July Update - Part 1

Our 4th of July holiday was very low-key. Aki did take Makai to the parade while Tevi slept and I cleaned the house. Later in the day we attended an awesome barbecue put on by Marcus and Cortney. Ame spent the weekend up in Evanston, WY, with her friend Sofía Staley and her parents. Thank you to Ryan and Stormy for the pics...these are the only photos of the holiday we have, as our camera was left in Provo.
Then on July 10, Brigham returned home to the U.S. of A. Yay!!! We're SO GLAD he's home! (And now, a couple pictures stolen from their blog):
On July 13, baby Jada was born to Marcus and Cortney Bell (no picture of baby, but here are her cute parents...picture of Jada soon to come):
Finally, as reported below, Aki became a citizen on the 15th.

That concludes the first half of my report.

Proud to be an American

Aki became a citizen of the United States of America yesterday. He joined 195 other candidates living in Utah representing 62 countries in taking the "Oath of Allegiance."

The ceremony proceedings were inspiring; my favorite part was listening to a handful of individuals express what this day meant to them. People left their home countries to escape oppression and poverty to come to America, land of freedom and opportunity. Fortunately, Aki's reasons for coming to the U.S. and becoming a citizen didn't have a lot to do with oppression (unless you call marriage oppression...and if you do, keep your comments to yourself!).

Regardless, he recognizes that this country allows for great opportunities, which he is grateful for. The road to citizenship seemed long (and expensive), but we finally made it! Congrats, Aki, I'm proud of you!

A huge thanks to Symonie (and Nina) for joining us, for taking pictures, and for celebrating with us at Cafe Rio. We were glad to have you there!

It's a good thing he's tall!