Last....

By the end of April, the {Lasts} started coming.

Our {Last} BBQ with just the 4th year Mormon dental students. . .

While this group of people didn't necessarily become the closest or best of friends over the past 4 years, we still all bonded in a way that only those "in the same boat" can. And of course, I still consider them all great friends. People I wouldn't hesitate to call in an emergency. People I would hope call us if they happened to be in town, down the road. People I will always want to keep in touch with and look forward to their Christmas cards, birth announcements and good news. Bless Facebook.

Doug at the grill!

Ryan, Riley, Chris, Eric, and Adie.

Melissa, Tasha, Katie, Jacob, Carl

Rachel and Liam

The graduates....

Trav, Pace, Jen, Jacob, Ryan, Chris, Carl, Eric and Doug

Walking to the car after our {Last} ward playgroup.

Wednesday playgroup was always an appreciated {staple} in the week. We'd meet at the park, the church, the McDonalds playplace, the zoo. The kids would play, fight, eat, and cry. The Moms could talk and eat and vent and laugh. If absolutely nothing was going on that week, at least you knew you could go to playgroup. We will miss Henry, Gavin, Kadence, Crew, Parker, Ryden, and all his other favorites. Collin always looked forward to seeing his friends and so did I.

 Our {Last} Sunday at church.

Our last Sunday was so special. I wasn't expecting it to be as memorable as it was. It was Mother's Day, so Trav wrangled Weston all 3 hours so I could enjoy church. At the beginning of Sunday School, I was completely taken aback when Jason started his lesson by acknowledging it was my last Sunday and how much he'll miss my lessons and appreciated everything I did for that class. He was so sincere and said such genuinely kind things. I was in no way expecting it or felt deserving of it. When he started to get a little choked up I was about as bewildered as I was completely humbled. Jason is such a good guy and such an amazing teacher. For him to say those things about me felt like the highest compliment. Then at the end, the Sunday School president stood up to kindly echo his sentiments and ask me if I wouldn't mind bearing my testimony. I don't know how to even describe what I was feeling. I've never felt so appreciated! And humbled. Afterward, several people came up to me to give me a hug and say thank you or wish us well. The sincerity was so apparent and the love was so strong. I just never imagined that people felt that way. Again, I just felt so amazed and loved. I truly never felt adequate in my calling and more often than not, left a lesson feeling like a failure. But I can say that I gave it my all. I read and studied and prepared for my lessons more than any other calling I've ever had. And I guess what this taught me was that it mattered to people. When I didn't think I was doing any good, it seems that it really was appreciated. I hope I can remember this for the rest of my life. Even if you don't get the feedback you want, it's important to remember that any sincere effort you put toward a calling will be magnified by the Lord and will be for someone's good. It was also a good reminder to me to express my gratitude more freely for those that bless my life in their callings. The rest of the block was filled with more kind words, hugs and well wishes. I was really touched when I picked Collin up from nursery and one of his leaders, April, realized it was his last Sunday. She has been with him off and on since he was 18 months in nursery. She took one of the little blankets that they love to use as capes when they play super hero and said it was only right that he take it with him. And she teared up as she gave him a last hug. She was actually sad to see him go!! I know he's a handful, so it was really sweet to see that he was loved there. By that point, I was so overwhelmed with gratitude! I don't think I even realized until this day how much I loved our ward. The Buffalo ward is a special, wonderful ward. And was a needed blessing in our lives. From Deborah and Arnie to Erika and Sis. Michaels. From Bishop Kay and Ziggy to Ed and Claudia. There is the widest spectrum of wonderful faces that embody who the Buffalo ward is. You don't find a ward like this just anywhere.

Our {Last} Sunday dessert night with the Shaws.

With no Grandma's house to escape to, it was more common than not to find us sharing some manner of sugary concoction with the Shaws or other friends on Sunday evenings. So even though we were both busy with last minute packing, it wouldn't have felt right to not get together for one last pizzookie. Collin and Gavin had the best time just racing around the tent then dive bombing on top of each other inside.

Kan Jam was a must.  I think the boys were taunting them by sticking their faces right in the slot.

Kan Jam is good for more than just frisbee!

Our {Last} BBQ with friends.

The night before we moved, the McFee's threw a farewell BBQ for us and the Shaws. It was so sweet of them. We had both been packing our moving trucks all day and it was so nice to go over and relax and eat dinner with our friends. The amazing thing to me about this picture, is that it doesn't even show 1/2 of all the great people we came to call friends in Buffalo.

After last year's class graduated, {Buffalo} felt very different for us. So many close friends had left and so much of what made up Buffalo to us was gone. But what was so lucky was that about 6 other great families also moved in to start their first year at dental school. (This doesn't include a slew of other couples that moved in for school or other reasons.) So while the dynamics changed quite a bit, they changed in a good way and we quickly came to love some really great people. 

Back row: Jen English, Liz and Josh McFee, Kate and Doug Messick, Thayne Gardner, Sean Stephenson, Rachel and Wayne Dobbins, Mallory and Craig Nikolaus, Kwynne and Dane Hendry, Scott House,

Front row: Laney Haws, Ryan and Denyse Carter, us, and the Shaws.

These two hooligans were discovered violating someone's unguarded cup with dips from their suckers! Germs all around!

{Last Girls Night}

Later that same night, it was time for one last girls night watching the Bachelorette. The premier of Emily! :) I will miss Monday nights with the girls, stuffing our faces and exclaiming over the latest and lamest characters on the most gossip inducing show on television.  These girls are hysterical and so much fun to be with. 


I didn't take a picture of our last book club, but that's another night I will miss terribly! We'd chat about the book for 1/2 hour, then laugh and eat for another 3 hours. Always accompanied by a hard morning the next day. But well worth it. Just looking at this pic makes me sad! I already miss my girls.