Update

Just so that everyone can validate my excuse for not posting, my computer crashed about a month ago. I know that there are other computers that I can post from (including my decrepit old computer that Ben has inherited), but posting is painful enough without dealing with an incompetent computer. However, Ben was the best husband ever and ordered me a new computer, so I'm all geared up and ready. And since my last post there has been a lot going on:

1. My sister, Carissa, had her little baby boy a month early on September 1st! His name is Tyler and he is the cutest thing. Tyler has been diagnosed with down syndrome, which I feel like is the greatest blessing ever, and I am so excited to be a part of his life.








2. My best friend from high school was married, and I was able to spend the evening with all my high school friends (which never happens).




3. Ben and I went to Lake Powell in August with the Kennedy family and had an amazing time (thanks again for letting us tag along). I have yet to post the recipe that I promised so long ago (same excuse...computer crashed...sorry).


Spicy Chicken Casserole:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can chili
1 can corn
7 oz. salsa
1 cup rice uncooked (cook before adding to casserole)
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (I usually put my chicken in the crockpot and shred it)
1 cup shredded mozerella cheese
1 cup shredded chedder cheese

Mix everything together and cook at 350 for twenty to thirty minutes. You can serve it be itself or in tortillas. You can also add sour cream, lettuce, ranch dressing, or whatever you like to the burritos.


4. I started my second and final year of grad school, which is absolutely horrible and I can't wait to be done. I am doing an internship at HOPE Counseling where I get to work with families in their homes doing psychosocial rehabilitation and therapy.


5. Gus is still our favorite son...



6. Ben's parents were nice enough to invite us to the Cayman Islands for a week in September. Although it seems we get enough vacations, this was a much needed break. Thanks you Cyndie and Matthew! We had a great time!







7. My dad took my sister and I to Washington in August to visit our Grandma Belnap and to see the famous Forks!! Yes, we're major Twilight gurus and we even got Twilight sweatshirts!






8. We're still living in Las Vegas...and pretending that we're moving to San Diego soon.


AND...

There's more but you'll have to wait a few more months until I have the energy to post again.

HELP! I need someone to help me change my text color and I can't figure it out!

Hav-a-poopi

After a strenuous and back-breaking weekend of hiking at Havasupi, I was feeling pretty good about myself. Although I failed to have the brute strength to hike out of Havasupi (for those uneducated in the outdoor "hard-core" arena, Havasupi is hiking in and out of the Grand Canyon carrying everything on your back and camping), I had made the hike in and even hiked to and from the village several times (strictly in search of Diet Coke). My hiking odometer clocked about twenty miles in three days, including gnarly bruises on my heels and shoulder, which officially categorized me as "hard-core" regardless of my helicopter ride out of the Grand Canyon.

However, I was brutally awakened to the pathetic and embarrassing state of my athletic ability the next weekend when two of my old roommates informed me they had hiked in AND out of Havasupi with packs on just the week before me! I wish I could claim the temperature was much more brutal when I was there, or that my pack was larger, but I finally had to come to grips with the truth...I am not HARD-CORE.





Ben decided to demonstrate one of his many talents of catching squirrels. After a few hours of bating them with peanuts while we all video-taped, Ben finally snagged a big one. Him and my dad proceeded to try and drown the squirrel (they claimed they wanted to see him swim) in the nearby river. It was no surprise to the rest of us when the squirrels starting trying to steal our playing cards and Gatorade as revenge.




The beautiful falls:



After our strenuous......helicopter ride....



And a few pictures of my trip to San Diego for Brooke's wedding:

The last month...

Okay, I have to admit that posting is not my favorite thing to do. It's not that I have nothing to say (I talk talk about nothing for quite some time), it's that I feel like it's a task, something to add to my to-do list. If I only had to type than it would be much easier. But the best part about blogs are the pictures...and that takes a lot of my effort. I have to go find the cord, hook it to the camera, hook the camera to the computer, decide what pictures I don't look absolutely disgusting in, and wait for them to download. Too much work! I'm fully aware that I sound incredibly lazy, but that doesn't convince me to do it any more often.

So, quick update: We have been extremely busy, Ben working, and me...traveling (I do go to school and work too, plus scrapbooking, doing puzzles, and other really important things). Here are a few pictures of our incredibly exciting and thrilling lives in the past month:

Ben's family comes to visit:



Our Church history trip to Missouri:



Boating with friends:





The Del Mar Fair:




4th of July in Park City:

Hypocrite

If it's the thought that counts, I've seriously contemplated writing a new post in the past....month. And I am aware that for someone that so openly complains about the lack of new posts, this is quite humiliating. But in my defense, I have had a lot going on. I am actually composing this entry while sitting in class, instead of watching a thrilling two hour movie on motivational enhancement therapy (so if you ever need to come to me for just that, be aware that I probably have no idea what I'm talking about). However, I have to find someway to survive my three week summer session of classes for seven hours a day! Yes, that is like a full time job but no one is paying me!

As for the last month, we will start with the wonderful, and horrible at the same time, addition of a black lab named Bear to our family. I was a little apprehensive about this change in the beginning but decided my son, Gus, would be much happier with a playmate. After three weeks of deciding to keep the annoying, hyperactive little sh*t, we took him to get neutered. That was when the trouble started... Gus decided he did not like the new and improved Bear and attacked him. Being home alone, and the strong person I am, I took it upon myself to separate the two. After several puncture wounds in my arm, a traumatized gardener, and a trip to the emergency room, we were all alive, and as well as can be expected. I wish I could say this was the end, but the two nemesis enemies met again the next evening. This time we were smart enough not to put our hands in their way. However, I can say that I am officially emotionally traumatized after watching the dogs trying to kill each other. Ironic enough, Bear survived without a scratch while my poor son ended up in the emergency room with a shaved head, stitches, a cone around his head, and on house arrest (according to animal control). So it is now evident where my lack of time for blogging has come from.





On a lighter note, my mom and sisters came to visit last weekend and grass was put in our backyard! I have also come to the conclusion that the hardships I have dealt with in the past month deserve some new outfits and swimsuits. Yes, I went shopping! And not just any shopping (because the idea of walking into a mall makes me want to vomit), but online shopping. This is when I buy EVERYTHING I can find, try them on when they arrive, and return 85% of the purchases when I realize they don't fit me or they make my love handles too evident. Of these numerous purchases were three one piece swimsuits! I can only imagine how proud each latter-day individual must be, but before you get too excited, I am not turning over a new leaf, I just really enjoyed the look of these new items.