Not only that but we didn't have the opportunity to re-visit all our favorite places to say good-bye. We did had one final workout at the YMCA; one last walk and picnic lunch at Garden of the Gods; one final walk on the Monument Valley Trail; one final date night to the Broadmoor (thanks to Daneli for babysitting); one final Sunday service at Westside church; and then suddenly we were in the car at 6:30 AM on a cold Saturday morning, looking at the sunrise on snowy Pike's Peak from our rear-view mirrors.
And... we did "a terrible job" (as Jim says) of taking photos. We did get to see all the special friends and extended family for good-byes, but unfortunately we didn't take many photos. (We love you, Storrs! Custers! Lohrenzes! Kims! Reeves! and neighbors Lisa, Martha & Stewart, Liz & Lyndon and Kay!)
A good-bye with Fiona (above) and the 3 girls. Timo and Megan were good buddies, and Timo has continued to talk about Megan since we've moved.
Fiona will forever be a really special friend to me. She was there to talk with me many times during the first year after losing Gemma, and then she was there to help at the birth of Mattias!
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| Liv, Mattias, Emmalyn, Megan, Timo |
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| Kiddos laughing at Fiona's antics, trying to get them all to smile |
Jason and Kara Tippetts were also such an encouragement to us during the 2nd year of our time in Colorado Springs while we attended Westside, even though Kara passed away last March. Of lasting significance is their honesty and love and kindness, and our experiences of grief that we were able to share, and we are thankful for the bond of the Holy Spirit.
"Packing up day"! A very full Friday, with friends and folks from church helping with the final packing and cleaning and loading up of the moving 'cubes'.
How would you describe that day, Jim?
"It was not a fun day. ...That was really stressful."
Yep, that day (and its after-effects) goes down as one of our more stressful days in 14 years of marriage. It didn't help that I had a bad head cold and couldn't stray more than a few steps from a box of tissues. There had simply not been enough time to plan for the packing (and the cleaning), and at midday we looked at the boxes and furniture laid out on the driveway and realized, "It's not all going to fit." In the end, we had to leave behind numerous things - gratefully, several friends from church helped load up the 'extras' to take for donation or to try to sell on their own. We remind ourselves that stuff is not the essence of our home and our identity. A desk is just a desk. A car seat is just a carseat. A toy is just a toy. A vacuum is just a vacuum. But still, moving is darn tough.
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| Somehow three of us were smiling (??) in this photo, though Timo was not interested in a photo. |
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| Jim and Don |
In the midst of those last 2 days of crazy packing and cleaning, we were SO grateful for Brian and Mandy Cave, who let us stay at their house while they were out of town for Christmas. Their home was a good respite for us in the beginning of the transition, as it helped us mark an official good-bye to 825 E Yampa St, and then to the rest of the city and our community.
AND, the most amazing person who helped in all of this was MOM!!!! As soon as she heard that we would be moving (and driving) to North Carolina, she volunteered to fly out and then road trip back with us - just as she had done 3 years ago when we moved from Bloomington to Durham, and 2 1/2 years ago when we moved from Durham to Colorado Springs. Have I mentioned that my mother is simply amazing! And loves to drive! And is wonderfully patient with our two boys! Because of her help we were also able to keep our two cars and drive them both together across country to NC.
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| Jaja and Timo reading a book before bedtime at the Cave's house |
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