leaving

 

After the kids flew home with grandpa and grandma.  We started to get everything done to finish up selling the house. There was paperwork to be done, things to be cleaned out and places to eat one last time. :)

 

 

 

 

We were lucky that Sanford paid for someone to come pack and move us so we just had to be there to supervise that.  This was great except for a few things for example when our alarm clock went off early the next day inside of  a box and we couldn't find it. Things I didn't think about since we had never had anyone move us before.

 

 

 

Saturday after the moving truck pulled away we started cleaning and then Sunday we dropped our couch off at the Dunlavy's and said good-bye to them one last time.  That was very hard because like I said before how do you express your thanks to someone who has done so much for you...there were really no words just a hug and lots of tears.

 

Sunday we couldn't go to church again.  We had already said our good-byes the week before and I just couldn't do it again.  Sam and McKena came at Noon for the final walk through and then everything was done on that end.  It was so sad again when Jason told them, that we hope they enjoy the house as much as we did and make good memories here.  Then he told them to take care of it and I couldn't hold back the tears.  (It was all more emotional that I thought, but it is hard to leave something that you know you will never see again but have so many great memories about.

 

 

Monday morning we just finished loading stuff in the car and finished vacuuming.  It was horrible to leave.  I was gathering up all the little stuff and Jason was vacuuming and all of the sudden I hear him sniffing and I look at him and he is crying and I was already crying.  It was horrible.  Then to top it all off we knelt down right before locking up and said a prayer.  Jason said it as we both cried our eyes out.  Jason could barely make it through it but I'm glad we did it, it was a special moment.

 

 

 

(the tree we planted)

 

 

 

(last picture as I drove away on June 29th at 9:16am )

Then we locked up and each headed out in separate cars crying for about an hour as we drove up to South Dakota.

 

We are so grateful for the opportunity that we had to live in such a great place and make so many great memories.

 

 

We LOVE you Iowa and will miss you!!! You will always have a special place in our hearts.

 

(last drive into Des Moines)

 

 

 

 

Dunlavys

 

 

Right before the kids left for Utah we went to say goodbye to the Dunlavy Family.  They have been our friends since Paul started Residency at Mercy 3 years ago.  And as soon as our kids meet they became instant friends.  This goodbye was very hard but they are one family we will probably see again, so it made it a little better.

 

Jason and I went back yesterday, the day before the two of us left Iowa, to give them our couch and say our goodbyes and it was so hard.  Alisha has been there for me/us whenever I have needed her.  She is a true friend.  I love her and will miss her.  I only wish I could be there for her the next two years of their residency and help her like she helped me. 

 

Words cannot express how much I appreciate her.  And every time I try to say thank you the tears come and won't stop.  It's not every day you find a friend like her.

 

Anniversary

Somewhere in all this moving Jason and I celebrated our 16 year Wedding Anniversary.

 

 (I can't remember what we did, since I am writing this in December but I'm sure we went out to eat or something.... actually we did do something it just wasn't until July.  We went to San Diego!  It counted as Anniversary and Graduation Celebration and we had a great time.)

regret

I have one regret about us leaving and that is not going to say good-bye to the kids best friends one more time.  We tried with Savannah's friend but missed her by 1 hour.  It was so sad.  Things just got really crazy with graduation, grandparents in town and then the emotional part of moving, time just got away from me and before I knew it was had no time and then the kids left for the airport and it all seem like I blinked and they were gone. 

They had so many great friends there that we will miss very much but we are grateful for them and memories we made with them.

I think the hardest part about this move is that we probably will never see these friends again.  We won't really be going to Iowa to visit like we do Utah so it is hard to think we may never see our home or friends again.

These are some of the texts I got from the kids friends. 

 

 

 

 

(Aug 2015: We are now home from Utah and in our new home but Austin keeps asking when we can go back to Iowa so he can play with his friends (Carter (little boy who lived in back of us, Greydon and Asher).  It doesn't really feel like home right now and Austin doesn't understand that we aren't going back, that Iowa is 7 hours away and we just can't go and play with our friends there anymore.)

Father's Day with our dads

 

We were lucky enough to spend father's day with our dad's this year.  What a blessing they are in our lives we are so grateful for them and all they do for us.

Father's Day!

Good-Bye Picture

The kids flew to Utah with grandpa and grandma Gardner tonight, while Jason and I finish the sale of this home and then go to Aberdeen to finalize the purchase of our new home. 

This is a lot harder then I thought it would be.  This was the last day we all spent in this house together.  It's hard to think that they will never come back to this house again.  We have so many wonderful memories here!   The tears have been coming and going for days now and it is just getting harder and harder.

Last week in Iowa...

 

We have many great memories of these last few things we did before leaving Iowa.

 

 

Grey's Lake bridge...one of the 1st places Jason and I went when we came to Iowa looking for a place to live 9 years ago.

 

 

Grandpa and Grandma were in town for graduation and joined us.

 

 

 

 Downtown Des Moines Saturday Morning Farmer's Market.  We loved coming to the Farmer's Market and eating good food.

 

Des Moines River

 

Feeding the fish at the Jordan Creek Mall pond.  Did this a lot when we lived in WDM and had to do it one more time.

 

Swimming at the hotel whenever grandpa and grandma come to visit

 

and of course the "Hippo" or "play place" at Jordan Creek Mall. I have so many great memories there.  I took the kids there all the time when they were little.  We would meet there with all our friends from Medical School and play for a few hours.  It was free and fun!

 



 

Our town house in West Des Moines.  The place we brought home 3 of our 4 babies.  This home has so many great memories.  It bring tears of happiness and sadness when I think about it.  Happiness that it happened and sadness that it is over.  It was a time when life was filled with little kids playing, dancing,  and watching Disney Channel.  There was a sweet little innocence with our children in that home and the area that I just look back on and love. 

Residency Graduation!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

The day has arrived Jason has graduated from the Surgical Residency Program at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, IA.  It was a fun night filled with a lot of emotion.  Jason doesn't know if he would do it again but I told him I would.  I was happy to support him as his wife and I will continue to do so as our life continues on to "real life".

 

We were lucky to have our parents and Reed and Kierstin there to celebrate with us.