Saying Goodbye

 All weekend I've been alternating between nostalgia for our time at Fort Hood and a "get me out of here now!" attitude.

Mostly I've been saying goodbye to our wonderful home.  I still remember how great it was to see this house for the first time.  Our move to Texas was awful - like if even half of the things that happened on that trip had happened it still would have been one of the most stressful events ever.  I was really starting to wonder if this whole Army thing had been a bad idea.  But then we got our house and everything was worth it.

This house has been the largest and nicest house I've ever lived in.  I've loved just about everything about it - the open plan layout, the location next to a forest of cedar trees, the back yard where my children could play.  It's all been wonderful.

And there are so many memories in this house.  The big one of course is Veronica's birth, but there are smaller ones too.  Like Derrick learning to walk, and Charlotte and Lydia learning to speak in sentences.  All the times we've said goodbye to Brandon and all the times we welcomed him home.

But even though I've loved this house I was excited to leave it.  Brandon is at Fort Rucker and that is where our future is.  I've been anxious to get going.  

This move has been really drawn out.  The packers came on Friday, but the moving truck didn't come until Monday.  And we didn't have our final inspection until Tuesday. If I was doing it over again I wouldn't do it this way.  I would have the packers come one day and the truck the next. And then I'd just have the inspection after the truck left.  But you live and learn right?

The hardest thing was keeping the kids entertained in a house full of boxes.  Luckily Turtle Festival was this weekend.  Last year we had a lot of fun at this event put on in Belton and I was glad that we would still be in the area for it this year.

We went there on Saturday.  The girls loved the petting zoo,

 And the train ride.

 Derrick was in a bad mood so he didn't want to go for a ride.

 After enjoying all the planned activities we went down to the water so Derrick could have some fun.  Charlotte and Lydia jumped right into the water and tried to catch minnows.

 On Sunday we went to church for the last time.  Then we went over to Ashley's house for dinner.  We said goodbye - but we are hopeful that Brandon will be stationed in Arizona in two years so we can hang out again.

On Monday I took the kids to be babysat by my neighbor Arika for the last time.  The moving team showed up with a semi truck to pack all of our stuff.  It took them 5 hours to get it all loaded.  During that time I had several friends from my ward stop by to help clean my house.

 It was crazy to see my house get emptied.

Derrick actually fell asleep at Arika's and slept almost the whole afternoon.  I picked the girls up at noon, but I didn't get Derrick until 4:00.  About 15 minutes after he came home he started trying to throw dirt into the house.  That meant it was time to go to dinner at McDonalds,  We are going to miss this McDonalds.

 After McDonalds we went to my friend Brookelynn's house for Family Home Evening.  Then we came back home and the kids had fun playing in our nearly empty home until bedtime.

I woke up at 4:00 to finish getting the house ready.  (I had to clean out the fridge and clean my bathroom among other things.)

Veronica woke up and I took a picture of here in the spot where she was born.

 After all the kids were awake I took a picture of them in the empty living room. This reminds me of when we first saw the house.  Back then I didn't even know I was pregnant with Veronica.

 And here are my big 4 year old girls.  They were just two years old when we moved here,

I took the kids to my friend Jessica's house and then I came back home and played tetris to get everything to fit in the Honda.  

At 10:00 the inspector showed up.  I ended up having to pay for things such as ink on the walls and doors, but I didn't have to pay the full amount.  Still. I think next time I wont even bother cleaning and just pay the money.

And then suddenly I was turning in the house and garage keys and it wasn't my house anymore.    

I think the saddest thing about this move is that we may never see this house again.  Who knows if we'll ever have a reason to travel near Fort Hood again. I'm glad I've taken so many pictures.

But I've always known that we would leave this house.  It's nice to finally do that.

We drove down to my sister's house in Houston this afternoon.  We'll stay here a few days until my mother in law flies in.  And then we'll start driving toward Alabama where Brandon - and our new home - wait for us!