long time no post

I haven't got any graduation photos back yet since Laura and I were in most of the pictures. We have got lots of news though, so I thought I'd post something anyway.

Laura and I both graduated this last saturday. We had my side of the family come up to see it, and Laura's Dad also came from Wisconsin. We had a great time being close to our family, even if it was only for a little over a day. We count our time with family as a great blessing.

We found out on monday that I was accepted for a wonderful internship opportunity in Dallas Texas. I will be working for Peterson and Company. They are a full service Graphic Design studio with about 4 senior designers. I should be able to learn so much from this internship. I look at it as my grad school experience, because it will most likely be just as valuable. We are going to try and move in on the 16th of this month in Dallas Texas. We got a two bedroom apartment down there that is part of a huge complex of apartment complexes. They said that they have over 10,000 occupants in this complex, and we have heard great things about it from several different sources that we trust. We are just trying to get ready now to move. We have lived in this apartment for so long that all our stuff has multiplied, and we are just trying to downsize before we get moved.

Our new apartment is a slightly smaller size than our current one in some respects (kitchen, living room). But other places in the apartment appear to be bigger. I guess we'll see when we get there. Laura and Alli will hopefully be able to enjoy some time in one of the 4 pools in our complex, or one of the almost 30-something pools in the entire complex. It looks like a nice place to live, so we are glad we chose it.

We want to thank all those who have helped us this far, and those who are still helping us in this move. We really appreciate it, and we have felt so loved and well taken care of. We can't even put into words all of the love and appreciation that we feel. We want to be able to give back to all of you, and to others, so that we can show our appreciation. We know that selfless service leads to more selfless service, because the reciever and the giver usually are inspired to continue serving because it feels so good to be loved. Thanks again to all who have helped us, and congratulated us, and been there for us in this time of change.

We really feel like this is a huge adventure. We feel led to go to Dallas, and we are not completely sure why. Everything has fallen into place for this move quite well, and we are pleased to feel led by the Lord. We don't know what we will be doing after my 4 month internship, but it should be a lot easier to look for employment in graphic design in the 8th largest city in the United States instead of a city of 13,000 in Idaho. I read a scripture in the book of mormon this morning in which the prophet Nephi said that he knows that as he trusted God throughout his life, and he has always been led to blessings. He went on to say that he will continue to rely on the Lord, because He can bring us all to peace and joy. I feel sort of similar at this point in my life, where we feel like there are so many many variables and unknowns in our future. I feel that God has led me thus far in my life, and I have been very pleased with where I am. I would not be as happy as I am today without the help and personal guidance from the Lord. I trust that as I feel led to Dallas, or wherever for that matter, that the outcome will be one that helps me to grow and learn, and become closer to God. I really feel at peace.

We love all of you so dearly. Thanks for your love and your support.

Love- JED, LAURA, and ALLISON

p.s. For those of you who only come on this site just to get an update on Alli, here it goes. She loves swinging. She will sit on the swingset outside all day if we let her. She loves being outside, and scraping up her knees when she runs too fast. She is ambitious, curious, and completely the most adorable little angel. She is learning new words and expressions at a truly alarming rate. She can ussually name all of the elements in almost all of her books, and then goes on to tell us if the characters are sad, happy, angry, or what color clothes they are wearing. She is so bright. We love her dearly, and hope that this move doesn't displace her for too long. I know that it can be tough. The first time I told Alli that we were moving to Dallas, I said, "it's going to be HOT". She somehow retained that in her head, and it seems that now whenever I say that we are going to dallas, she immediately replies "Hot". I think she has no idea what's coming. (then again neither do we).