8 Years Later...

Today as I was trying to figure out the best way to share my journal entries and trip pictures from our big summer excursion to Europe this last summer.  I suddenly remembered this old blog from 8 years ago and thought I would give it a whirl.  We will see if I remember how all this works now!

The Moving Help

These pictures don't even scratch the surface of all the people that helped out while we were trying to move and I know that if I try to name names (like the Kearns, Herrings, Hales, Sangsters, Meldrums, Brumbaughs, Mahina and Michelle Neilson, Joe and Joan Canzonari, Sheila Cummings, Ellen Moorer,) then I will undoubtedly miss some names so I will refrain  :)
The point is that so many people helped.  I guess they were either REALLY excited about us moving away OR we have some incredible friends!

Jo Jo and Baby Rowena - I couldn't have gotten anything done without Jolene coming and holding Rowena for me.  Not to mention that Jolene was the only one that could get Row to take a nap!  Oh how I need you now Jolene!

Chelsea Taylor packing boxes and patiently
 letting Ellie label them.  And Chelsea barely knew me!

Ailene and McKenzie Hale took Ellie and Noah to the Toledo Zoo the day before we left Michigan so Matt and I could try to finalize some things.  The kids came back with balloons, stuffed animals, painted faces, candy, and toys!!  Needless to say they are still going through "Hale" withdrawals!

Tyler Kearns prunning away!

Alex Kearns and his friend - who decided that weeding our
backyard was the way he wanted to spend his BIRTHDAY!

Jerry Kearns - the Weed Master

Logan Kennedy

Jeff Kennedy - Man enough to use the little pink rake!

"You're getting very sleepy . . . You're getting very sleepy"

Alex back for more!

This is how Matt was taking car of Row while he was drilling
in the holes for the door knobs. . .
apparently she liked the vibration :) 

Joe Canzonari - Everyone knew when we were out of town because our yard always looked remarkably better than usual thanks to Joe and Joan. They always showed up and just started mowing or shoveling or raking without ever being asked.  They would see the need and take care of it. Joe was the greatest neighbor anyone could ever ask for.  He was over helping with every situation that we ran into while we lived there and even now he continues to help watch over our house there in Michigan.  There was/is no stopping this man.  He shows up and gets the job done.  His daughter Joan - though not photographed-  is exactly the same way - though she might resent me saying that!  ha ha!  We miss these two people as much as anything else out there is Michigan!

Here's the HE-MAN Crew! Jacob Herring, Boone Sylvester, Matt, Alex Kearns, and Matt Bagley.  These guys had to hoist this piano THROUGH our living room window!

Ellie was testing out the piano in the truck and saying her goodbyes :)

Our Last Saturday of Softball

What did we do the day before we moved across the country when our house still wasn't completely packed and there was still cleaning and organizing to do? . . . Well, it was a Saturday during softball season so we dropped everything to go play softball OF COURSE!  

So many people are missing from this picture, but this is who we had on this particular day . . . (Back Left: Chelsea Hertig, Vicki Gilbert, Emily Brumbaugh, Me, Laura --- , Amy Adcock, Melissa Kennedy, Kyla Sylvester, -- Front Left: Julie Plummer, Mandie-

Matt's games are always a bit more serious :)

Vicki and Jason Gilbert surprised us with a cake at the men's game!  They are so amazing! 

Ellie and Claire Gilbert.  They were best little pals, especially at HighScope -their preschool

Joe and Joan Canzonari

Matt, Joe, Joan, and Me

It was late Saturday night when I had to say goodbye to our dear friends Joe and Joan.  Joe lived across the street from us and Joan came over everyday.  California just doesn't feel like home yet and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I don't have Joe and Joan across the street to help with anything that I might need.  We had some great times with these guys: going out to dinner, sparklers on your front porch for the 4th of Julys, games of Yahtzee, many raking and shoveling days, Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas Eve re-enactments, all of the kids' birthday parties, gum drop candies at every visit, our Thailand slideshow, all the car and bike repairs, and of course our many visits involving the borrowing of some tool :)  We even got you to come to one of Matt's baseball games! Aw man do we miss you guys!!  You are our Michigan Family!

Hopefully Not Our Last Dinner at the Meldrum's

Left to Right: Papa Laws (a.k.a. Duane Laws- he ans his wife Jo Ann were our kids grandparents there in Michigan and they often had our kids over to play and to go to the park, Tyce Larsen - Patty's grandson and Jamie and Kaylene's son, Patty and Dave Meldrum - one of our Saviors in Michigan and our dear, dear friends! Noah and then Matt

Papa Laws! - Our kids still talk about you! 
Thank you for being so wonderful to us!
Noah misses playing catch on your stairs!

Ellie and Owen Larsen getting ready to eat!
Everyone LOVES Patty's cooking!



Kaylene Larson and Rowena

A lovely candid by the BBQ -
 someone has to keep Kaylene and
her turkey burgers in line :) 

Hey Dave, Have you gotten a DVR yet?!
 Who got kicked off onThe Amazing Race?!
-- our running questions with them :)

Who's Up for Boggle?!  One of Patty and I's favorite past time :)

Matt crashed on the floor -- he was obviously VERY comfortable at the Meldrum's :)





The Last Herring/Wagaman Game Night In Michigan

Matt, Liz, John, Jacob, Me . . . and of course Adam (Elder Herring) and Josh were there in Spirit. We had some mean game nights! Dang I miss you guys!!!!

Farewell Medical BBQ at Tolbert's in Michigan

Random picture to start out with but none the less Tawna Tolbert and Heidi Herd are dishing away!

Noah and Ellie (both mine - well atleast they are both considered mine when they are behaving well :) and then Lincoln Tolbert

Here we have Oliver and Ivy Chu (I absolutely LOVE Ivy's smile because she was so slow to warm up to you and then she flashes this smile at the camera:) and there is also Tolbert

Rowena pretty much slept through the entire BBQ - nice natural mohawk going on there

Mandie Chu testing out the waters and apparently Ivy is voting "no" on her mommy having another baby . . .

I got her to atleast look at me though :)

This is a beautiful picture because it captures a sweet moment of Ellie being a devoted sister. All the other kids were playing on the tramp there by the house and I couldn't figure out where our kids were in the mix until I spotted them alone at the swing set. I asked Ellie why they weren't over there she said"oh, well Noah just wanted to swing so I thought I'd push him" like it was no big deal that she was missing all the fun to stay and push her brother on the swing. I am so lucky to have Ellie.

Crack the Egg in the making . . .

Try not to notice Oliver freaking out in the background :) He wasn't so sure about it all

Classic :)

Man have we grown as a group in 5 years! Ellie use to be the ONLY baby in the bunch!

Goodbyes are hard . . . (Yijia and kids)

Matt and Scott Herd

Matt's Intern Graduation

The ceremony was held at this gorgeous garden villa place right off the water in Detroit. We ended up spending most of the ceremony outside in the gardens instead of inside with the rest of them because there was no way we could contain Noah's need to crush the sandstone tiles to throw bits into the fountain and Ellie inner burning to frolic through the garden picking flowers. How these two can be so naturally opposite I will never know! The good news is that we were all inside when it was Matt's group's turn :)This is Matt with a couple of the interns that he worked with and a couple of the coordinators over him.

I love seeing the difference in the kids in this picture. Noah's only thought is 'hmm what else could I throw in here?' and obviously he managed to make it out the door without shoes and we had to dig up his running shoes in the back of the van without any socks. . . Ellie, on the other hand, is the princess girl ever so sweetly posing in the center :) . . .

"um, yeah, I probably did do that"