D.C. Fun

4th of July!! Yes we had our very first Independence Day in D.C. this year. David's old mission companion and his wife came to spend the weekend with us and we had a lot of fun in the city. It is hard to beat the fireworks with the Monuments in the background. We weren't sure it was going to happen because it kept raining off and on all day, but the four of us huddled in buildings or under our umbrella and it was worth the wait.


There was a parade before the fireworks. We brought our camera ready to take wonderful pictures, but the camera battery died right after I took the picture below. Unfortunately it wasn't a very good picture! But these were really cool bikes.

The next day we went to Great Falls National Park. This is the Potomac river to the north of D.C. The falls here are amazing. This river is so big, it really puts the rivers of the west to shame.


We also visited Arlington National Cemetery. Here is a picture of the tomb of the unknown soldier. The tomb's inscription reads, "Here Rests in Honored Glory an American Soldier Known but to God." I think that is beautiful.

All In a Day's Work

I (David) have now been hard at work for my summer job for a month! The time has flown by. So far, I have really been enjoying my experience at Bingham. All the people I have met and worked with are very friendly. I've been impressed with how committed they are to the training and development of their new attorneys. Although it's a large firm, I don't get the feeling like I'm just a number or some nameless peon intern. One of the perks of being at a big firm is the quality of work I get assigned to. Since the 'little guys' can't afford to pay for a big firm, the cases and issues that come to Bingham are usually more complex or noteworthy. I don't think I could deal with fender-bender cases all my life. So far I've worked on a lot of different projects, which has been great to get a variety of experience. I should have a much better idea by the end of the summer what kind of law I want to practice.

This week we just finished up our mock trial. The firm split up the summer associates into two groups to try an actual case the firm had a few years ago. I was on the plaintiff's side. It required a lot of work and preparation. On Thursday we went to a mock courthouse and had a judge, jury, witnesses, and everything. My job was to cross-examine the defense's main witness. It was kind of intimidating and nerve-wracking, but ended up being a really good experience. I had a fun time, and got some positive feedback. I don't know whether or not I want to be a litigator, but it was good to have a 'real' experience and see what it would really be like.

They're working us pretty hard, but we also have time for fun. The firm treats us well. I've only had 2 or 3 days this summer so far where I haven't had lunch provided, usually at a nice restaurant nearby. We'll be able to save up some money this summer to pay for our time in the Netherlands. The worst part is having to be apart from Julia much more than I'm used to. Even though law school is busy, I do lots of homework at home so we can be together. Another reason to look forward to the Netherlands. It's been a fun summer so far, though, and I definitely feel blessed to have the job experience that I do.

The Busy Month of May

May was a very busy month for us. David had a birthday! 26 years old and two years done with law school! David and Julia also celebrated their second wedding anniversary. How can it possibly be two years already! Time passes so quickly.
Julia finished her second year of graduate school and she graduated this month with a 4.0! She is really excited to be done with her program and to have a bit of free time. Julia's parents and sister came down for her graduation for a few days and they went to Mount Vernon and Harper's Ferry. They also went searching for some family history in Virginia. Julia's ancestors lived in the area at the time of the Civil War. They were able to see river where Julia's ancestor ran a ferry over a hundred years ago.Unfortunately the graveyard they searched contained many unmarked graves, and many of the tombstones were too worn down to read.
Graduation!!! Hurray! Finished! Be sure to note the turtle called "Testudo" the mascot. Also the University of Maryland is where Jim Henson (muppets) went to school. They have a statue of him with Kermit the frog on campus. It is Julia's favorite part of campus!
Mount Vernon is a beautiful place! The grounds there are amazing. It is so fascinating to see how people lived in the past. It is well worth a visit! Hint! Hint!

This is Harper's Ferry. The town here was very important during the time of the Civil War.

Tennessee

David and I are having a great time living out here in Maryland, but we find it hard to be so far
away from our families. Last week we decided to make a little visit down to Tennessee to see David's brother Jared and his family. It was about an 11 hr drive but we were able to spend three whole days with them. They took us to a historic plantation from the Civil War days and to a nature reserve where we had a lot of fun playing with the kiddies. They have four adorable children and we were able to help Jared and Emily out for a couple of nights by taking care of the kids and putting them to bed. I even got to experience changing a diaper, which I truthfully admit I had never done before. It was not, thankfully, as scary as it seemed (Although David and I are still uncertain whether or not we put the diaper on right!). I'm sure everyone is laughing, but I'm the youngest in my family and it just never came up! We had a wonderful time visiting with them, but we decided we will be happy to ease in to parenthood one baby at a time, not four at once! We've got picture of all the kids except Madeleine because she always came out as a blur, I guess that is what you get with a four year old!

The Netherlands!

We have some exciting news - Julia and I are going to the Netherlands!! Georgetown has a study abroad program with the University of Leiden (Leiden is a small college city in-between the Hague and Amsterdam, and close to both). I applied a month ago and was given an 'alternate' slot. They only send a few students, so we figured the chances of us going were slim. Then this week I received an e-mail saying another student had dropped out and I could have the position. Julia and I decided it was just too great of an opportunity to pass up. The timing works out well since Julia is graduating next month and we don't have kids yet. I'll be taking law courses in Leiden that count toward my degree, so my own graduation isn't delayed. I'm especially excited to be able to go back to the Netherlands, a country I love, and share the experience with Julia. We'll be there from September to December. Anyone that wants to come visit, we'd love to have you - make your reservations now and have your own private Dutch speaking tour guide!

Tree coring expedition

In case any of you don't know, I (Julia) am currently working on my master's degree. To get my degree I have to complete a master's project of my choice. Before I came to Maryland I was working with a prof. from BYU doing tree-ring studies. I decided I wanted to continue the subject so I did a tree-ring study in Montezuma Canyon, UT. I am on the verge of finishing my project and so I thought I would share some of our photos from the field work we did last summer. I have to give my parents and David a lot of credit for the work we accomplished last summer. I could not have done it without them!
David spent several hours in this tree we lovingly named "Fergus." It only takes a few minutes to get the boring tool (tool used to extract a tiny core from the tree) into the center of the tree, but if the tree is very big and rotten in the middle it can take hours to pull it out. If David hadn't been there to help me, the boring tool would still be stuck in that tree! Thanks for hanging in there so long David! It must be love!
There are hundred of Anasazi ruins in the canyon (my parents have excavated a number of them!). This is a kiva in the canyon that David is coming out of. My parents and other members of their field school reconstructed this kiva.

Cherry Blossom Festival!

David and I haven't gotten out much lately because I've been working hard on my Master's paper! We did manage to get out for a little bit this weekend though to go to the Cherry Blossom Festival. This is quite a big deal in D.C. and well worth a visit. Cherry trees surround the lake in front of the Jefferson Memorial spreading tiny pink leaves everywhere. The trees are gorgeous, we'll definitely be going back next year!