Bells in Texas

Things have been so crazy the past few weeks. Jess and I have been so very busy that our heads are still spinning.

I spent three days in February taking the Texas Bar Exam (February 24, 25, 26). I spent all of January and all of February studying for it. Jess did not see me much of that time. I am not feeling too confident that I passed, but we will see come May. I totally "misunderestimated" it. I simply ran out of time to study. At least it is over. Jess is glad to have me back.

We bought and moved into our new house. We are still unpacking as I type this. It will probably be a couple weeks before we are totally settled in, but we love the house so far. It is so nice to be in a house again.

I bought a new TV for my "Man Cave". We do not have basements here in Texas, but us guys get a gameroom or a media room (or both). I splurged on a 50" Samsung Plasma. It is awesome. Anything that big is awesome, but this one is a really great TV. It was part of my 30th birthday celebration. I also got a subscription to Netflix. I am really looking forward to enjoying the home theater experience. Jess is even permitting me to decorate the cave myself. We are still negotiating the elk antlers...

So yeah, I am now thirty. Kind of sad, but cool I guess. I do feel older. Or I feel like I should act older. Deep down, I am still 17. Now if I could only get my 17 year-old abs back...

We also bought a new bed for the guest room, so any y'all can come and visit! We bought a new dresser and nightstand for the master bedroom. It is the first time since we have lived together that we finally bought "grown up" bedroom furniture.

Our baby is also growing up quickly, and he is not even born yet. Jess is 22 weeks today and her baby bump is coming along. She is the cutest mommy. I am getting even more excited every day for the heir to arrive. I know July will come soon enough and I will be wishing for more sleep, but I am so excited right now. Soon I will get to help decorate the nursery and I cannot wait. We are still trying to decide on a name. We have a couple that we are thinking of, but we are keeping it a secret until the birth. One of the most exciting recent developments is that the baby has started to kick. Jess feels him quite often. I have only felt it once, but soon I will be able to feel the kicks too. Jess definitely thinks he will be an athlete based on his activity so far. Either way, he will be loved and spoiled. The grandparents have promised that.

We also bought a new car (yeah, we are doing our part to stimulate the economy with the Bell Stimulus Plan). It is a brand new 2009 Mazda6. It is only the 2.5L 4-cyl., but it is definitely "zoom-zoom". It has plenty of get-up and go. Very fun to drive. And it looks sweet.

So besides the house, car, TV and furniture we are also filling the new house with new things. It is fun.

My job is going really great. I have finally found something that is fun and exciting at the same time very fulfilling. It has only been two months so far, but I love it. I get paid to have fun and do what I love, so it has never seemed like work.

Jessica's job is going well, and she is in love with her new house and the baby. Our house is full of love and things are getting better every day. Texas has started to feel more like home for us now and we are looking ahead to the future with lots of excitement. Now that we have more to actually write about, I hope to update the blog more often. I have already skipped over so much in the past almost year that we have been here.

Until next time... Happy trails.

We are goign to have a BBQ on the Fourth of July to celebrate us selling our house and Jessica is coming back for it. I have not seen Jessica for over a month now. It has been extremely difficult to be separated that long, but the Lord has answered our prayers. I am only weeks away now from moving to Texas for good.

It will be nice for her to get to see the house (and the dishwasher that I installed) one last time. Hopefully many of our friends and family can make it.

Good food, good friends, and plenty of reason to celebrate on this anniversary of our great country's declaration of independence.

On April 5th, Jessica's parents, Rick and Barb Carlson threw a going away party for Jess and me. It was a great party. Lots of our friends and family were able to make it, and it was nice to be able to see everybody one last time. The beer was flowing and the food was delicious. We even had a taco bar ;) mmmm... tacos.

Cowboy boots and hats were optional. Chaps and spurs were discouraged.

We only got a few pictures in after most people had already left. I guess we were too caught up in the fun to remember until it was too late.

I do not remember who was taking the photos, but they turned out a bit blurry. Must have been the beer?

From left to right: Me (looking like a 15 year-old cowboy), Jessica, and Jessica's brother, Phil

Left to right: Barb Carlson, me, Jess, Rick Carlson