Farewell Photos - Part 2

This isn't getting any easier as I continue to trudge through the "farewell" posts. Minnesota was HOME to us, our first real home and all our friends there mean so much to us. It was so hard to say goodbye and it is still hard to do all the normal things each day without the "normal" people to do it with :-) However, although we really miss everyone we are very happy to be here. Knowing that this is where God has placed us gives us such peace. So, while there are sad and lonely days they are always overshadowed by the fact that we KNOW this is God's will for us.

Rachel, Hannah and I. Rachel helped us IMMENSELY as we tried to get ourselves all packed up. She was always busy doing something while I ran around scattered and completely disorganized! We would have been there another day or two if she hadn't been there :-) We did tons together. We especially loved to scrapbook (or if there was no time for that we would just shop for scrapbook stuff instead) :-) Our families got to hang out a lot and we had tons of fun. We have gone to Bluewater together year after year and will definately continue that tradition (even if it takes us 2 days to get there, it will be well worth it!) :-)

Micah (Rachel's son) and Madison (kind of an awkward picture but it was all I had) :-) They have always played so well together since they first met (about 6 years ago). They are especially funny to listen to when they are playing webkinz over the phone! It is hilarious to hear the play by play they give eachother :-)

Madison and John and Marcy. Madison goes to their house once a week to do art stuff. She has been going their for over 3 years and it is a highlight of her week. She works on all sorts of things from drawing, painting, clay to just hanging out, talking and hearing many of Marcy's pearls of wisdom :-) They are both such neat people and mean alot to our whole family. The impact they have had on Madison is tremendous and I feel that God placed Marcy and I in the same Bible Study long ago so that the connection could be made between Madison and Marcy. They are like peas in a pod and love all the same stuff. How fun it is for Madison to have a kindred spirit to share her love of art with and learn so much from along the way :-)
Val and Sheldon having a late night coffee after TONS of help. Sheldon was the steam and the power behind most of our moving - he worked like crazy from morning til evening! Just like Greta (their daughter) is like family to us so are they. They are like grandparents to the kids, and friends and mentors to us. We spent tons of time at their house (usually eating ice cream with Val's delicious chocolate sauce). Sheldon's motto is there is always room for ice cream ("it just fills in the cracks" as he says). If we are ever having taco's Isaac wonders where Val and Sheldon are (because we usually eat them at their house) The kids love to go over there and they love the attention they receive from them!
Micah, Abby, Madison and Isaac. Abby lives right across the street from us and she and Madison were "almost twins" as they liked to say. They are the exact same age (born only hours apart) so they think that is really cool! It was such a treat for Madison to have an awesome friend next door. They were always watching for eachother out the window and would race outside upon first glance.
Tina and I. Just like Rachel, Tina worked like crazy to help us our last few days. We had no idea how much physical and emotional strength we would need to get packed up and out the door so the help we received was a HUGE blessing! Tina and her family were the first people we hung out with in MN. They invited us to Bluewater after knowing each other for less than a month. We were completely comfortable with them and we even stayed in the same cabin :-) Nothing like hitting the ground running! We had a blast and have had lots of fun ever since.

Madison and Jennika. It is always fun when Madison gets a chance to play with Jennika. She is a little older than her so that makes it even more fun and exciting :-) Nearly every item in Madison's wardrobe comes courtesy of Jennika! What a treat for me (I don't have to shop) and for Madison (it makes the clothes extra special knowing Jennika used to wear them) :-)

Angie, Jennika, Brock and Madison. Angie managed the theatre for us for nearly a year and was THE BEST!! We wouldn't have made it through the last year without her, she definately saved us from burnout and became a friend to us all in the meantime :-) Now, they own the theatre and we are very happy for them :-)

Isaac and his friend Izyk. These two are a blast to watch - they are crazy, hyper boys that have fun fun fun! And they are so adorable too :-) I am very dissapointed that I didn't get a picture of the rest of Izyk's family when they were over saying goodbye! Although we have only known them for 1 1/2 years it feels like we have been friends forever. We connected right away and Denise is an awesome friend (and a really good cook who has already taught me lots) :-)

Victoria and Madison. Although Victoria looks way older than Madison she is actually only 1 year older (she is very tall) and Madison really adores her. She is such a nice sweet girl so I don't mind her mild obsession :-)

I finally finished this post and was going to do a Part 3 but realized I lost nearly 100 pictures yesterday! AAAAHHHHH!!!! When I cleared off my memory stick it reset my photo numbering so all new pictures started at 1 (instead of 95 which is where I had left off). Therefore, when I transferred the pictures from my memory stick to my computer all the new pictures (from about a week ago) copied over my old pictures. Thankfully, I had put several onto blogger already (the ones you see in this post and the previous one) so not every picture was lost. However, all the other pictures taken from the last two days in MN are gone. When I realized what happened I felt sick to my stomach and if I must admit it I did cry. These pictures were so meaningful to me - they captured so much of our last few days in town and now they are all gone. Frankly, I am still quite depressed about it. I had plans to go to the thrift store and the library today with Brock's mom and I almost cancelled because of this. Am I too attached to my pictures? Hmm . . . maybe. But in my defense they are all I have right now of life and friends in MN. I guess I am justifying my sorrow :-) So . . . while many of you didn't make it to the blog you are still in our thoughts and we are so thankful for your role in our MN lives. We fully expect all of you to become a part of our MT lives too - so come visit . . . . soon :-) We miss you ALL!!!!