Throwback Thursday: Moving Day

Summer 2008, living room of the Chokeberry House

I can so perfectly remember preparing to move from Bloomington Hills up to Layton.  I was scared out of my mind!  I can't believe I'm actually half-smiling in this picture, I'm pretty sure this was the only time throughout this whole period that I wasn't crying.  If I remember right, when this picture was taken I was packing my bag for the trip to South Dakota.  That night, I was going to sleepover at Jandee's, then the next morning I would get on a plane (by myself, I felt so big!) to go live with the Finau's for a month or so.  Then, they would drive me from South Dakota to my new house in Layton.  It was good to have the trip to break up the move instead of heading straight to the new town.
I remember walking to Jandee's house and a bunch of kids from the ward had just finished nightgames.  I talked to a bunch of them, and then walked towards Jandee's with Kyle Owens and Parker Sheeran.  Parker's circle came before Jandee's and when he turned off and said goodbye I started thinking "Oh my goodness! That kid drove me insane, but I am going to miss him so stinking much!" Then, when we got to Jandee and Kyle's circle, Kyle hugged me goodbye and wished me luck.  I was still holding it together pretty well.  A little while later, Berkley's brother came to pick her up and I hugged her goodbye and watched the Jeep drive off.  I remember feeling all numb and dizzy and scared.  Everyone else was still inside, so I sat on Jandee's swing and just started bawling my eyes out.  Jandee came out and saw me, her face was huge and swollen from her recent jaw surgery.  She could barely talk, but I could understand her anyway.  I can still hear her mumbling voice in my head saying "Oh sweetie!" and hugging me.
The next morning, we went to my house and I said goodbye to my room and everything, and then my mom drove Jandee and Courtney home, where I stood on each of their driveways to say goodbye.  Jandee was hiding her chipmunk face in a hood and hugged me and told me I'd be alright.  Courtney surprised me by getting all choked up--she hardly ever showed emotion.  I think my mom almost cried just watching us.  Emily was at a family reunion and was trying to get back on time to see me.  When she texted me to find out where I was, it broke my heart to tell her I was already in Mesquite on my way to the airport.  We were both upset that we missed our goodbye, but in a way, it was probably a good thing.  The way we both are emotionally, a clean break was probably best.
Looking back on the whole experience makes me so grateful for all that I learned throughout the trial, the friends that I made in Layton, and that, when all was said and done, I ended up back in St. George where I belong with the people I love most!