The weekend

It's weird to finally be surrounded with PACKED moving boxes after talking about it for months and months. I knew Sunday would be emotional for me because I'm already 200% more emotional than I usually am. I was able to get through most of sacrament meeting before needing to sneak out early and lay down. I made arrangements to drop into the 2nd hour of Primary for the last 5 minutes to say goodbye. I hadn't seen most of the kids for months and there was never any closure for me with getting released. It just went from getting substitutes for a couple months to being replaced. I wanted to say goodbye and share my testimony with them one last time.

As soon as I got up in front of their beautiful faces, I lost it. I struggled finding the words that I was looking for to thank them for sharing their valiant testimonies with me each week through music. Primary Chorister is one of the best callings in the church. I'm sure of it. It's a ton of work but nothing has impacted me on such a regular basis as this calling. When I was set apart I was told to look for opportunities to stop the music and testify of what we were singing about. To point out when they felt the Spirit and I took that counsel to heart. We shared some really special moments together and I could feel the power of the Army of Helaman as I watched these young people sing. I was looking out over future missionaries, Bishops, wives and Mothers of future generations.What a blessing. I hope Primary leaders realize the impact they are having on the future.

After my testimony, they sang "Soy un hijo de Dios" to me {I am a Child of God in Spanish}. Just as I was getting my emotions in check, they sang THAT. Last year for the program we did a song in Spanish and they all went nuts over it so this year I wanted to teach them another one. They caught on so quickly and I was having flashbacks to my mission as they sang to me with the biggest smiles. I'm crying just thinking about it. I'll miss my Primary kids.

After church Danny made a cake for my Gpa Egan who celebrated 85 years on this earth on May 15th. My mom is still in the hospital after major surgery and my Dad is in Alaska on a cruise so I wanted to do something special for him. Everybody deserves to blow out candles on their very own birthday cake. We threw together a family gathering and had a good turnout. We had a delicious dinner with the Whites and zipped over to Riverton via the Mountain View Corridor {which I love}. We put up a banner, some balloons and streamers and the place looked legit in no time. I love how even Danny's "worst" work is better than my best attempt at a cake. He tried out a new frosting that was light and fluffy and based on the reviews, it's a winner.

I'm not even going to comment on how huge I am. See how I'm not going to do it? It's my reality right now so there you have it :)

A quick note about yesterday:

I had four friends come over {well technically Mary joined us later but the work was already done ;)} and we attacked the kitchen. In 90 minutes we got the ENTIRE kitchen and pantry packed. Not just shoved in boxes but dishes were wrapped, protected and put into boxes and labeled. I could have cried {and I'm surprised I didn't}. Having a good support system is essential in being sane. It meant so much to me that they would cheerfully come over and let the littles ones run amuck while we chatted and packed. Then to top it off, Cassandra bought everyone Chick-Fil-A. Win-win. The kitchen is the worst room to pack because you can't just toss things into boxes haphazardly. I'm so glad to have it done. The rest of this week might be interesting but thankfully we still have people bringing us meals until we move so we still get some home cooked goodness. Val, they set the bar pretty high...I hope you're ready tomorrow ;)

I wanted to record my thoughts about the help we have gotten from this ward. It has been so humbling, there really aren't words. One of my visiting teachers has been bringing us dinner every Monday night for TWO MONTHS. She seriously insisted. When word spread that we were moving and that I've had complications surrounding the pregnancy, we've had meals coming in three times a week. I have NEVER been in a ward that has rushed to someone's needs like this one. We have people helping us move and then women coming over to help us clean after the moving truck is loaded!! What?! I've had people drop off a freshly made loaf of bread, a plate of cookies, fresh flowers, people sending messages of love and encouragement and offers to let Cole go play at their house while we pack. It's so overwhelming to see the mission of the Relief Society in full force. Everyone has been so generous and kind. I am determined to pay it forward when we can. One thing that I have been acutely aware of the past few months {especially since being released from my callings}is that service really is what brings you joy. Without a calling and a purpose, I have felt less happy. I have had to look for small opportunities to do something kind for someone else to get my mind off of MYSELF. It's easy to get wrapped up in all of my problems but I've noticed that once my responsibilities over nurturing someone else were taken away, I felt empty and pouty. I believe that there are ways that EVERYONE can serve someone else. Even if it's sending a note or trying to brighten someone's day. I have tried to look for ways to help out the people around me in a way that I am able. It has made all the difference. It's almost selfish because I feel so much better now! It's true that when you serve others, God will bless us because we are also serving Him. It's like we can't lose. I'm almost nervous about going to a new ward because how can any ward be as awesome as this one?? I don't know but the Prairie 10th ward has been good to us for the last two years.