Really Saying Goodbye...

Where to start?

This weekend will be remembered as the weekend that my life truly changed course.

Yes, a few weeks ago, I said goodbye to all my MOPS friends. These ladies will never, ever know how much they mean to me or how much they've helped me along the way. I also said goodbye to our preschool family -- the wonderful teachers and families at the Giving Tree. They lovingly taught my baby girl for one and half years. We said goodbye to our Parent Educator, Gayle (and without her, I don't know where I'd be as a mommy). I said goodbye to my wonderful CIA mommy friends, Anj and Megan, and their sweet, sweet kids. We said goodbye to our church home and all there who have touched our lives. We said goodbye to our neighbors-- those whom we've spent many hours with outside on warm nights.

Even then, as we loaded the small moving truck last weekend with so many friends and family helping us along the way and as we cleaned our house inside and out this weekend in order to put it on the market tomorrow, I was doing okay...

But yesterday, it hit me... this is it. This is really, really, honest to goodness IT. I am moving away from EVERYTHING and EVERYONE I've known forever... And as I said goodbye to family, the tears became harder to control --My mom just retired last summer and I had hoped to spend many a summer day out on the farm with my kids, my dad and Bonnie who love to hang out with the kids and always have their door open for their grandkids, my grandma and all the "Gilroy Gatherings," and Dan's folks who have always opened their hearts and home to me...

Then, we had to say goodbye to some of our dearest, dearest friends who we will love forever. Without them, we would not be where we are today in our lives. People are put in our paths for reasons we may not ever know, but I know our friends came into our lives to help give us strength, courage and love to make this season of change possible. They are our family too and will forever be part of our family.

So tonight, I'm not going to think about all the goodbyes that we've said over the past few weeks, I'm going to think about all the great things that are yet to come for us and I'm going to think about all the fun we're going to have visiting all of our "families" back home. For it will always be home to me. And really... it makes it "see you soon" not "Goodbye!"

We love you and we miss you (already!)...