Since July 4th

Since Anna is busy with school, it's up to me to give the update this time. We've been meaning to tell everyone how Lillie's first fourth of July celebration was, but haven't made time until now. The night of July 3rd, our ward got together and several of us put in a small amount of money into a big pot and bought some large packages of fireworks and some popsicles. We sat in a park with everyone and lit them off in the street that passes through the middle of the park. Surprisingly, Lillie wasn't frightened by the loud noises and bright lights, as you can see. She had a blast and loved the fireworks.

Mom and Dad were a little more worried about her ears than she was, so we felt like we should cover them up when it got too loud. She didn't really like us covering up her ears, but it makes for a funny face. The fireworks lasted for about an hour, then the boy scouts drenched them with water and threw them out.

The next day, July fourth, my brother John came and then we picked up a couple of my cousins, Abraham and Benjamin Frandsen, and packed us all in the car until legs were numb and we knew eachother much better. Then we drove down to Yuba Reservoir and a couple of my uncles, Kelley and Tracy, and some cousins met us with a boat.

Lillie had the greatest time sitting on the beach, splashing in the water, and tossing around the muddy sand. She loves the water and Anna is hoping Lillie will be a swimmer like her mommy.

Lillie with her loving uncle John.

Me and John in our life jackets after our fun time getting dragged by the boat on the rafts, with Lillie, after she was done and drying off. You might have to look away because of our white skin, but we won't be offended.

Anna and I are just finishing up on the rafts. Can't you tell we had a blast?

After boating and swimming, we drove down to Grandma and Grandpa Frandsen's (my mom's parents) home and had some supper and discussions. Lillie had a great time scooting herself around on the carpet and sitting in a very ancient high chair. We had to tie her in with a towel because there were no buckles. She didn't seem to mind. Overall, it was a great time.

Since then, we have been looking for a place to live in DC. We notified the other three med schools that we no longer want to be on their waiting lists, so George Washington is the final decision. We have gone through every possible means of finding a place and have narrowed it down to a couple of possibilities. One is a one bedroom in the basement of a member's home, with a great price, but a little further than we want. The other is a two bedroom in a much better location and still within our budget, but a little more pricey than the other. We are waiting on the rental application to be approved before we can make a final decision.

We will be packing all of our furniture and things into a truck and my mom and I will be leaving on August 2nd to drive to DC. Anna will stick around Provo with Lillie until she graduates on the 15th of August at 8am in the Smith Fieldhouse. My mom will help me get settled into our place in DC, and then fly home on the tenth. I will come back to Provo on the 11th to help Anna finish up with finals and see her graduate. Then, we are outta here for good on the morning of the 16th.

We will have a few days to settle in, and then orientation begins on August 20th at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (that's kind of a mouth full, so I'll stick with 'GW'). We will let everyone know of our address as soon as we know. That's all for now.