The Next Chapter

Well, I am officially no longer a resident of the state of Tennessee.

Last week was a long, and very tiring wek, but it also was kind of a sweet and sad week. When we moved to Tennessee last August, we knew it would be a very temporary situation, and we both were prepared for it. However I was not prepared for some of the connections that I (and my children) made, and leaving the state was alot harder than I anticipated.

Monday and Tuesday our movers came. The kids and I were gone the majority of both days; we headed to the gym a few times each day, just to keep the kids out of the way. Each time I came home, more and more of my belongings were packed up. By Tuesday afternoon, our house was virtually empty. All that was left was a blow-up mattress, a crib, some sleeping bags, a TV and a few camping chairs. We ended up buying a used table and chairs for $10, just so we had a place to eat and use the laptop. All of our food had to stay, so we didn't have a hard time finding something to eat, and to our suprise, we only had to eat out twice.

About a month ago, I began telling my classes that I was leaving, and when the week came, they were all prepared to say good-bye, but I don't think I was. This was the third gym that I have worked at, and I have worked in two different situations at these gyms. The first was that I had gone into these gyms, and just taken over someone elses classes. The second was that I started the class or the program. That is what happened at this gym. I started these classes, and so the members in it felt like they were "mine", or at least that they came, in part, because I was teaching. It was really hard to leave those classes. I got a lot of cards and hugs, and even a few gifts, and many of them have already found me online.

Then Annie had to say good-bye to Penelope. This was pretty hard for both of them, and for both of us moms. We know they probably won't see each other again, but they were each others first best friends, and how do you leave that?

I then left my primary class, which has been a source of struggle for me from the get-go. I taught the sunbeams, I never had a consistent helper, and I had one of wildest classes they had seen. By the time we left, my class had become one of the most well-behaved in the primary, with the exception of a few kids. They all gave me kisses before I left, and then of course, I felt guilty for even being upset that I was put into that calling.

And now I am in Utah for a while. I will head back to Tennessee for Pete's graduation, but then I probably won't go back again. I enjoyed my time there, and honestly, I wouldn't have minded if we had stayed there for a while.

Before I go, I thought I would make a list of what I will miss and what I won't miss about being there.

What I will miss:

Our first house as a family

My neighbors, Brandy, Josh and Penelope

Amber, Lance and Brooklyn

My job

The Sister Missionaries

Having two closets

Living right next to the school

The beautiful green trees and grass

The storms

What I won't miss:

My kitchen

An entire house of hardwood floors

The humidity

Having no sidewalks

The huge bugs