Goodbye, Jackson

I've been putting off this post for a VERY long time because as with my previous post regarding selling our home, it has proven to be a hard one to write.  But, I MUST get this blog updated and I MUST move forward to the next chapter and part of that means accepting the fact that we did in fact close one of the greatest chapters of our lives when we left Jackson, Tennessee.

As I mentioned, Matthew began working in Dallas full time over the summer, which left me and Kyndall to soak up as much time as we could with our friends before we too had to say goodbye.  Before he left in July our best friends threw us the most amazingly thoughtful going away party that I could have ever imagined.  We've moved in and out of states four times now and we've never had anyone give us a going away party.  That says a lot about the season of life we lived in Jackson.  The friendships we made there were unlike any we've ever known.  Just writing that sentence makes big alligator tears well up in my eyes.  Truly, my heart is still in Jackson and I have to wonder if it might always be.

Travis and Julie opened their beautiful new home to as many friends as we wanted to invite and my friends Lauren and Mitzi helped her decorate and set it up to ensure that it was nothing short of perfect.  Every detail was special, even down to the pink and green accents because they know those are my favorite colors.  It was a wonderfully bittersweet afternoon as we laughed, talked and reminisced with those who meant so much to us.  I refused to say "goodbye" to anyone but rather "see you later".  The afternoon went by so quickly and although I enjoyed every second, knowing that it was over made my heart just a little more sad.  

This is now proudly hanging in our new home in Dallas and I smile every time I see it!  It's filled with sweet messages and encouraging scripture from our dearest friends.  

Pink and green, my favorites!

My two favorite girls.  I'm still not sure how I'm surviving without them.  Miss you, Jules and LaLa!

 Obligatory sad faces

 Side note--Kyndall lost her front tooth on the way to the party!

See.....

Julie gives the best gifts!

And her cards always make me cry.

Sometimes her gifts make me cry too!

How perfect is this art kit??  She knows Kyndall so well!

This gift (which made me do the ugly cry) is also proudly displayed in our new home.  I told Matthew there better not be any more hearts on this map!!  I'm done moving! (Unless it's back to Florida or Tennessee, of course)

Kyndall and my future son-in-law, Gavin!  Ha!

So many sweet memories made over the past 3.5 years with these ladies!

And our goofy husbands....

Cami is not only one of my sweetest friends but she was also our realtor.  Throughout the house selling process she listened to me whine and complain and graciously answered 23982 questions for me since we had never sold a home before.  Kyndall came to love her too and even declared she wanted to be a "realtor and a mommy" just like Mrs. Cami when she grows up!

More sweet gifts from friends....

"Mama Mitzi" has been just that to our family.  She, like many other women who were placed in my life during our time in Tennessee was not only a friend but also a mentor and spiritual leader.  This lady means so much to me and she always will.  The gift she gave Kyndall is on her dresser so that she can see it and read the words everyday.

When your friends get ahold of your camera.....

My crazy Cami

 Our friend and official family photographer, Megan.  (Daughter to Mama Mitzi)  Megan took our family photos every year plus did several special sessions with Kyndall.  We surely miss her!

Jaclyn was one of the very first friends I made when I moved to Jackson

I only met Tisha a few months before we moved but her sweet spirit will not be soon forgotten!

 Gavin belongs to Lauren and Marc and we joke that someday these two will make us in-laws! 

Kyndall and Haiden--Sweet friends

 The McNatt family is so special to us!  

The Woods crew.  There aren't enough words to describe what they mean to us. Pam worked as Matthew's account manager during his time in Jackson but she quickly became much more than just an employee.  This lady and her family helped us out in more ways than I can even count.  Pam would often call and ask if she could have Kyndall for the entire weekend so that Matthew and I could enjoy some time for ourselves.  Since our family was 10 hours away, this was absolutely invaluable to us.  She was constantly taking Kyndall on fun adventures with her own kiddos to Memphis or Nashville, giving her pedicures on her bathroom floor, buying her sweet gifts and she even took her to the rodeo and the monster truck show....both of which Kyndall still talks about!  Pam showed up in the wee hours of the morning on my second false alarm call for transplant because she was the only person we could get in touch with to come take care of Kyndall as we rushed off to Nashville.  With every hospitalization (and there were MANY!) she was there to take care of our dogs so we didn't have to board them and they too loved her like we did.  We were so blessed by their friendship and their servants hearts and we are SO thankful that they were placed in our lives.  I don't know how we would've made it without their help.  Pam has actually already come to visit us since we moved to Texas.  It was only for a night while she was here on business, but we were so happy to see her again.

These three had some fun times over the years!

 I wish we could've convinced her to come work for Matthew in Dallas.  She considered it for a while!

These pictures sum up their work relationship perfectly!  They're simply too much alike but they made a great team for Southeastern.

This is how she felt about her boss quite a bit of the time! Ha!

I wasn't able to get a picture with everyone that came, but the memories are etched in my mind forever.  We felt so loved that day and my only wish was that the party had been for a different reason and not because we were leaving.

Matthew had his last day of work in Jackson and his staff threw him a really thoughtful going away cook out.  Kyndall and I were invited too and I was quite surprised at how emotional some of those men got as they said farewell to their boss.  I'm always so proud of Matthew's commitment to his job and of the way he treats his employees, but I was even more proud that night as I saw how much of an impact he made during his time in Jackson.  

I loved the cake that Pam had made!  If only it were true!

I failed to take a single picture that night but I know there are some floating around somewhere because lots of other people did.  Hopefully I can hunt them down and come back and add them later.

We enjoyed one last outing with our church small group which was dinner and the Jackson Escape Rooms.  This was always one of our favorite couples activities so it was perfect that we had another opportunity to do it.  We had a blast!

So Matthew left and then there were two.  Just me and my girl.  It was weird.  And sad.  And a little lonely.  Mostly it just seemed like there was this feeling of impending doom that was lurking over me.  I still wasn't excited about moving, not at all.  I found myself getting more and more emotional as the days went on, knowing we were getting closer to the end. 

The first week of August Kyndall and I flew to Dallas for the week so that she could complete her kindergarten testing and I could do the final walk through on the new house.  I admit, I was a little bit excited about these two things.

Having fun "surfing" in the Memphis airport as we waited on our delayed flight....

My first and last bathroom selfie

Ready to get to Dallas and see DADDY!

Kyndall has the ability to make friends wherever she goes.  People are just drawn to her. While I was angry and frustrated about our delayed flight, she extended love to this older special needs girl by striking up a conversation about their common love for minions and stuffed animals.  The next thing I knew they were sitting on the floor in front of our gate doing crafts together and giggling about silly things.  I hope she never loses her love for ALL people and her ability to make the best out of a bad situation.  

We finally arrived in Dallas that night and Matthew picked us up and took us to the hotel apartment where he had been living for the past few weeks.  The next day we had our final walk through with the builder and it was an exciting but overwhelming couple of hours.

Kyndall lost her other front tooth while we were in Dallas this week!  She loved showing off that big gummy grin!

 A few weeks prior to this trip she and I excitedly skipped through the isles of Target and Wal-Mart as we bought kindergarten school supplies for the very first time.  She loved doing this!  (check out those wiggly buck teeth that were hanging on for dear life!)

Kyndall would be required to wear uniforms to her new school which meant she also needed special shoes. I found the cutest pair and we were both SHOCKED when I turned the box over and saw the name on them!  It's even spelled the same!  Meant to be!

We had a few days between the house inspection and her school testing day so she and I survived the brutal Texas heat by making daily visits to the frozen yogurt shop near Matthew's hotel apartment in Irving.

The night before kindergarten testing this OCD mama felt the need to do some last minute review work!

 It was finally testing day and she was SO excited!  I was nervous beyond belief but she was thrilled! 

Ready to be taken back for testing!

While she did that, I was in the library listening to a presentation by the lead kinder teacher who told this nervous, anxious first time school parent how this would all work.  Being who I am, I had my bright pink notebook which was organized into sections with little clear plastic covers for each sheet of information I was given that day.  I took a ton of notes, probably asked way too many questions and surely received a few eye rolls from the veteran parents.  That's ok...Your baby only goes to kindergarten ONE time and I wasn't about to screw this up!

One by one the kids slowly came back into the library as they finished their testing.  The group of parents went from about 20 to 15 to 10...to 5....to 3.....And still I sat there.  My eyes were glued to the door as I anxiously awaited her return.  I pondered every possible terrible scenario in my mind about why she might be taking so long.  Did she fail??  Did she get upset and cry??  Did she get in trouble??  You name it, I thought it.  Suddenly I looked around and realized I was the LAST parent in the room. I just knew something awful had taken place.  In a few minutes the three kindergarten teachers along with my sweet girl came bouncing into the library.  She had a big smile on her face and she looked very satisfied.  I asked them why it took her so long and one of the teachers told me that they saved her for very last because they could tell she was going to be the most patient and polite one in the group and they wanted to get the more "energized" kiddos tested and on their way.  Shame on me for thinking such awful things.  I should have known better!  I was so proud of her for the way they complimented her that day and I knew at that moment this kindergarten thing wasn't going to be so scary afterall.

I let her pick our lunch spot and she chose Panda Express which is kind of crazy since the ONLY thing she likes there is rice!  Nonetheless, I honored her wishes and she was a happy girl with her bowl full of carbohydrates! 

Next, we returned to the yogurt shop for a cool treat

Kindergarten cutie!!

Kyndall and I said goodbye to Matthew that evening and flew back to Jackson.  I have to share this hilarious picture so that in years to come she'll have it to remember.  Keep in mind, I wasn't very amused at the time that I took it and wrote this, but now I can definitely look back and laugh!

"Have you ever had to explain to TSA why you have a full size tape dispenser in your carry on?  Have you ever had your body swabbed for BOMB residue because of said tape dispenser?? It's a good thing my little terrorist is so cute!  Life with my crafty girl is never boring!"

Kyndall had apparently packed this tape dispenser in her carry on bag along with a million other crafting items that she can't live without.  I have no idea why it didn't set off the alarms on our way to Dallas but it definitely set them off on our way back!  Lesson learned--Undoubtedly tape dispensers can closely resemble makeshift bombs.  No more tape dispensers in our luggage!

Kyndall and I arrived back in Jackson and by this point we were in the home stretch and we had less than TWO WEEKS left before moving.  I was determined to cram in as many lunch dates, visits with friends and fun times as possible so that's exactly what we spent every waking hour of the next two weeks doing!  From sun up to sun down we were on the move, seeing everyone we possibly could in Jackson and Medina.

Micah and Kyndall have been the sweetest of friends for several years.  They've shared some fun memories together beginning with their ballet days when Kyndall was just barely 3 years old.  Micah's Mommy Rebecca also became a very dear friend of mine over the years and was one of the first people who reached out and befriended me when we made the move from Jackson to Medina.   

Shannon and Cami cleared their schedules so that the three of us could have one last dinner together at Rockn' Dough.   I miss these two like crazy but thank goodness for text messaging!  Shannon texts me every single day with an encouraging scripture and I love feeling like I'm still connected to her.  Cami was such a lifesaver as my realtor and friend during the sale of our house.  I credit her with keeping me sane during somewhat of a nightmare-ish process! Simply put, I love these two ladies and painfully miss them.

Kyndall had one last adventure with Pam-tastic and her kiddos.  

In the midst of the chaos of moving and saying goodbye, Kyndall and I volunteered for one final event with Donate Life.  I've SO enjoyed working closely with Tennessee Donor Services as an ambassador and have truly found my calling in speaking and promoting organ donation.  Kyndall is no stranger to it either and has accompanied me on many speaking engagements.  She has her own story to tell and I've found that she has quite a captive audience.  So when my director asked me if I had any free time to head over to the local DMV, Kyndall and I jumped on the opportunity.  Our job was to encourage individuals to sign the donor registry as they were renewing their licenses.  Kyndall walked around with a bag of lifesaver candies and said "Won't you be a life saver?  Will you sign up to be an organ donor?"  She then went on to tell them that an organ donor saved her Mommy's life and how thankful she was for that person.  MANY people registered that day and I have no doubt it was my sweet girl's sincere request that helped solidify that decision for them!  

We made time for a trip to Hobby Lobby to spend some gift cards and Kyndall begged me to let her buy this.  It did not happen!

Instead, we ended up with this which is now completely bedazzled and hanging in her bedroom....

Her looks may have changed over the years but her love for Hobby Lobby has not!

With the close of the summer also came the close of one of our favorite treats in Jackson--Shaved ice!  Kyndall and I always looked forward to this place opening every June and spent many afternoons enjoying their frozen treats while watching the cars whiz by on Highland Avenue.  We met up with Julie and Cam for one last cool treat.

Nonie and Poppie sent her some back-to-school treats

Our favorite girly go-to lunch spot has always been Dumplins.  Whether we were celebrating something special or just needing to indulge in their warm yeast rolls with pink strawberry butter and their delicious fruit tea, Dumplins was where we ended up.  Even my Mom would request at least one meal there each time she visited.  Kyndall and I met up with Mrs. Pam Burleson for one last girly lunch.

We followed it up with a stop at our other local favorite, Woodstock Bake Shop.  They have the BEST cupcakes in town and we were frequent visitors to their store!  We will surely miss this place!  Kyndall left her mark by adding her name in bright pink sharpie (of course!) to the wall behind her.

One thing that I never want to forget about our house in Jackson was Kyndall's nightly tradition of catching frogs.  As girly as she can be, this kid also loves all things slippery and slimy.  Living out in the country, there were frogs galore and every night they'd hang out under the light by our garage.  It didn't matter what she was wearing or how big of a hurry I was in, she HAD to go check on her frogs.  Here she is doing that for one of the very last times.  

We had to get an oil change on my car before making the drive to Texas and of course Mrs. Pam's husband Mr. Jeremy spoiled Kyndall while she waited.  Popcorn, lollipops and a gigantic balloon made this girl think going to the car dealership was a real treat!

I wanted to get Kyndall something special to remember her home in Tennessee so I stopped by my favorite little shop in Milan called Something's Fun.  Goodness knows I've dropped lots of cash there over the years but I just love their personalized gifts and jewelry.  When I saw this necklace in the shape of Tennessee I knew I had found what I was looking for.  The owner even fancied it up for us by putting a tiny pearl right over the center of the state.  Kyndall was so proud of it.

If you know me then you know I have an unhealthy love for a soft, warm salted pretzel and a cold Coke icee from Sam's and I have passed this love onto my daughter.  It only seemed right that we indulge in our favorite snack once more!

A very bittersweet moment for me came when I gathered one last time with my prayer group.  Getting together with these ladies each month was such a blessing to me and their physical presence in my life is one of the things I miss most.  Though I'm still in touch with them almost daily, it's not quite the same as truly being with them.  The impact they made on my life will not be soon forgotten and their friendships will forever leave a mark on my heart.  We were missing Tisha this particular night and Jennifer had already moved away.  Since these pictures were taken two more of us have moved but I love the fact that the group still gathers together to encourage and uplift one another.  I'm also thankful that they still include me in their group texts so that I at least feel like I'm still with them!  

Photo credit goes to my 6 year old--Not a bad job considering she can barely lift my giant camera!

Pictured left to right--Laura, Susannah, Cami, myself, Shannon and Heather.  These are my people.  I have no idea what got into us but it's impossible for me to look at these pictures and not smile!  Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.

Several years back Matthew and Kyndall started a Daddy/Daughter tradition of going skating together every Saturday.  Mommy was forced to stay home while the two of them enjoyed an afternoon together each week.  No matter how busy he was or how tired he felt, he faithfully took her skating every single Saturday afternoon.  It was their "thing" and they both loved it.  They went to the same skating rink every week in Milan and naturally the owners became friends of ours.  I wanted so badly for Matthew to be there to take her one last time but he was already working in Dallas so I took her myself.  Mommy isn't as much fun as Daddy because I do not skate, but it was still special for her to be there once more.  These ladies who own the rink were sad to be losing their most faithful customer.

With Daddy in Dallas I let her sleep in my bed each night and I loved waking up to see her next to me every morning.  All this socializing was taking its toll on her and she was pretty wiped out each day.  

One of the most important things on our agenda was a trip to the Family Fun Center in Jackson.  For THREE AND A HALF years we had been passing this place on our daily commute through Jackson and for THREE AND A HALF years she had asked me to let her ride the go karts there.  I always responded with "we don't have time today but someday we will".  I had no idea that we wouldn't have forever to make this happen so with just three and a half days left, I finally fulfilled my promise.  We met up with Julie, Cam and Chase for an afternoon of skating, bowling, lazer tag, arcade games and of course go karts.  

Making good on my promise and it was surely worth the wait!  We had a blast and she giggled the entire time!

We ended the night with Icees and Krystal burgers

Oh....and a little frog catching, as usual.

The single hardest thing I had to do that week was take Kyndall to her very last dance class.  I was not prepared for how emotional she would become and it makes me tear up again just remembering that night.  I first signed her up for dance class when she was barely three years old and I admit that it was more for me than it was for her.  Being a dancer most of my life, I dreamed of being a dance mom and I hoped to make that dream come true.  She didn't love it at first and I questioned whether we should continue to pursue it but soon she found her place and began to LOVE it.  I watched her transform from a shy little toddler who was always one step behind to a confident little girl who truly had a talent for dance.  Mrs. Kim was such a wonderful role model for her and she loved on her and encouraged her in ways she will never know.  Kyndall met some of her most precious friends through Mrs. Kim's dance classes and the memories she made are too numerous to count.  I spent many hours sitting in the dance studio waiting room and in turn I myself made some wonderful friends as a result. I really thought Kyndall would grow up at Glory Dance under the direction of Mrs. Kim.  I thought I'd be sitting in that dance studio for the next 10 years.  It was so hard to say goodbye.

We have SO many pictures from over the years so we decided to do something special for Mrs. Kim.  We made her this collage frame as well as a photo memory book.  

I had spent hours upon hours peering through this window.  It was surreal that this would be my last time.

 Mrs. Kim was so thoughtful to make Kyndall's very last dance class extra special.  She "honored" Kyndall by giving all the girls matching tiaras and showing my sweet girl some extra attention.

This lady right here is one in a million.  I will forever be grateful for the way she poured into my daughter's life.  She helped her find confidence and made her believe she could do anything she wanted to do!  There will never be another like her.

Everything was fine and she was all smiles even as we walked to the car after dance was over.  But just as we started to pull away she completely lost it.  She sobbed harder than I've ever heard her cry and they were real tears, full of desperation as she pleaded with me to turn around and go back.  She wasn't ready to say goodbye.

As much as I wanted to turn around and let her go back inside I knew it would only make things harder.  I kept driving until we made it to the restaurant where we would eat dinner.  She didn't care that we were in public--she continued to wale and sob.  She sat looking at her dinner and told me she couldn't even eat.  She pleaded over and over for me to "stop the move" and to "not make her go to Texas".  My heart broke because I was feeling the very same way.  We both sat crying together in the booth.  Though she knew the end was coming, I don't think it truly hit her until this night that we were about to say goodbye to all the things she loved.  It was becoming real for her and as a mother that was hard for me to watch, knowing there was nothing I could do to change it.

I sat and hugged her and loved on her for as long as she needed me to, right there in the booth at McAlister's.  She never did eat her dinner and I barely ate mine.  I told her I would do ANYTHING in my power to make her happy again if she would just name it.  Through her tears she looked up and quietly whispered "frozen yogurt".  I was a bit relieved to hear her request because this was an easy one to fulfill! If a cup of frozen yogurt was the cure for her sad heart then I was more than happy to indulge her...whether she had eaten her dinner or not!

We made it to our favorite yogurt place just before they closed.  We sat outside in the same spot we had sat so many times before and enjoyed our yummy treats.  With red and puffy eyes she finally gave me a smile.

By the time we got home her tears had dried and she was ready for her nightly frog catching.  This picture sums up my girl perfectly--Catching nasty slimy frogs while wearing a shiny tiara on her head.

She just can't understand why I don't share her deep love for these repulsive creatures.  "But isn't he so cute, Mommy??"

That night I let her do something I normally never do. I let her fall asleep watching her ipad in the bed next to me.  Though her tears were dry, I knew her little heart was still broken and of course so was mine.  Change is hard even for the smallest ones.  Maybe more so than we even realize.  

I met up with my two best girls for dinner and laughs (and a few tears) at Picasso.  I refused to say goodbye to these two but I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry all the way home from dinner that night.  

I gave them each a small gift to help them remember that distance won't get in the way of our friendship.  In the big scheme of things, Texas to Tennessee is really not that far.

 A final lunch with these two, plus Kyndall who once again served as our photographer.  

And when your photographer is a 6 year old you never know what you'll end up with on your camera. 

The only thing as hard as saying goodbye to dance class was saying goodbye to our beloved Englewood.  I had been dreading this day for months, knowing that it would be a painful one.  As I drove away I felt my heart physically hurting like I've never felt before. This place and these people meant more to our family than words could ever adequately express.  When we moved to Jackson three and a half years prior and joined this church, we were oblivious to the events that were about to unfold for our family.  When life got crazy and hard and uncertain, THIS was our safe haven and these people were our support system.  They showed us what it truly means to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  They took us in and made us feel loved and most importantly they PRAYED for us.  Oh how they prayed for us!!  They stood in the gap when we needed them most--Providing meals, taking care of Kyndall, checking on our home and even caring for our fur babies.  No act of kindness went unnoticed and there is no way we could ever say thank you for the way this body of believers carried us through those dark and trying days.  I've said it a thousand times but it's worth saying again...I have NO DOUBT that God placed our family in Jackson for that very season of our lives.  I don't know how we would have survived it without the support of Englewood Baptist Church.  The friends we made there are like none we've ever known and we miss them terribly.  So how do you even begin to say goodbye to something that has had such impact on your life?  I suppose you don't...You just keep the memories close at heart and thank God for the time you had.  I just wish it could have been longer.  No matter where our journey takes us, Englewood will always be a part of our lives.  

The week prior to our very last Sunday, Kyndall was promoted from the pre-school department where she had practically grown up to the childrens' building.  She was excited to be moving up even though she knew she would only be there one week.

Kelley was one of the MANY precious ladies who mentored me and encouraged me during our time at Englewood.  I wish I could have gotten a picture with all of the ladies who poured into my life but that would be impossible because there were so many.

Kyndall spent much of her time in this building and on this playground.  This was where she went to pre-school two days a week as well as where she spent her time on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights.  

On the rainy morning of August 16th the packers showed up at our house and suddenly things got a little too real.  

Within just a few hours the beautiful home we had created and the life we had known was no more.  The house was now noting more than an empty shell and the memories had been piled high in cardboard boxes by strangers.

We were excited to welcome Matthew back home that evening and we would spend our very last night in our home before the moving truck arrived early the next morning.  

I didn't want to be there when they started taking our things out of the house and loading them onto the truck so Kyndall and I set off for one final day of fun while Matthew supervised the loading.

We made several stops throughout Jackson, including one last visit with Mrs. Molly who was Kyndall's sweet piano teacher for the past year.

Kyndall wanted to sit down and play one last song for Mrs. Molly

We stopped by Quench Juice to say goodbye to Kyndall's friend Kaysey.  Kaysey and Kyndall took dance together and Kyndall looked up to her so much.  She was such a great role model to her and was always sweet to pay attention to the younger girls who admired her so.  Kaysey surprised Kyndall with this GIANT unicorn which Kyndall has slept with every single night since we moved!

Sweet girls!!

Kyndall insisted that the unicorn (which she appropriately named Kaysey) rode in her own seat with her own seatbelt all the way to Texas!

Kyndall and I had lunch with Mrs. Katherine Dement who was another one of my wonderful mentors and friends.  She and I shared a special bond from the moment we met and she and Mr. Bill were so good to our family.  When I opened my fortune cookie after lunch I nearly fell out of my chair when I read what was inside.  I still have this little slip of paper sitting on the dash of my car so that I can see it every single day and be reminded that this truly is a wonderful journey.

 It wouldn't be right for me to leave Jackson without saying a proper goodbye to this guy.  This is Mr. Ron and he and I had a standing "date" every other week.  He's the phlebotomist who drew my labs at Lab Corp for the past three years and he is hands down the BEST there is!  I am a VERY hard stick and had always been terrified of blood draws because of how traumatic it always was.  Then I found Mr. Ron and he was the only one who could get me on the first try....every single time!  For someone who has to do this every other week, that's a huge deal!  Not only was he excellent at what he did, his attitude and disposition was so pleasant that it actually made me look forward to having my labs drawn.  He was always happy, smiling and cracking jokes and never once did he greet me in a bad mood.  He truly loved his job and his patients.  Many times Kyndall would accompany me and he was always so kind to give her extra attention, wrapping her little hand in a bandage just like mine complete with a smiley face so that she didn't feel left out.  He let her ask all the questions she wanted and when she wasn't there with me he always inquired about how she was doing.  When I first gave him the news of our upcoming move I really thought he was going to break down and cry.  I promised him I'd keep in touch and would always come visit anytime we're back in town.  I told him I'd never find another phlebotomist as good as he was and I stand by that to this day.  Since moving I'm back to being traumatized with multiple sticks and I just wonder why they can't all have his magic touch?

By the time we did all of that it was getting late and Matthew told me the moving truck had just pulled away.  I felt it was finally time to head home so that's what we did.  But before walking into our empty home we quickly dashed across the street to say goodbye to our sweet neighbors.  Kyndall misses these boys and the adventures they had together on Walter Kee Drive.

A final frog hunt on the front porch....

She actually cried as she told her "pet frogs" goodbye.  

(Side note--We haven't seen a single frog in our yard since moving to Texas.  I don't know where they're all hiding, but she sure is looking hard for them)

We walked in to find a sad, empty house and all that was left was a bunch of dust where our furniture had once been.  It was so depressing.

My friend Susannah Lewis (You may know her as Whoa Susannah) stopped by quickly to deliver this thoughtful gift from my prayer group.  Each of them had signed the back of it for me and it was such a sweet surprise.  

So sad!!

Even though the house was empty and it was nearly 7:00 at night, there was still a lot to be done.  It needed to be cleaned, the fridge needed to be emptied and our vehicles needed to be loaded with all the things we were taking to Texas ourselves.  The moving truck wouldn't be seen for nearly a week so anything we would need had been locked in a closet so that the movers didn't take it with them.

As is typical for this lady, Pam was there until nearly 10:00 that night helping us do all of the things I mentioned above.  She cleaned, packed, emptied and busted her tail to help us one final time as we tied up the loose ends and officially closed this chapter.  I've never known anyone with such a servant's heart as Pam and I am so thankful that she was in our lives for such a time as this.

With one final photo we closed an amazing chapter of our lives spent in Tennessee.  It still doesn't seem real that it's over.

Thanks for the memories, Jackson and Medina....You'll forever be a part of our lives!

Even though it was nearly 9:00, we had to get on the road to Texas because we needed to make it in time for Kyndall's Kindergarten "meet the teacher night" which was the very next evening.  

I didn't cry as we pulled away as I had anticipated but rather reminisced on all the memories.  Matthew was driving his truck ahead of me and it was nice to just enjoy the silence and reflect as Kyndall peacefully slept in the backseat.

We drove about halfway that night before crashing at the hotel around 1:00 a.m.

We drove the remainder of the way the next morning and checked into our hotel in our new town of Forney.  We wouldn't be closing on our house until the next day and our belongings were still on a truck somewhere so part of our moving package with Matthew's company was to give us a hotel for as long as we needed it.

That night was "meet the teacher" night at Kyndall's new school. As if we hadn't just experienced a whirl wind of changes in the last 12 hours, now we were about to be thrown into the exciting/scary/overwhelming world of Kindergarten!  

This Mama's heart was feeling a little anxious to say the least.  As we were on our way from the hotel to the school I spotted this rainbow that stretched directly over our new neighborhood and across the school. I think it was God's way of reminding this nervous, weepy, exhausted Mama that He's still in control and that His promises are good!

She loved every minute of it and seemed to fit right in among the other kids.  She was especially excited to discover that they would each have their very own lockers.

Kyndall and her teacher

She looked so tiny walking these giant halls!  How was my "baby" ever going to find her way around the school by herself?  Who was going to help her tie her shoes and wash her hands and make sure she ate her lunch??  What if she felt scared or alone or the other kids weren't nice to her?  My mind was all over the place as the reality of this huge milestone started to sink in that night.

Ready or not, three days later she would be spending 8 hours a day, 5 days a week in this place rather than with me.  As excited as I wanted to be for her, I felt a little lost wondering what I would do without her.  She had been my full time job for the past six years and now she was about to spread her wings and leave the safety of my nest.

 The next day was Friday August 19th and it was a BIG day for our family!  It was our closing day!  After signing our lives away at the brokers office in downtown Dallas, we finally had the keys to our new home in our hands and we were headed back to Forney to check it out.  

I love this bridge at the entrance to our neighborhood

I decided to video our arrival just for memory's sake.  I'm so glad I did because I was able to capture the surprise that was waiting for us!

(Matthew is driving his truck ahead of me and Kyndall is in my backseat.  Listen carefully and you can hear her griping and complaining about the awful Dallas traffic we had just come through! Ha!)

My sweet and sneaky friend Jennifer who lives in Houston had this sign made for us and her Dad who lives near Dallas (Mr. Carter) came that morning while we were at closing and stuck it in our yard!  It was the best surprise!  We left it up for at least two weeks and because of it we had lots of neighbors stop in and meet us!  It was great!

Not the most flattering angle, thanks to my mini photographer, but this is a tradition so we had to do it....

The first order of business after getting the keys to our new home was getting our fridge delivered.  We may not have had any of our belongings, but we had a shiny new fridge!

My friend Lisa gave me this gift before I moved and immediately I hung it up so that I could see it each day.  I certainly needed this reminder.....and I still do!

Again, we might not have had any furniture or clothes or cookware....but I was insistent on putting these things out as sweet reminders of our friends.

Likewise, Kyndall found the perfect spot for "Kaysey" until her bed arrived

School would be starting in two days and although we had pretty much everything we needed, I made up any excuse I could think of to visit this place.....

I had always heard the sunsets in Texas were beautiful and I found that to be true right away

On Sunday part of our belongings arrived.  It's a long, dramatic, angry story that I won't go into but basically the majority of our household goods were separated and did not make it on this trip.  Though they were never supposed to be taken off the original truck and transloaded, they most definitely were.  So on this delivery we were given a couple of our beds, some of our clothes and part of our living room furniture.  The rest was still somewhere out there on another truck and we just prayed we would get it all at some point.  We had enough of our things to begin sleeping in the house which was important to me since Kyndall would be starting school the very next day.  I didn't want her first day of Kindergarten to begin in some random hotel room.  I was angry and disappointed at the situation but thankful that we could at least make things as normal as possible so that her first day started out the way I had hoped.  

Up next.....The first day of KINDERGARTEN!!!