Lots of good news

I have hit an all-time low in the blogosphere with my lack of posting...

We now live in California, west LA to be more specific. I got a job managing an apartment complex here and Cory has a temporary job with a firm closeby that we are hoping turns into a permanent job. Also, Cory passed the California bar!!! What a relief! He gets sworn in on Decemeber 10th and then he will officially be an attorney. I am pretty excited about it.

We had a great Thanksgiving with our friends Daniel and Hope and some of their family here. We are enjoying having our own place to live after almost 6 months of being transient. I have actually missed some of the duties of running a home, which is a surprise to me. I have also enjoyed getting out of my comfort zone and doing a job that I have no experience in. I am picking things up though and I even leased my first apartment last week!

As for photos, we do have some, but I haven't even looked at most or them or transferred them to my computer, so text is all you get today:-)

Still the unknown

I am still in Utah with the kids and Cory left last week to stay with friends in California while he looks for a job and an apartment for us there. Hopefully I will have something to report soon...

We have really been enjoying the summer with family. We had a great fourth of July and even got to go camping for a night up at the Spruces campground with our friends the Osbornes. Last week, we celebrated Ethan's third birthday by going to Wheeler farm and then the Cougar Kickoff in Provo. I can't believe I have a three year old. He learns so much every day! Annalisa is also growing and she is almost walking but not quite. I am so grateful for my family!

Ethan's birthday cake (he even tried to make a basket with the basketball cupcake:-)

Great smile!

He loves his duck

Excited to open presents with daddy

Happy with his gift

Baseball and mitt from Grandma Porter

Annalisa smiling at Wheeler Farm

The whole family at the farm

Cheeseball on a tractor

Pointing at the ducks

Annalisa taking a few steps

Fourth of July

Ethan with his first sparkler

Delayed graduation pictures

Things have been so busy what with visiting family and friends and still applying non-stop for jobs. Here are some promised pictures of Cory's graduation. What an amazing day!

Three years and two kids later, he is done!

What a great school
It took place overlooking the beach- what a perfect setting

Our friends, the Graves

Good friends

Getting his diploma and hugging Dean Starr

Shaking hands with Dean Starr- such an amazing man

Speaking

The grad

The setting of the ceremony

Where have we been?

What a crazy month it has been!!! I can't even begin to describe all of the things that happened so I will just focus on a few: Cory finished classes, we went on a cruise and to Vancouver and Seattle, we packed up all our stuff, Cory graduated magna cum laude from law school, we moved all our stuff to a storage unit, and then we drove to St. George, which is where we are now for a few more weeks before moving up to Salt Lake for a month. Whew! That was tiring just to type! Cory now spends all day studying for the California bar at the end of July while I help the kids adjust to being technically homeless:-)

So I do have pictures of all these events, but today I will just post some of our celebration trip. We went on a cruise from San Diego to Vancouver. Then we stayed one day with our good friends the Leonards and got to see their youngest get baptized. The next two days were spent with my brother Eric, his wife Cheryl, and their daughter Ava. It was so much fun walking around Seattle and being with family. Oh, and where were our kids during all of this? At home in California where my sister Camille and her friend Cindy watched them for the week. How grateful I am for that break! Vacations are the best thing for stress management for me. Here are some highlights:

Eating filet mignon and lobster- delicious! Docking at Port Angeles, WAFor you Twilight fans- restaurant where Bella and Edward eat Our ship- Holland America Statendam Sunday dinner with the Leonards Reuben's baptism- what a wonderful experience! Cory and Adam playing night b-ball- my sweet camera shot Mt. Baker from the Leonard's back porch SeattleThe Troll under the bridge Ava chillin in the shadeWhat? We went to New York too?Nope. Not really:-) Just Alki Beach. Eric and Cheryl live here- but this is for our friend actually named Kent:-)Ava with Uncle Cory Pike's Place- they throw huge fish around here The Underground Seattle Tour and our guide- notice the "skylights"
These are the top of the skylights on the sidewalkEating at Anthony's- so good!!! Fish made out of baseballs at Anthony's More Seattle

Graduation pictures to come...

Pictures

Here are a few of Annalisa's one year pictures that we got taken last week. She only lasted for about 15 minutes...I think portrait studios give my children anxiety:-) We did get a few cute ones though and to me, she looks like a little doll. Enjoy!