picture of Christopher Robin Bradshaw. Ha ha...him and his wifey make me laugh. We also got to see David and Amanda (I absolutely love that girl and miss her A LOT), Hal B and Ashley Frost, Ashley Umphress and her two ADORABLE girls, Addie + Zaners and Maximus for .234 seconds, hmmm Scooter and Carly, Jamilyn and Stratton, NUT Meg Helding, and MANY other great friends that I have missed SOOOO much. (I'm not sure if Chris is beign serious in this picture...but he kind of looks crazy.) 
Of COURSE...we did a LOT of driving in the dumb car. Brody did good most of the way. This was him and Trace playing in the backseat. Oh and we also let him have his free will at the OREOS. I'm sure that shirt he was wearing will be forever stained with black and white smudges. But BOY did he love those OREOS. They were a sanity saver for me!
Trace loved hanging out with Keagen, Beau and Shaunalee's oldest. Keagen helped Trace fix the paddle boat and Trace took him on a TON of "four-le-ler-wides." (Four wheeler rides). They had a blast.
We also got to get out and spend some time up in the mountains and enjoy some alone time together. We went up to Black Canyon Lake...it was so full and PRETTY up there. This picture does not do it justice. 
We got to take the paddle boat out on the lake. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty much a professional paddle boater. It was so peaceful...and the water wasn't THAT cold after you got used to it. When I first jumped in though it pert near knocked the breathe out of me.
Trace on the paddle boat. Check out the background. B-E-A-utiful! 
Of course we tried to take a "together" picture. ha ha...those ones are always the best huh? We had such a great time out on the lake and it was nice to just get away for a couple of hours. (Special thanks to Melinda and Shaunalee for watching my teething, tired, grumpy child!) 
This is my friend Doug Mathis. I'm sure a lot of you know him. I just wanted to let everyone know that he was pulled up by the Texas Rangers and started a couple of games. I meant to post this a while ago, but I couldn't ever find a picture of him. Anyway, he is on the engured list now...but I just wanted to express how HAPPY I was for Doug. Way to go after your dreams!
Goooooooooooooooo DOUG!!
WARNING: Massive picture overload.
We had a Gaines Reunion over in Ruidoso, New Mexico. Let me tell you...I just love this side of the family. It helps me realize where I get my weird sense of humor from. Oh and first off, let me just mention that the drive to Ruidoso took us about 13 hours. Then we spend about an hour and a half searching for our campsite because my mom gave us a map the size, in comparison, of a penny...when in reality the size of the town is in comparision to the Pacific Ocean. Try finding a place at 3 in the morning...after a 13 hour drive with a 1 year old...with a back-assward map... and both very sleep deprived and yearning to brush my teeth....YA, let's just say we got a LITTLE frustrated with eachother!! (To say the least!) Anyway, Rustin and my momma met us and we just followed them to the cabin. All was well. On to the pictures...
This is my Nanny! She is one of the funniest, most sassiest ladies ever! She sure gives Trace a hard time. She even said to me, "You know Taralee, I've been meaning to send you a card. A SYMPATHY card!" (As she pointed to Trace.) "For having to put up with him!" ha ha ha. We thought that was so funny. And ofcourse Trace teased her a little bit and she loved every minute of it. She looks sweet and innocent...but I beg to differ.
Here is my Grandaddy. He stays quiet a lot of the time and then all of the sudden he will say or do the funniest thing ever. I am certain I got my personality from them. He loved holding Brody.
Now here is little Nica with her favorite nephew ofcourse. 
I'm not so sure what we are doing in this picture. Danica almost looks ticked off...or constapated. I, however, look like I'm trying to expose all my teeth...molars included. Again...not so sure.
I think this may run in the family. Wow....oh wow... 
Trace and Brode just chillen on the bridge.
My dad, Grandpa, loved hangin out with Brody. These two make quiet the pair.
One of the nights we were there we had a HUGE nice dinner for my Nanny and Grandaddy. We told some memories and then watch a slide show of a bunch of pictures. It was so nice to be able to get together as a family and honor such wonderful people. I love you Nanny and Grandaddy!! Here is a pic of me and my handsome hubby.
This little girl, Parker, LOVED LOVED LOVED Trace. She is so cute. I am totally jealous of her dimples. My cousin Nicole has the cutest kids ever. They are seriously so much fun to be around.
Here is my cousin Nicole and broseph, Rustin. It was so much fun getting to spend time with them. Ahhh....
Here is mi madre and padre.... 
And this is Danica doing an inpersination of my mom's smile. SO FUNNY! I'm still laughing. She is such a nut.
Me and Rustino...Rusty pants....what are you doing? You ruined the picture. Funny thing is, is that I have like 5 pictures of this same pose but with different facial expressions on my camera. One we have like 3 double chins each, the other I'm doing a one eyed monster look, one Rustin is smiling HUGE, and then this one....I'm not going to lie. Rusty looks slightly mental.
Our cute little fam....(I told you...A TON of pictures.) 
Then we decided to take some family pics cause we were all together.
Rusty pants looks normal in this picture. Not so sure what I'm doing though...squatting???
All of the cousins...
Here is Trace and his two little girlfriends. I'm telling you...these girls are SUPER cute. Bailey on the left and Parker on the right. Check out Trace pretty flower in his hair.
Uncle Rustin and Brode enjoying some cheetos. Yum.
I also took some 1 year pictures of Brody. Ain't he the cutest 1 year old ever.
I realized I didn't get any pictures of Ryan. Brody loved hanging out with him. I'm pretty sure Brody ate all of Ryan's breakfast every day. He loved the pancakes with Peanut Butter!! Anyway, I had a great time in Ruidoso. I loved being with family. I just wish we could have stayed longer. Thanks mom and dad for all that you did for us! We loved being there.
