December was filled with many bitter sweet moments for us! As we packed up and said our Goodbyes we knew our life was about to change forever! It was tender to share these fun times with those we have loved so much these past 7 years, but heartbreaking for us to know that it would never be the same again! The kids were so brave and courageous through it all even though the unknown future looming ahead was filled with so many questions! Many tears were shed by all of us and we learned what the term broken hearted really means. As we drove away from our house, our friends, our life, it felt like our hearts would never be the same. We miss Colorado so much already but know that the memories we made there will stay with us forever!
Spencer’s 12th Birthday
We can’t believe Spencer is 12 years old. Where has the time gone! This picture is a perfect depiction of what is most important to him these days! His cell phone! Thankfully he’s a sweet, considerate, helpful, fun and friendly 12 year old. We’re hoping he stays as wonderful as this forever!
With so much going on there was no way we could throw Spence a big party! He understood and asked if he could take a few of his friends to dinner instead! Of course we agreed! It was a tender moment to hear him tell me the friends he wanted at his Birthday Dinner and why. He has lots of friends but those he picked have been his friends since we moved here when he was 5 years old!
Sam (in black) was his FIRST friend in Colorado. They’ve gone to Preschool, Kindergarten and grade school together. They’ve been in Cubs together, played soccer and basketball together and spent endless hours watching movies, playing games, shooting hoops, and everything else kids do together!
Brady (in white) and Spence have been friends since they both moved here. They’ve been inseparable for almost 5 years. Brady lives on our street and between school, church, scouts, soccer, basketball, football, girls and everything else, they’ve grown up side by side almost like brothers! Spence will miss Brady SOOOOO much!
Hogan (in green) has been one of Spencer’s best buds for years. He’s a few years older, but has always been a good kid for Spence to pal around with! Endless numbers of sleepovers, movie nights, swimming days, family holidays, hikes, mountain bikes and most recently talking about girls. Hogan is a great example to Spence and I’m so glad Spencer has been able to watch a kid grow into a teenager and still be a good kid!
Adam and I had a great time with these boys and only hope Spencer can find friends even half as wonderful as these boys when we get to California!
Spencer and Scouts
Spencer has the greatest Scout leaders ever! He has earned 5 merit badges and is working toward Star Rank. He’s well on his way to earning his Eagle Scout Award. We’ll be sad that he won’t be able to keep working on it with his Colorado friends and leaders.
Adam’s Work Christmas/Good-Bye Party
Adam’s work Christmas Party kind of turned into a Goodbye Party for him. Everyone was so gracious and expressed their appreciation for everything Adam has done for the Denver Office over the past 7 years! Another bitter sweet moment to hear how much these guys loved and appreciated Adam but so hard to know that Ad wouldn’t be seeing and working with these guys everyday anymore! I’ve always said that anyone who knows Adam loves him and this night proved it. Adam came into this office 7 years ago and many of the agents were skeptical about how this young, 29 year old kid was going to lead them to success. Even the most skeptical of them sang his praises that night and admitted to how wrong they had been to doubt him.
Scott and Jordan Barry and Dan
Taylor and Jon
Annie’s Basketball Team
Annie’s been playing on a competitive basketball team this season. She was so sad to have to leave mid season! She’s been playing with these girls for 4 years. She’s turned into an awesome player! She’ll miss her team and we know they’ll miss her too!
Mady and Annie on the bench watching their team and enjoying their last time playing on the same team!
The Team
After the game the gym cleared out so we stayed and played around with the Woogs. They have been our neighbors since we moved to Denver. We love them like family as they have been more than just neighbors to us! We’ve been through so much together: birthdays, holidays, baby births, family deaths and many many hours spent just hanging out! We will miss them with all our hearts! We Love You Woogs!
Family Good-Bye Party
Erin and Sverre hosted a wonderful good bye party for us. We were overwhelmed by how many came to say good-bye. Even now, I have a hard time writing and expressing how I felt that night! It was so surreal and hard to believe that the party was actually for us. We’d been to other parties like that one but they were for other people! Really internalizing that it was for us was hard and I don’t think I ever let it really sink in! It was just a fun get together with friends…
The Jensens and Us
Spencer’s football Coaches Brady, Spence, Michael and Kevin-Football Buddies
Me, Dara, Dee and Steph-Soccer Moms Taylor, Erin, Annie and Taylor-Soccer Girls
The Boys are SOOOO sad!
Annie and Chandler Annie and Mallory
G-man and Collin Hogan and Spence
Spencer and Bayley Taylor, Annie and Erin
Tait and Logan
Family Pics
Amidst all our chaos, we attempted to take some family pictures in our house. It didn’t go so well, but at least we got a picture taken at Christmas!
CUTE BABY
Our Baby Girl is 5 months! She is such an angel and has been amazingly patient with everything that has taken our attention away from being 100% on her! This particular night we put her in her bumbo in front of a basketball game. After a few minutes I went to check on her and she was sound asleep! Ahhhhhh, sweet baby!
Last Night in Our House
Our house was empty except a few blankets, pillows and mattresses! They insisted on dragging the mattresses into the same room to sleep together for their last night! It was a giant slumber party and the room was wall to wall mattresses! Another bitter sweet moment for me! Such fun overshadowed with such saddness!
Last Night with Our Friends
No words can describe how we felt on our last night in Colorado. We had moved out of our house and living in a hotel! The kids went to spend a few hours with the Petry kids and Adam and I went out to dinner with all of our closest friends. After dinner we went back to the Forsythe’s house for desert! The girls surprised me with a video of all of our girls trips and fun times we’ve spent together! I bawled like a baby! My heart was tearing out of my chest and there was nothing I could do to make it feel better! There is not another group of friends in the world as wonderful and amazing as this! We have had so many fun times together, spent hours laughing, crying and talking, watched our kids grow up together and shared millions of memories! I don’t know what I will do without these girls in my life on a daily basis. Having them a phone call away is good, but knowing they can’t jump in the car and be at my house in 5 minutes anymore is just so hard to comprehend.
Eli, Scott, Bill, Jeremy, Adam, Eric, Paul (missing Niles-had to go home after dinner to be with the kids and Sverre-he and Erin were out of town for the weekend)
THE GIRLS
Vicki, Brecken, Tamara, Me, Yvette, Tanya, Tosha and Neeley
Tamara had given us all our Christmas Gifts and tied the packages with these adorable bows. We thought it would be funny to tie them in our hair!
Bill and Tanya Paul and Yvette
Scott and Vicki Eric and Tosha
Eli and Neeley Jeremy and Tamara
Brecken and Vicki (sitting in for Niles :-) Adam and Me
(Erin and Sverre were out of town but we missed having them there!)
The words to the “Wicked” song “For Good” have always had so much meaning for me and they came to mind again as we said goodbye!
“I’ve heard it said, that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn. And we are "led, to those who help us most to grow if we let them, and we help them in return. Well I don’t know if I believe that’s true, but I know I’m who I am today, because I knew you."
I am truly a better person today because of the friendships I’ve been blessed with while we were in Colorado.
Part of my heart will always be in Colorado!
2 comments:
SO fun to catch up! We miss you so much, really - How was the 1/2 marathon? and how cute is that picture of your whole family in Canada beanies? You're so great and I miss seeing you! hope everything is great - love erin
So the family picture is really cute. That whole post made me so sad! Your group of friends in CO was awesome and really really unique. Its hard to find that...trust me, I know!
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