With the move literally at the end of the week I remembered that Levi and Hazel’s birthdays were right after we moved, and we would have no friends to celebrate with. So we decided to shove a combined birthday party in the mix of our last week.

Now to be followed with a bunch of photos from our last week that were just happy…

This week President Nelson met with the NAACP during this on on going and heightened discussion on racism in America and Black Lives Matter. And he put to words so many of the things I have been feeling. I devoured the entire article but one of my favorite parts especially rang true in my mother heart, “Prejudice, hate and discrimination are learned. Thus, we call on parents, family members, and teachers to be the first line of defense. Teaching children to love all, and find the good in others, is more crucial than ever. Oneness is not sameness in America. We must all learn to value the differences.”

That’s the goal.

On other news, have I mention I really have the greatest friends! That is one silver lining of moving is everyone is so willing and eager to help. Mom came and packed up my kitchen on Monday (she is the packing Tetris master) so I just sent a few text asking if friends could bring us dinner the rest of the week. And within 10 minutes I had 5 response totally pumped to bring us dinner or have us over. Pizza party with the Lemeirs, enchiladas with the Wards, the best broccoli and rice ever from Robin Dalton, Levi ate his weight in watermelon on Friday when the Park’s fed us and brought birthday presents for my June babies, and we finished the week off with a cousin dinner party at Jo’s where she made the Christmas sausage biscuit casserole.

Wednesday night Marc has a going away brothers night with Jake and Tyler so Maddi happily came to keep me company and she wiped down my freaky tall walls while I scrubbed the baseboards. Maddi continues to be my darling friend who shows up for all my life events for the good, bad, ugly, tears, and quality 90’s hit playlist.

Thursday Marc got to have birthday lunch with Devon at Joe’s BBQ. It seemed fitting to get the best Arizona barbecue before we head off to the land that puts the Q (quality) in BBQ. Natalie regretfully had work early the next morning, but Claire and Shelly came over and scrubbed my blinds and all the bottom cupboards in my kitchen. I was getting to the point of being almost all packed but just really PAINFULL. (Why do we even have SO much stuff?? I was questioning throwing everything else away. Or maybe burning it, that seemed to be more satisfying. There were also some tears… and a small anxiety attack) So I was super grateful to have the help, but almost more grateful to just have friends there to keep my worry at bay and to commiserate in my moving moaning and boxing up bereaving.

Friday Lori had and an hour to spare and wiped down all of my top kitchen cupboards and bathroom cupboards. She is golden.

There is something humbling about putting all your earthly possessions on a truck. And we had a small army of people who showed up. You could feel the love of our neighbor friends who have become our family over the last seven years we have lived in the neighborhood.

We got to hug it out with our Dentino buddies. Karli scrubbed my stove into a gloriously clean submission and Tucker’s brute strength was most helpful. We will miss them.

And just like that our time on Grandview Circle was over.