Tuesday, January 8, 2013

It’s Not Goodbye, It’s See You Later…

Right after the birthday party, we were off to Kathy and Rob’s house for our going away party. Of course, it was amazing – they know how to throw a party. Great food, drinks and all of the fun little details were accounted for.

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It’s truly a wonderful feeling to see your friends and family come through the door just to see you. And then to check the phone and see a barrage of messages from friends who wish they could be there. Everyone should be able to begin a new journey filled with love, and as the girls would say, “a happy heart.” I tried to take in the entire experience, and savor it, but like your own wedding day, it became a blur and the time flew by and those laughs and stories being shared were fading into goodbyes and hugs as we watched those same friends and family walk out the door. The sun set, the night set in, the cheese dip got that weird thick film on top…Lily was falling apart at the seams – a good time was had by all. It was time to pack it up.

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I had set out to get photos with everyone who came, and then failed miserably…but I did get some!

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It’s terribly hard to leave such fabulous people. We’re so blessed to have great communication through our phones, email, Facebook, video chatting and more. We also scored an amazing haul of White Bear related memorabilia, our new home will be like a small shrine to the city in which we became a family of four, where our hearts grew, new friendships formed and I still avoided standing on the frozen lake or swimming in the lake water like the plague. Where we marched in parades, strolled through Marketfest, visited ancient oak trees, put miles upon miles on our strollers, learned how to run in the dark-sleet-snow-rain-heat, welcomed new restaurants, new shops, new neighbors. The town where we found a church home and Bible studies, rocked babies, and counseled middle schoolers. When we arrived in August of 2005, in a Pontiac Vibe with our two cats to the cute little green house – we had no idea the adventures that awaited us. Now as we prepare to leave the cute little green house in a larger Cadillac SRX with two children and two cats, we know there are new adventures, new friends, new memories that await us. But we also know that there are old friends, comforting memories and familiar paths that await our return.

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