Moving On

I found out on Saturday that I passed the bar exam. It's a funny thing, it seems like something you ought to be excited about, but it's sort of a no-win in some ways. It's not that big of a deal to anyone when you pass, but it would have been a very big deal if I had failed. So, I'm relieved, now I can really move on with my life. Speaking of which, I love it when Lindsay and the kids come downtown and visit me at the office

What a Summer!

Now that it's September, I suppose it's finally time I got around to updating our blog. We sure miss all of our friends, who are now spread all over the country, and we love seeing photos of you and your kids. We'll try and do better to keep our blog updated too. Well, the last post with any new photos or information was back on the 4th of July, so here goes the rest of July and August:

A visit to Wheeler Farms

A hike or two in the great outdoors

A visit to Lagoon

Hailey started swimming lessons

A long awaited honeymoon...in San Diego

A view of San Diego from Coronado Island

Romantic Sunset at La Jolla Cove

A visit to the San Diego Temple

My baby sister Julie's wedding in Denver

Garden of the Gods with cousins

Hailey's first day of preschool

Well, if you made it through all of that...you're pretty much caught up with us. Hailey is loving preschool. Blake is loving going on bike rides with mommy while Hailey is at preschool. Lindsay is staying busy (I'll put up some photos of her most recent projects in a few days), and I'm still getting used to having to work a real job, with real responsibility. I hope your summer was as much fun as ours!

Travelers

It's been a long time since I last posted. I took the bar at the end of July, and we've been busy since then. We've went to Colorado the day after the exam, and stayed the rest of the weekend. Hopefully we'll get some pictures from my family, and post them soon. The Bench family reunion is this weekend, then Lindsay and I are finally going on a vacation, just the two of us. Thinking about going on a little trip, made me think about all of the amazing places Lindsay and I have visited since we first met over 5 years ago. Hopefully I'll have something more recent to post about, but here's the list of all the places I could think of that we have visited over the last few years, and photos of those places, when I could find them...

Provo, Manti, and Salt Lake City, Utah
Rapids City, South Dakota
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Fort Collins, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
San Francisco, California
Rochester and Palmyra, New York
Kirtland, Ohio
Nauvoo, Illinois
Independence, Missouri
Wilmington, North Caronlina

Durham, North Carolina

Newport Beach, California

Beaufort, North Carolina

New Bern, North Carolina

Washington DC

Charleston, South Carolina

Boise, Idaho

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Williamsburg, Virginia

Luray, Virginia

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Atlanta, Georgia

Birmingham, Alabama

Vicksburg, Mississippi

Dallas, Texas

San Antonio, Texas

Outer Banks, North Carolina

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Orlando, Florida

Savannah, Georgia

4th of July Weekend

Even though it seems that I may be the only one who hasn't lost interest in our blog, I'm going to keep on posting! We had a great weekend. On Saturday, one of Hailey's very best friends came to visit. Ryan, Meghan, and their little girl Addison were our neighbors and good friends in North Carolina. Hailey was in a substantially better mood throughout the rest of the weekend after she got to spend a day with Addie. On Sunday, Lindsay's family, and my little brother and his fiancée came over for a barbecue. We had plenty of delicious food, and thanks to Blake and Hailey's uncles she there were even some fireworks. Overall a really fun weekend. 

 

Summer Time

It doesn't feel a whole lot like summer yet, since we haven't really gotten much of a break. Lindsay and the kids are still adjusting to our new home, and of course we're all missing our old friends. I'm adjusting to bar study, and a new job. Needless to say, we've been a little busy, and haven't taken many pictures lately. Here are a few from a firm summer party, and some from around the house.

Blake wanted to help clean out a frequently clogged master bath drain

They're still dang cute. That much hasn't changed.

Firm party, Hailey took more than a couple of rides on Diamond (that's the pony's name)

It started to rain and thunder just before we left, and the kids' expressions are priceless

Happy Birthday Hailey

We've been pretty bad about updating since we moved last month. Here are some photos of Hailey's birthday. The loot included a number of princesses/barbies from Grandma and her aunts/uncles, a new swimsuit a new wardrobe really and we finally caved and let her get her ears pierced. She was supremely impressed with the ballerina cake Lindsay made for her.

Our Final Days in North Carolina...and the Road Trip

The last few weeks have been pretty crazy. Both of our parents came out to visit for my graduation. After graduation, we packed up the truck and drove across the country one more time. Lindsay's parents drove with us, which was a huge help. It was also really fun for the kids to get to spend a few days playing with grandpa and grandma. We're finally moved into our new place and just about settled in, we're still missing a few key pieces of furniture (like a couch), but we're getting there. I've started my bar prep course, as well as my new job; this is shaping up to be the busiest summer we've ever had, but if we can make it through July, I think we'll be okay.

Grandpa Mills got Blake a basketball and he takes it everywhere

The kids didn't mind all the moving boxes in the house

We finally made it to a Bulls game before leaving town

Graduation Day

A quick stop in Nauvoo

Our little bed-buddy on the road