Dutch Oven Cookoff!

A little bit of this when my family is involved doesn't last very long! It's kind of a family favorite to cook dutch oven style and so because my older brother Alan and my sister in law Amber and their two boys were here, we had a yummy dutch oven dinner with a Campbell specialty of Jambalaya and of course two different kinds of cobbler! Don't worry, there were not many leftovers!
It's been really fun to have everyone together for a few days and spend some good time with my adorable nephews! Later I realized I had quite a few pictures of Marcus but who knows where Jackson was when my camera was out?!
Now that they are gone we will miss them but things should hopefully settle down...yeah right, like that will happen!

What's been going on?

A friend of my recently told me that she doesn't read my posts, she only looks at the pictures...so for her sake, here are some pictures of my nephews who are all here right now! We have had a lot of fun just hanging out!

Tag

What I was doing 10 years ago...
Let's think...10 years ago I was 15 just waiting to turn 16. I did go on my first date a week before my 16th birthday--Homecoming with Brandon Esplin!

What is on my to-do list...
1. Fold my clean clothes waiting for me at home... ick!
2. Translate my resume into Spanish to e-mail...
3. Write blog articles for Mark (like that will happen soon!)

What are 3 habits of mine...
1. OCD about certain things, like certain rooms being clean, the items on my desk at work, etc...it's weird, I know!
2. I nibble on the inside of my mouth when I am nervous
3. I have to brush my teeth before I put my makeup on...

Things you might not know about me...
1. I have had over 60 roommates (not including my 12 mission companions)
2. I HAVE to listen to ocean music as I fall asleep or else I will be up all night...
3. I'm a hopeless romantic!

4 TV shows/movies that I love...
1. Jon & Kate plus 8
2. The Office
3. Nacho Libre
4. Pride and Prejudice (the Keira Knightley one!)

4 Jobs that I have had...
1. Lead Distribution Manager at Prosper, Inc.
2. Translator for BYU-Idaho Preschool
3. Processor at Premier Insurance
4. and my favorite, general worker at Grease Monkey!

4 Favorite books that I've read...
1. Twilight Series
2. Harry Potter--all 7 of them!
3. Pride and Prejudice
4. El Tunel

5 Places that I've lived...
1. Rexburg, Idaho
2. Anaheim, California
3. Quito, Ecuador
4. Santiago, Chile
5. Fairway, Kansas

5 Favorite foods...
1. Mil hojas cake
2. Potatoes--any form
3. my mother's Lasagne
4. Pita Pit
5. Empanadas

5 People I tag...
1. Katy, Michelle, Ami (RS Posse!)
2. Erin
3. Amber/Laura (family goes together, right?)
4. Janese, Kayleen, Mary Ann (mission friends go together too...)
5. Kayla

Memory Game!

Here is a fun little game... leave a comment on my blog of a memory that you and I have had together. It doesn't matter if you've known me for a short time or a long time, anything that you remember! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It is pretty funny to read the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you are playing and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. On your mark... get set... blog those memories!

Feliz 4 de Julio

Happy Fourth of July! We had a great day that started with an early morning breakfast in town with Laura's ward and then we were off for some shopping and catch a late lunch with the whole fam for Tim's birthday! We then went to go see Wall-E (very cute!) and then some more shopping while we waited for the sun to go down. Doug and my Dad had blocked off our spot in the dirt earlier that day so we were all set to watch the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration. The fireworks this year were better than last year--they were awesome! I hope you all had a great 4th also!

Batter Fried Zucchini

Are you all ready for another recipe? (Just shows how BORING my life is...) This one is a family favorite. In fact, I'm pretty sure that the summer my sister Laura was pregnant with Blake we ate batter fried zucchini almost daily. That's how good it is! And the fact that it is zucchini makes you feel like it is nutritious but it's fried so you know what that means--YUMMY!
We made some on Saturday to go with our BBQ so I snapped a few pics so you can get the whole effect. And I'll put the recipe below if you want to try them out at home!Batter Fried Zucchini (from my Aunt Nyla)

1 cup + 2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 slightly beaten egg
1 cup milk
2 tbsp. oil

Beat them all together until the dry ingredients are wet. (Laura likes to mix it all until the batter is smooth, so it's up to you how long you want to beat it...) Slice up zucchini--it can be thick or thin, however you prefer. And then dip the slices in the batter until completely covered. Remove from batter and place into hot oil. (THE BEST PART!) Brown each side evenly. You want them to be kind of dark, but not burnt and not too light or it isn't cooked long enough. Remove from oil when both sides are brown and place on a paper towel to drip dry and sprinkle with salt immediately. Let them cool for a minute and ENJOY!

Relay For Life

Our Team--The Wacky Witches (don't ask about the team name...)

This last weekend was the Relay For Life in Blackfoot. I got to be on a team with some great people--including Laura and my Mom. For those of you who don't know, the Relay For Life is a 12-hour walk that is done by teams to raise money for the American Cancer Society. It is a great cause and I'm sure we all know at least one person who has suffered from cancer. With all of the teams raising money, they announced that there was over $85,000 raised which is a lot of money considering the size of the community! It was a really cool experience because the first lap was done by all the cancer survivors present (all wearing purple shirts) and then the next lap was done by their families and caregivers. On the third lap they gathered up their teams and we all walked together. My mom in her Wacky Witches outfit!

One of the coolest things of the night was when they shut off all the lights on the track and had the teams light the luminaria bags on the track. We all walked in silence while someone in the lead walked and played the bagpipes. It was so cool to walk with my Mom and Laura and look at all the bags that were in honor of a cancer survivor or someone who had passed away because of cancer. It was a really humbling experience. We stayed up the whole night and walked and watched the crazy activities going on but it was a fun experience and I'm so glad I got to be involved with it! Julie Van Orden, our team's survivor and some of her friends!