Bryants v. St. George

Every year the Ken Bryant family takes on St. George for the annual family vacation.  This year was no different and I think we outdid ourselves.  The rental house was HUGE, the food was amazing, we all had a blast, and my mom's prayers were answered in that no one killed each other!  There were rumors that this could be the last vacation for a while, but technically that wasn't ever confirmed so I'm hoping that we have more fun memories to look forward to making next year.  As for 2012, here were some of the highlights:

• It all started with Jill's amazing chicken taquitos.  You can't each just one.
• After years of oppression, Cade finally reaped the benefits of being the oldest child and got the 2nd master bedroom to sleep in.  
• Everyone agreed that my "no tv" rule while studying for the bar should be suspended during the vacation.
• Homemade granola for breakfast = HEAVEN!!!
• Water football.
• The "no splash" rule remained in force with minimal violations (if any of the nieces/nephews splash me they get thrown in the deep end of the pool......without floaties.......)
•  Sand Hollow for 2 awesome days of boating thanks to Jake.  It's nice to have rich brothers.
• Cliff jumping at the "red rock."
• After more than 5 years out of the game I was still able to water ski.
• Michelle and Co. were able to join us for a fun day at the beach.
• We all found out that Bryants are freakishly susceptible to swimmer's itch.  Only 7% of the population gets it unless you are one of the 7 out of 18 in the Bryant Family.  Oh well, at least we got t-shirts.
• JaKayla, Jocelyn, and Brooklyn all water skied for the first time!
• Mom's dinner night was just like eating Cafe Rio.
• Marshmallow guns!!
• At home biore strips to clean out our pores.
• Dominating "May I" the final night (sorry Jill, I still feel like I should feel guilty for going out on you three times but all I feel is triumphant).  
• Photo shoot at the Dixie so that Alyssa can finally be included in the family photo.
• JaKayla's first temple trip!
• Realizing that I better stick to my day job after I messed up cooking minute rice. 
• We all tried to be "Brave" at the new Disney movie with the same name.
• Jake and Becky getting two, yes 2, flat tires to and fro.
• Going to the cabin to participate in the Bryant Family Reunion.

 The family vacation is always such a fun time and we are so fortunate to be able to spend quality time together.  A big shout out to Mom and Dad for their generosity!  We are very blessed (spoiled) to be able to do this every year!  I did feel bad that I had to spend some of the time studying but it was fun to get away and soak up some serious vitamin D.  As of right now, this was the last planned vacation of the year for me.  I think I will have to do something about that.

Summahtime

Summer is the best time of year (not to be confused with the most wonderful time of the year).  School is out!  The sun is shining!  There are concerts and fairs and farmer's markets and vacations and fireworks and barbeques and lazy days!  Which is why I'm slightly bitter that I'm stuck inside (mostly) studying for the bar exam.

Blah.

Just to clarify, the bar exam is not a test required to become a bar tender (as one police officer taking the fingerprints of my friend so naively thought).  It is a test inflicted only on the most masochistic of people.......lawyers.

So, about 3.5 years ago (3 years, 4 months, and 3 days, to be exact) I stopped posting on the blog.  Life was crazy.  I was busy (not really because that summer I was only working part time but to be perfectly honest I don't know what I did to fill up my days so saying I was busy just sounds better).  I went to Africa.  I was accepted to BYU law school.  Moved to Utah County.  Etc, etc, etc.  There is a whole lot that fills up those etceteras but long story short, posting on the blog for the last 3+ years was last on my priority list.  However, I didn't realize how funny I was until I went back and read some posts.  Why didn't anyone tell me how funny I was? 

So I guess I am "jumping back on the bandwagon*" and will see if I can motivate myself to post with more regularity.  Not that I have more time on my hands.  Far from it, actually.  But I have had to ban myself from tv and limit my daily Facebook usage in order to force myself to focus on studying for the bar.  Turns out, though, that I didn't restrict any time wasting activities in the blogosphere.  So I feel great about posting an update on my life as a means to procrastinate my bar studies.

I'm studying for the bar because, only by the grace of our dear Lord, I graduated from law school.

Law school was awesome and fulfilling and exactly what I needed at this point in my life.  One day, I may post more about it.  But now it's over (sadly).  And it's summer (happily)!  But I paid a whole lot of money and filled out what will probably be the longest application I will ever fill out in my life so that I could take a test......in July......so summer isn't looking quite so blissful.

Sure I spent two amazing weeks in Hawaii.  And an awesome weekend at Snowbird.  And will soon be heading to St. George for a week of family vacation fun.  But I want my summer!!!

I guess it's time for me to grow up.

So I will be spending the next month and a half of THE BEST TIME OF YEAR studying in preparation for two days of the most torturous, most mentally exhausting, and most manipulative test taking that I've ever encountered.

Don't you feel sorry for me? 

*My darling sister, Shanel, says that since she has "jumped on the bandwagon" I need to as well.  I told her that blogging was the bandwagon at least 4 years ago.  She said it still is and since she has started to blog more, I should, too.  I tried to tell her that posting a single blog post after a 4 year hiatus doesn't really constitute "jumping back on the bandwagon," especially since she only posted a handful of posts in the first place.  She is not to be persuaded, however, so here I am "jumping on."