Carter's Birthday

On a happier note, last Saturday Carter had a huge birthday party with 17 kids and 14 adults present. He had a big chocolate cake with a "bug" theme. Carter had a great time playing with everyone.

Ann would like to give a special thanks to Dippidee Bakery in Lehi for making and donating the cake. Kristy was one of their first customers and so after she died they offered to make cakes for the boys' birthdays. She said the cake was incredible and would encourage anyone in the area to support the business.

New Message from Ann

The June 2nd hearing is at 1:30 in the 4th District Court in Provo. Al and Ann would really appreciate it if those who are available can come and support her. However, the prosecution and coroner will reveal details that might be hard to deal with, so if you want to go feel free to leave if you aren't ready to handle it. We'll update if anything changes between now and then.

Memorial Day Weekend 2008

This weekend my sister, Melissa and her family came for a visit. We went hiking on Saturday in the hills/mountains just south of Phoenix. It was a fairly easy hike, but that could have been because the weather was very nice, only around the low 70's and we were going at the pace of two small kids. The view from the top was pretty cool. You could see on both sides of the mountain to Phoenix, and whatever city was on the other side.

Sunday was Ali's birthday. She got presents before church in the morning, and then we decided to go for a drive north to Montezuma's Well and since we were so close at that point, we went to Sedona. It really is too far to drive in one day, but the Well was pretty and the rocks around Sedona are red and uniquely shaped, so worth visiting again at some point. We ended up having to take the long way back because the road we were on was backed up for miles and miles on the other side, so if we had tried to turn around and go back, we would have been caught in a snail's pace traffic jam. People were even getting out of their cars in some spots. It could be nice to go back and camp there some time, but not on a holiday weekend.

Today's entertainment was to go swimming twice. Once in the morning and again after lunch and Ali's belated birthday cake. The water wasn't super warm as the weather was perfect and only around 85 degrees, but even coldish water didn't stop us from having fun. Now my sister is back home and Tony and I again have a quiet house. It's nice to have the quiet, but I have a short memory. Before long, I'll be missing them again and asking when they'll be visiting.

Correction

The hearing is on June 2nd, not June 7th. Not that it makes much difference.

Trial Update

Due to scheduling conflicts, the preliminary hearing set for next Tuesday has been bumped to June 7th. Ann will testify in that hearing.

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Tony's Law School Graduation

Saturday was Tony's Law school graduation. (The bottom picture is Tony and three of his friends) The sun came out and there were a couple of student speakers that were quick and funny so overall not a bad day. Tony and I will miss the beauty of New Hampshire and the many things to do during the summer,(Can't say we'll miss the winters) but after years of hard work we are both happy to report that it is over! Well, Law school is over. Next up for Tony, the Bar! That is two months of intense studying and test anxiety, which probably means I'll get woken up in the middle of the night by Tony freaking out, thinking he has missed the test, or forgot to go to a class. he tends to do that when he has high school related stress. It's kind of funny since after I tell him he hasn't missed anything, he goes right back to sleep. I think Tony will do fine with bar since he's pretty smart, but you never know. It's a really tough test.

After graduation and the reception that followed, we went with Tony's parents, (pictured in the top picture) to my favorite antique shop in Franklin. I found an interesting metal wall hanging and bought it. Ann, Tony's mom, really liked it too, and she wanted it, but I didn't want to give it up. As we were leaving, we found the matching one on another wall of the building, so now we are both happy with our finds.

We are now back in Phoenix, otherwise known as the sweltering pit of sand. Can I really call it sweltering? That seems like a term used for humid areas, and it is definitely dry heat that is scorching even the sand. It was so hot today, that the air conditioning in our car couldn't keep up with cooling us. I bound to blog about the heat in the future, so forgive me now for that.

Message from Ann

My mom just called with an update on today's hearing. She said the Ragsdales (or at least David's attorney) pleaded with the judge to allow David to go back on his medications -- the ones he was on before killing Kristy. They said he desperately needs them. They also asked for a two-week continuance, which was granted. So, my mom is now scheduled to testify on May 27th, unless something changes between now and then.

You can read more about today's hearing here:

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3287195

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700225242,00.html

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Our New Place

Tony and I have found a house in the Phoenix suberb area of Avondale. I think it's a cute little house, even if it is a typical tract home, but most of the houses in this area are. (At least our house isn't pink! We looked at one house that was pink outside and almost entirely pink inside. I didn't think I could deal with all that pink!) We looked at several and decided that this one had the most space for the money, and in the best neighborhood for the money. Phoenix has a few fairly ghetto areas, so it can be tricky finding one that is affordably, close to work, but also safe to walk outside in.
At the request of my sister, here are some pictures of the house. The shots are of the front of the house, the master bedroom and bathroom/walk in closet, and the guest room otherwise known as the blue room. I didn't take pictures of the living room or kitchen areas since they are kind of messy and I don't feel like cleaning them up. I also didn't take a picture of the other bedroom since if my mom comes to live with us it will be her room and so there's nothing in it right now. We also have a loft, which right now has the computer, but will be my mom's living room area so it too is mostly empty.
There's also a small backyard. I spent an hour early yesterday morning pulling weeds from the lawn, and I still have a few to get to. My arms are actually sore from yanking on them so hard, but hopefully the lawn will be healthier soon without the weeds choking it. I love plants, and getting them to grow. I've wanted to have a yard for awhile to garden in, so I'm excited for it even though I don't know if much will grow this summer in the 100 degree temps. I will probably be able to have a garden the rest of the year, maybe even in winter.

Public Service Announcement

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