It’s odd to think that three years have whizzed by so quickly. Asher celebrated his birthday in our new house with a bit of a makeshift party. Jill did an excellent job of whipping up some chocolate cupcakes (and a chocolate ice cream cake for later) and Asher even scored some new books and flashcards.

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Also, if you’re wondering why the left side of his face looks a little minced, it’s because he got a little ahead of himself on the moving truck ramp and took a face dive into the concrete. Not to worry though, even a few scrapes couldn’t spoil those good looks. Oh, and the fact that his long hair can hide most of it doesn’t hurt either!

Well the day has finally come! Thanks for the Herculean efforts of Brigham and Jill’s dad, we have managed to get the truck packed up and the house cleaned up. We originally got a 24-foot truck thinking that it would be more than enough room, and we were right, but it’s amazing to see how much space your stuff can take up.

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As we make our way east to Rome, Jill and her dad will forge ahead in the truck while Asher and I follow behind in the xB. We’ve said our goodbyes to the house and are ready to move on to the next chapter!

As we prepare to move we are trying to take advantage of all the things that we liked to do in and around Austin. So this afternoon we took a break from packing and cleaning to head over to Zilker Park for one last hike around.

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Asher got into his usual amount of trouble by wandering a bit too close to the edges of the rocks and splashing in the water fountain. Jill and I, on the other hand, just kicked back and relaxed while the sun set.

While in Rome, Jill and I decided to take a quick break from house hunting and decided to check out the town’s local fireworks display. Jill and I had an excellent time resting in a field around several other locals that that gathered to ooh and ahh over the bright colors and loud explosions.

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In contrast to last year’s attempt to photography the fireworks in Kyle, this year’s turned out quite a bit better thanks to my new 55-200mm lens.

If any you reading this haven’t heard already, Jill and I are moving to Rome. Now that Jill has finished her PhD, she has accepted a prestigious position at Berry College as a mathematics education professor. In anticipation of the move, we decided to fly over and scout out some places to live. While there we decided to swing by the enormous campus and take a few photos that I could use for Jill’s graduation announcement.

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The campus is enormous (we’re told it’s the largest in the world) and the scenery and architecture were stunning. We’re really looking forward to this next chapter in our lives!