We had one last Day O' Fun (an old college tradition) and managed to squeeze in a trip to the creek (while trying to sell our car and make it to our goodbye party on time).
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| Goodbye red rocks and natural waterslides |
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| Goodbye kid-sized cliff jumping |
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| Goodbye stick |
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| (I'm sure they have sticks in California, but he was pretty attached to this one and wanted to bring it with him) |
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| Goodbye blue skies with puffy white clouds and amazing summer rainstorms (hello Sam the Bodybuilder) |
Evan gives our empty house a hug on our last morning in Flagstaff.
Friends came and helped us clean and paint didn't match, but we ended on a sweet note with a party in Joe and Christy's backyard. They put up white lights and played Owl City on Pandora just for me. It was really special.
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| Goodbye sweet little Karli who is a miraculous blessing from God and will be a great big sister to another little miracle in 7 months or so... |
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| Goodbye to sweet friends, old and new, with bonds I don't know if I will find again |
The kids had been begging to have a sleepover, and they accidentally got one on our last night in town. We stayed with Joe and Christy and the kids chose to sleep on the floor together while Christy and I talked and the guys (along with some other husbands) went back to our house and painted trim, cleaned carpets, and mopped floors with Jeremy until the wee hours of the morning. Did I mention what good friends we have in Flagstaff?
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| Goodbye naked man bathing in a coffee mug |
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| Goodbye downtown with all your history and bricks and movies on the square and the best 4th of July parade in the world. |
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| Goodbye freight trains, passing noisily through town (on average) every 15 minutes and making you late for hair appointments but also giving you a good excuse for tardiness in any situation |
Goodbye beautiful scenery and nature to explore...magnificent peaks to ride mountain bikes on in the summer...
Goodbye beautiful fall leaves and vibrant starry skies.
Goodbye Buffalo Park (where 70 pounds were lost), Bushmaster Park, The Rolling-Down-Hill, the tractor in front of Granny's Closet, Mural Joe's murals, the soccer fields at Coco, the Aquaplex, Little America and its 50 cent ice cream cones, the bumpy-dirty-yucky-dusty-dirt road that takes us to our friends' house, the rock wall by Target, our favorite thrift stores and all the other landmarks we love.
Goodbye Flagstaff Christian Fellowship where we spent so much time doing work that didn't feel like work and where our kids have memories in every hallway.
Goodbye flowers in the backyard garden, a labor of love for 5 summers.
And goodbye house on Schevene where our kids grew and learned to be friends and fought imaginary foes and families came to dinner and seasons came and went and lots of love was shared. Goodbye house.
And here's how we left, a real family...leaving a place I imagine will always feel like our hometown.
*** On a less serious note, if you haven't visited Flagstaff, you totally should!
This post made me so sad for you... I know you and your family will be greatly missed in Flagstaff. When we left Ohio after living there almost 10 years I felt like I was leaving a piece of me behind. It was hard... I will pray for you.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I saw your sweet boys (and your fun idea) in Family Fun magazine. Way to go!
This is awesome Kaci. Loved the pictures and all the sweet memories you shared. I miss you so much already and am not even back to Flagstaff yet. But we are excited for God's plan for your family and know it is good and will bring Him glory!
ReplyDeleteWow. I think I am so sad that you might have just ruined my night. Although I am kind of a sappy person. Life is just THIS. You are an inspiration to me.
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