Bring It Back Down Tonight

I have been meaning to write for a while.  Between the computer issues, going back to work, watching The Tudors (thanks, Beck) and general fatigue, I just haven't had a lot of time.  Since it is Labor Day weekend, and I don't have to be back to work until Tuesday (yay!), I decided it's time to catch up.  Allen and his friend were able to get my vacation pictures off of the hard drive, so at least I have those.  I still don't know what happened to Lappy, but she just won't turn on.  At all.  I don't get it, and it bugs me.   Even Allen and his computer genius friend took her apart and couldn't see any reason why she died.  Eventually I bit the bullet, and I did end up purchasing a new laptop.  It's nice, and I felt like I got a good deal on it, but I'm annoyed that I had to shell out $500 for a replacement for a computer that was only 3-years-old.  Gah.

I do want to document our vacation; I won't do it all tonight, since it's getting late and I'm distracted by watching "Fever Pitch" (great movie--I LOVE Jimmy Fallon).  I'll start with Sunday, August 8th.  It was the day my little nephew Zeke was blessed at Dave & Lexy's ward in Layton.

Not a great picture; I don't love how I set it up (yes, I am to blame for the funky arrangement), but we got everybody in it.

We left right after this picture was taken; we had to go back to SLC and pack up the car.  We also needed to finish cleaning up, since our landlord was supposed to come in and replace some drywall in my bathroom while we were gone.  They never did, but at least we came home to a pretty clean house.  Anyway, we ended up leaving about 3pm.  This is what the boy looked like for most of the trip:

Drinking from the sippy, squished in the back seat with all the rest of our stuff, etc.  We are pretty lucky that he's such a good traveler--no major tantrums, lots of naps, no huge blowouts, and we don't have a dvd player, either.  He's just a chill kid; busy, but very good at entertaining himself.  Even with his cousins, who enjoy dumping water on him, tackling him, etc., he just takes it.  I wish he'd fight back sometimes, but I'm glad he's so easy-going.

We didn't have any problems driving, except that we got a late start.  We arrived in Las Vegas around 10pm, and we stayed at the South Point Hotel and Casino.  I had never heard of it; I got all of our hotels on Priceline, so I didn't have a lot of choice in where we stayed.  I was more interested in the 4-star rating than in the family-friendliness, so I was a little uncomfortable with dragging little man through the casino floor.  Oh well.  The room was nice, and Benji did pretty well sleeping in his little tent, but I don't think we'll go back.  We were starving when we got there, and the only food place open offered pretty crappy burgers, soggy fries and tasteless milkshakes.  Lame.

That was Sunday.  We woke up fairly early on Monday, checked out and then drove to Rancho Cucamonga to visit Steve & Mary.

I can't write anymore now; I'm totally falling asleep.  More later. :o)