Lunch dates with girlfriends was a must.....especially with this girl. We have been best friends since 5th grade. She gets me and all of my craziness/silliness. I love this girl and will miss her so much....and miss the opportunity to watch her kids grow up. Love you!!!
We had been counting down the days until Dad, would come home....and the day finally came. Lexie and I picked him up at the airport, then, went and picked Parker up from Scout Day Camp. They were both so happy to see their Dad. We spent the rest of the afternoon, packing up the last of the boxes.
Later that night one of my closest friends threw us a going away party. It was perfect!!!We have been blessed by some amazing families here in Iowa. We were so glad that they made an effort to come out and say, farewell, to us. It made everything seem so real:) This lady is so special to me. I miss her and her family so much!!!!
The next day we arrived early and loaded up our moving truck. We had lots of help from the men in our ward and Ben's brother and his family, and mom came to help, too. My family was there as well, and mom was wonderful to watch Lexie for us. After a few hours we got it all loaded up. Special thanks, for all those who helped....I think were of the importance of service....
As, if the day was not going to be crazy enough.....We managed to squeeze in Parker's baptism. Parker, turned 8 in May, but since Ben was away....we decided to wait until he came home, plus we wanted to do it in Iowa before we left....so friends and family could attend.
It was a special day. Even with all the craziness of moving.....we managed to have the spirit with us throughout the day....and make this time special for him. He was baptized with another boy in his class.....so that was kind of cool for him. Ben baptized and confirmed him a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. My mom gave one of the prayers, and my sister gave a talk. My dad participated in the confirmation and also bore his testimony. Parker and his friends sang, "Holding Hands Around The World." one of my favorite primary songs. He practiced so hard.....and did an awesome job. Here are some pictures from the day.
Grandma and Grandpa Baldwin
Aunt Raquel
Lexie loves taking pictures with her big brother....this is their new pose for pictures.
After the baptism we had a small reception with snacks....and said our final goodbyes to our friends.
Uncle Bill and family and Grandma P.
We went out for dinner after the baptism to Parker's favorite restaurant....Red Robin. He opened up some gifts from everyone. Aunt Rock and Jeff gave him a tie for church, he got a set of scriptures and a soccer scripture case from Grandma and Grandpa B., a journal from cousin Brooke and family and Ben's brother and mom gave him some snacks and money. We laughed and reminiscence about our time in Iowa and talked about how we can't wait to see each other again. It was really hard to leave these people....especially Brooke...she is "my person!!!"
Well....the next day we didn't get on the road as early and we had hoped....there was a maintenance problem with the truck that needed to be fixed before heading out to Utah....and a few last minute things still needed to be packed.
But once on the road everything was smooth. Lexie and I drove the car out and Ben and Parker drove the truck. I bought a dvd player for the car...so it was "Mr. Peabody and Sherman" for 75% of the trip. We ran into several rainstorms.....some scary at times....but so beautiful. Nothing better than witnessing a thunder storm on the open road....mother nature can be beautiful.
One of our first stops.....I forgot where we were at....we all needed to get out and strretch our legs a little....We finally arrived in Utah Monday night. We stayed with my sister for the night, then drove to our apartment the next day. We were greeted by members of our new ward....with very short notice....to help us carry some of our stuff up 3 flights of stairs. Most of them women and youth, as most of the men were working. The rest of the stuff was put in storage. We have loved it here so far. Everyone is so nice and it is so clean here. I will post pictures of our adventures so far in Utah and pics of the apartment....soon!!!
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