"And here we have I--DA--HO..."

Believe it or not, folks, Boise ranked a whopping no. 2 on the list of best cities to live in America! Ironically, "affordable housing" was one of the reasons....But despite that, in my mind, Boise is truly one of the greatest places on earth. In case you were wondering, here are some reasons why it is so appealing. (and you just might find yourselves packing your bags to get here!)

1. Where else can you live in the heart of the city and look out your window each morning to cows and horses? (yes, that is our back fence. And yes, they smell like roses.)

2. In my eyes the weather is pretty much perfect. (although I know there are those of you who vehemently disagree, MOM, but here we have a little something called AC...) I admit, this year has been a tad strange, but where hasn't it been?

3. The library system, need I say more? (but shhhh, I owe $10.60 in fines. I really should pay up so a.) I don't get any nasty letters from a collection agency, and b.) I can enter my kids in the summer reading program so they can win cool prizes like more books and trinkets and PIZZA, of all things. Could someone explain the logical reason of why winning a personal pan pizza is a natural consequence of reading?! Anyone?)

4. You can go to the temple and back in under 3 hours.

5. You can go to Costco and back in under 3 hours. (but not under $100.)

6. Idaho boasts the likes of famous people who have utterly changed the course of the history of the world: J.R. Simplot. Thank you for perfecting the fry and consequently the ba-donk-a-donk butt. Philo T. Farnsworth. Thank you for inventing the television so we can be reminded how much we are craving those fries during the commercials of "The Biggest Loser."

7. I like to believe that there are very few options for natural disasters here.

8. There are enough Mormons here that people don't ask "Are all of these kids yours?" too often, but few enough that I don't get asked "So is this just half of your kids?"

9. Holy recreation opportunities, Batman!

10. Rednecks and white trash are just a fact of life. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!