Goodbye Minnesota!

Quick overview of the summer:

June 13-July 2: Mason gone on 3-week choir tour of the Southwest (I need to get him to be a guest blogger!)

June 19-23: Stephen & Sammy take Elise to the Bolshoi Summer Intensive in Connecticut

June 21-July 10: Elise at the Intensive

July 4-10: Dad here to visit & my 35th birthday!

July 10-15: Dad and Elise sightseeing--Niagara Falls, Hill Cumorah Pageant, Church History sites--Peter Whitmer house, Kirkland Temple, Sacred Grove, etc--Chicago

July 13-18: Sandy over to pack the kitchen with me, friends bring dinner over (all week!), final play dates, (final) farewell party, Dad & Lincoln & Trevor fly to Oregon, packing & cleaning & loading, oh my!

Saul & Lincoln--Lincoln just saw this picture and said, "Oh yeah! That was the time we were being so silly and laughing so hard!"

Final Minecraft party with Jack, Derek, Zak & William

Surprise Girl's Night Out! Tana B, Joan H, Selena D, Nery E, Martha D & Mirjam K! I can't remember the last time I smiled so much it hurt!

Everyone needs a friend like Sandy--a kindred spirit, a bosom friend. Someone who will help pack your kitchen since your mom can't be there. Someone who makes homemade rolls for your going away party. Someone who inspires you to be a better person--who lifts you up when you are down and understands what makes you tick.

Stephen and I decided that we wanted to have a farewell party for ourselves, but that we didn't want to plan it. So we asked Elise's friend, Kieva F, to be in charge of it. Best. Idea. Ever. Tons of people came and took photos in the photo booth, signed a map of MN, ate, talked and played games. It was so much fun!!

Big plans: Option A (Ruth & Geoffrey F)

Best buds--Lydia S, Elise & Molly H

Best buds--Geoff F, Sammy & Ewan M

Our signed map of MN--can't wait to hang it up!

So many friends came--from church, our neighborhood and ballet

Who doesn't love sidewalk chalk? Not pictured, but hilariously fun, was the "cake walk" that we did. Only instead of handing out cookies or cupcakes, we handed out food that we didn't want to take with us. "Look! You won 6 cans of tuna fish!" It was awesome.

We'll miss these people and this place!!

Big plans: Option B--Trevor & Amelia F

Big plans: Option C--Lincoln & Amelia F

Final final goodbyes. Sorry kids, but camping out under the moving truck will not keep us from leaving

Um...random family picture

Remember how I mentioned our neighbor, Persephonee, and how she passed away suddenly? Her parents made a memory garden, and we stopped by to visit it before we left. The kitten is Zelda, in honor of the game Per and her mom, Amee, used to play together.

Everything is all packed and loaded on the truck...what can we do with all this leftover plastic packing wrap? I know, let's take it to dinner at the Helgeson's! Funny quote of the night: Sammy was offered a chicken drum stick by Dezra. His response cracked us up: "Is that like a chicken nugget on a bone?"

Saying goodbye to Joyce Biorn--our wonderful neighbor! She loved watching the kids play in the back yard from her arm chair :)

Howard Biorn is probably the most awesome neighbor we'll ever have. He tried to talk us into renting out the house and moving back in a couple of years. We tried to talk him into moving to WY with us. We're going to miss him terribly!

Our final meal in MN at the McAllister's. It's kind of funny, because their first meal in MN was at our house. Rebecca with Ruth and Amelia

Me and Rebecca

Geoff, Sammy & Ewan. Ewan's parting words to me were, "Take care of my Sammy!"

Mason & Zak. I didn't put "Big plans: Option D" on here, but I'm just sayin' that Zak is 13, and a pretty amazing kiddo.

Elise & Kieva. Poor Elise was sick, sick, sick--probably something to do with getting home from CT and sight-seeing 3 hours before our farewell party (when people were already at the house), babysitting the boys the following morning while we signed papers on the house, having an incredibly late Girl's Night, then the final packing and cleaning of the following days, then horseback riding with the YW, home late to sleep on the floor, then breakfast at the Kirkhams, brunch at the Larsen's, church, Patriarchal Blessing and our final MN meal. Phew! I'm tired just writing all of that!

Oh, Sandy, Sandy, my irreplaceable Sandy! How I will miss you!