Goodbyes, and Moving Day!

I was packing inside when I heard this constant thumping noise from out the window. I ignored it, thinking it was the kids playing ball or something, but it kept going so I came out and saw that Stockton, for some inexplicable reason, had taken a rake to my beloved peony bush and destroyed it  : ( : ( : ( I was so sad! I salvaged a few peeking buds but the rest were lost. I asked Stockton why he did it and he said, "they are poison!" So.....we talked about how flowers aren't poison and I tried not to be mad. 

 My lone peony that I got to see bloom before we left...I will plant peonies again some day!

Jack's preschool friend for two years, Myka, came over to say goodbye! Jack really missed his friends at school during remote learning.

Claire loves Elmo....Natalie loves being close to me

Makae came over and watched the new Little Women with me two nights before we moved, and it was glorious. I think this movie is a masterpiece! I could talk about it (and the Winona Ryder version) for hours, but I will spare you. This picture is when Friedrich plays Beth's piano, which is emotional enough, but he plays the second movement of the Pathetique Sonata, which is one of the ALL TIME greats, so it's just a complete tear-jerker.

An example of the drawings I do while teaching. I think I was teaching emotions, "tired, hungry, sad, thirsty." Clearly I am very talented.

I packed the paper and pens that I usually write lists on, so I used a ziploc bag and a sharpie haha. (I have never liked making lists on my phone! I'm a pen/paper kind of girl, for life.)

Stockton likes helping, and he wanted to label this box. I told him how to spell "bathroom" and he actually wrote it really well.

It was weird to see the house gradually clear out. Seeing my cabinets empty in the kitchen was startling and sad.

vacuum fun...the kids squeal with delight when Austin puts the hose on them

Stockton's resource teacher, Mrs. Stahl, dropped off a note and some bubbles for Stockton. He was THRILLED and spent the next fifteen minutes perched on the slide enjoying his bubbles. He didn't even open them, he just liked holding them and thinking about school. So cute.

Claire still does not desire to walk, much to our frustration. She isn't physically limited, we just think she's kind of lazy haha. We'll keep working on it!

Stockton's teacher, Mrs. Senters, told me that she was planning on stopping by to drop off a book for Stockton. Stockton was SO excited. This is him sitting on the bench watching for her to come. (And Grandma doing haircuts in the background). 

Stockton was so excited when Mrs. Senters came that he ran around and hid in Grandma's car and wouldn't look her in the eye. Mrs. Senters, of course, was the best sport about it and knew that it was Stockton's way of showing love, and she asked if she could take a selfie with him in the car. We will miss her so much! I am SO grateful for her guidance this year, for giving Stockton the right tools and experiences to understand and enjoy school, and be able to be himself.

Saying goodbye to the Borgholthaus family....I remember knocking on Lauren's door with Sister Noble and welcoming her family to the ward four years ago. I was wearing yoga pants and a dirty t-shirt on a hot humid summer day (I don't know why I remember that haha....I was probably self-conscious that I didn't look nicer for this Relief Society visit or something). We've been friends ever since, and will continue being friends for life!! Ella and Brad were our most frequent play dates, and it has been so fun watching all of them grow up together. Lauren is the most willing, helpful, service-oriented person I've ever met, all while juggling her own responsibilities.

real life ^^

Jack and Sara came down from Omaha to help us move everything from the basement into the garage. With their help (and Landon and Emily's) it went so fast! We wanted our morning to go smoothly and to be able to leave as soon as possible, so that's why we moved most of the stuff into the carport the night before.

I am grateful for strong brothers, husbands, and friends....this couch is a bear.

I don't remember why they were standing there but it was so cute I had to take a picture. They came over for one last Honest Abe's dinner with us. 

Then someone (Big Jack? Austin?) threw the basketball onto the carport roof, so we hoisted little Jack up there. He was absolutely delighted to be given such a fun, dangerous, adventurous job.

And then he was very worried about how he would get down. I told him Jack is the strongest person I know and that there was no one else in the whole world who I would rather have to help me in this situation, and he eventually trusted him and got down safely.

The Stauffers. Our late-night, LOTR, meme-sending, couch cozying, game-playing, fruit strip-eating friends. We have missed them so much during social distancing. We are used to having dinner or hanging out like once a week, so it was a huge blow to lose out on that time together in the months leading up to the move. I am grateful for their kindness, hilarity, and support, and am excited to always stay in touch.

Saying goodbye to the Beddes family...Colt was one of our first good friends in Trendwood Ward. We will always treasure our memories of movie nights and late chats. It was so fun to see his and Shari's courtship and then marriage and then babies. I loved teaching Shari piano lessons for a few months when we were both pregnant, even though we did much more talking than pianoing. We love these friends and will miss them so!

I came inside to grab something and when I went to go back out I was so happy seeing so many of our lovely friends and family together talking and laughing. This house has seen so much of that kind of gathering and I am so grateful for all of our good times here.

Uncle Jack is the last Plumb in Nebraska! He is the best twin brother anyone could ask for and I will miss having quick access to him and Sara in Omaha.

Makae and Aaron are the last Poulsens in Nebraska! Everyone is clearing out. I have loved always going to the Poulsens for Sunday dinner and seeing Makae and Aaron every week. It is strange to lose the constancy of these family gatherings. I will miss them!

Makae is Austin's youngest sister and we love her so much!

My beloved, trusty neighbor, Stacy. It is a huge loss to move away from such a good pal right across the street.

331 S 54th in all its dingy glory! We brought two babies home to this house, got a new car, Austin graduated with two degrees (and almost his doctorate), we did the paper route *shudder*, my dad slept in the basement while he worked at the high school, and played and loved and cleaned and cried and everything in between while we lived here. If you could squeeze out all the laughs that have accumulated from all of the good friends, family, and children that have been here, the whole world would be a happier place. What a special, memorable time we had here for almost 6 years.

So weird to see the basement so empty

The boys had a hard time going to sleep the night before we left. I was patient for a while, but when Stockton started running up and down the tiny hallway we had to have some harsh words. I turned on good ol P&P to restore some calm and peace in the house.

The boys' room was the first to be completely empty and vacuumed. Everyone has slept in this room at some point while we lived here, but I loved having the two boys in here together.

I was very proud of myself for fearlessly (sort of) driving the moving truck to our house and backing into the driveway (on the first try!). Then I was very happy to hand the keys over to Austin's dad.

The girls' room and Austin's and my room

Stockton of course was completely thrilled to check out the truck. 

Look at our wonderful friends! Birdsall, Rawlings, Ashdown, Stauffer, Siddoway....these are names that we will never forget. I am so grateful for all of their friendship! (And I'm totally kicking myself because we had a last dinner at the Birdsall's this week but forgot to take a picture! Renetta was my first friend from Trendwood Ward and has been my confidant for years since. Natalie/Will and Stockton/Mabel are nearly the same ages, and I have always been able to count on Renetta. It is a big loss to not be able to meet at the park or chat away and make dinner together, but I am so grateful that she is just a text away, and that she has family in Cheyenne so I will be able to see her again soon!)

That horrid carpet!!! Stacy told me that the landlord ripped it all out after we left (even though he made us pay to have it cleaned -_-). The living room looked so sad and forlorn without all of US in it.

Jack said goodbye to the neighbors and ran into the car bawling. : ( He wouldn't come out again before we left.

Goodbye, 331! Goodbye, Lincoln!

Stockton and Natalie said goodbye to the neighbors and came running over to me for a big, cry-y hug. It hadn't really been real to them until the last moment and it hit them all really hard.

So we went to the gas station and got some treats, and everyone felt much better and ready for our new adventure.

Seven hours later we pulled into our new home!! Jack immediately found a tree to climb with Grandma, and the girls were just happy to be out of the car. It was so nice having Austin's parents there...I think it eased the blow for the kids being in a new place, since they still had familiar faces. Austin's parents left the next morning to continue their own move to Panaca, NV.

Stockton wanted to be very helpful (and he was, mostly), and our new landlord Joan left us this sweet plate of cookies! So nice. I took a picture of the moving truck for posterity...we fit all of our belongings into this 15-footer!

Rainbows greeted us in the neighborhood and outside Albertson's (or "New HyVee," as the kids called it). I took the kids to the store to get them out of the way of people moving things inside, and by the end I was so completely exhausted and worn out physically and emotionally after such a draining week (and my dumb hernia incision site really hurt from all the constant lifting and work that I had been doing all week), it took everything I had not to just break down in the parking lot. But, we made it through, I got some sleep, and I was very grateful for Austin's priesthood blessing that truly healed me.

Our first night in the house on Golden Hill. Already so many happy memories here! Moving is hard, but it is exciting too, and it is great to know that we can stay in touch with all of the special, important friends that we left in Lincoln. (Of course there are so many more families that we didn't get to officially say goodbye to, but that we will always love! Coronavirus truly robbed us of a proper farewell.)

We lived in Lincoln together for the first (almost) 9 years of our marriage; I lived there the two years before that for college; Austin did his senior year of high school there before he served a mission; and I lived in Omaha for high school for the four years before that. 15 years in one state more than triples the length of anywhere else that I have lived. Nebraska will always be a super special place for me and I will always be proud to say that that is where I'm from!