Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye to all our friends before we moved was so hard! So we stretched it out big time and did a lot of "lasts."

That weekend before graduation, we had the last party at our house. We had so many parties, bbqs, dinners, etc. at our house over the years, and it really was hard to have the very last one. After everyone left, I have to admit that I cried knowing it was the last big shin-dig there with those friends. I'm trying to remember who all was there, but I think the list included the Allen's, Royce's, Gustafson's, Elison's, Burnett's, Teeple's, Haws', and the Rehl's. It was a really full house with lots of kids running around, and the adults trying to find a place to sit (James had decided to dismantle the dining room earlier that week in preparation for the move, so our options were limited.) I actually don't have any pictures from this, but wanted to document that it actually occurred. So if any of you reading this has pictures from this night, send them my way please!

On Tuesday, we all got babysitters and went out to dinner, with just our friends. I don't think we had ever laughed so hard before. I know that a lot of it was frayed nerves since most of us were moving the following week, but it really was a fun fun night. We went to Cap City Diner, which is located down by OSU. As we left, I think all the girls were either in tears, or just about to cry. It was so hard knowing this was the last time we'd all be together like that for some time. We are so grateful for all the friends that we made in Ohio!

Included in the picture above are Paul and Kandice Allen, James and me, Sarah and Dan Walton, Jamie and Mark Elison, Trevor and Kristi Burnett, Heather and Brandon Teeples, and Dave and Laurie Gustafson.

As hard as it was for me saying goodbye to my friends, I think it was even harder watching Tyler say goodbye to his friends. He was so lucky to have so many little boys in our ward that he loved to play with. I didn't manage to capture a picture of each goodbye, but here are a few:

Tyler and Ben Haws

I'll admit tears come to my eyes every time I see this picture. This was the first time I think Tyler understood he was really saying goodbye to his friends here and that we weren't coming back. After Ben left, he sat on my lap and cried for a long time because he finally got it.

Nathan Elison and Tyler on our last walk to their house. By this point in the week, I think Tyler was a little tired of saying goodbye and decided to pick a fight with Nathan over the bikes instead. Good thing we know that these two really loved each other since this picture does not show it!

Isaac Teeples, Sam Gustafson and Tyler on one of their last trips to feed the geese. We loved coming to this little pond with our friends and spent a lot of hours watching these boys play together. One of the things we miss the most from Ohio is the date-night swap that we did with these two families each weekend. The kids would all play at one house, while the other two sets of parents got to go out on a date. It was great for all involved!

5561 Seapine Road

We were so lucky, given the economic circumstances this summer, to sell our house pretty quickly. We didn't sell it for nearly the amount that we thought we would be able to, but were able to get out about what we had paid for it 4 years earlier. We closed on the house on June 17th, and rented back from the owners for a few weeks until we moved. This should have worked out great for all, but there was one big hiccup.

The buyers had an inspection done, and had done a walk-through of the house the day before the closing. We fixed a few things for them (nothing major) and thought all was fine. The closing went through without any problems. However, on June 21st the air conditioner went out and was deemed irreparable. We were very grateful we no longer owned this house! We spent a good chunk of the next week dealing with the new owners, the insurance company, air conditioning company, etc. It was a huge pain and it was so miserably hot! The insurance company refused to fix it, so we decided to live with it. The worst part of it all was that James' family was coming into town and stayed with us, so we felt bad that their accommodations were not more comfortable. And really, when I say hot, I mean hot. It was 90+ every day and very humid.

Since this blog serves as our family's scrapbook, I wanted to include some pictures of our house. We have so many good memories of this home and the time we spent in Columbus, Ohio.

Graduation

On June 27th, one day after his 32nd birthday, James finally finished his residency! It was such a great day; one filled with family, friends, and a lot of heat (more about that in the next post)! James had such a great residency program and great faculty members, who taught him so much. It also helps that he is such a hard worker and demands exactness of himself.

That evening, we celebrated his accomplishments by going to the annual dinner for the Morgan L. Allison Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, where they presented James with his certificate of completion. I can't begin to say how proud I was of James, and I don't think I was the only one. James' parents, Craig and Kathy, his brother, Aaron, and his sister, Amy, and her husband, Aaron, and daughter, Emma, all came to Ohio from across the country to support him. My parents wished they could be there, but living in Japan does create some challenges, one of which is not always being able to be where you want to be.

Each of the graduates were given an opportunity to say something during the presentation, and James' speech was remarkable - he was so poised, well-spoken and full of gratitude to those who helped him learn so much. I can't believe I am married to this man!

James, and each of his fellow graduating residents wrote a final "farewell" for the newsletter that was published. This is what James wrote (unedited, I promise):

"The last four years have been filled with challenging and rewarding experiences. My wife, Lisa, has always been supportive and never complained of my long hours away from home. I would not have made it through residency if not for her encouragement and love. She is a wonderful wife and mom. I'm grateful for a loving family that taught me to set goals then help me obtain them. Thanks to the faculty members who insisted on exactness and pushed me beyond what I thought was capable of doing. I'm thankful for staff members who made coming to work every day enjoyable. I'm especially grateful to have served with tremendous residents who were always willing to work hard and be great friends."

Congratulations, James! Here's to finally becoming a grown-up and getting your first "big-boy job!" I love you!

Here are a few more pictures from the evening:

James receiving his certificate of completion from Dr. Eric Evans (program director)

James' parents, Craig and Kathy, and us

The Elisons and us. What would we have done for the last 4 years without these great friends???
Courtney Jatana, James, and Kelly Podlosky (James had some very cute co-residents!)

James and Mark

The Movie Monster

Every morning when Tyler wakes up, the very first thing he asks me is when he can watch a movie. He loves them. He lives for the chance to watch them and movies are the main topic of conversation throughout the day. The last few weeks he has taken this obsession to the next level. He has insisted on carrying around about 20 DVD cases wherever he goes. If he is playing in his room, there is a huge pile of DVDs on his bed. If he is watching a movie, they are piled up on the couch next to him. I have been finding this stack of DVDs everywhere!

So tonight, after asking him to put them all away for the umpteenth time, I decided to do something about it. I told him that in California, there was a Movie Monster that liked to come into little kids' houses at night to gobble up any DVDs that had been left out. I told him the Movie Monster can smell DVDs that are not in their proper place and that's how he knows where to go. Needless to say, the DVDs all got put away tonight.

I felt pretty triumphant until about 10 minutes ago. Tyler has been up in bed for about 30 minutes messing around. Usually he falls asleep pretty quickly. He came downstairs to find me. The poor kid needed a lot of reassurance that the Movie Monster wasn't going to come into our house tonight and that all would be safe. I'm not sure if it was an excuse to get out of bed or if he was really scared. I'm feeling a bit guilty, but in the long run, if it keeps the DVDs in their proper spot, maybe it was worth the bad parenting moment!

Fathers and Sons Campout

I never thought it would happen, but in May, James took Tyler on our ward's Fathers and Sons Campout. They even slept in a tent -- overnight! Neither James nor I, are big camping fans, so you can imagine how surprised I was when James decided he wanted to go. It helped that many of his and Tyler's friends were going to be there and also that some other friends lent us camping gear.

Tyler loved going camping with his dad, and was extremely well behaved, according to the reports I received. They had dinner on the way up, but roasted marshmallows and made smores with the Elison's. Around 9 pm, Tyler told James he was tired and walked to the tent and went to sleep, all on his own. They had breakfast in the morning, packed up and headed home.

The next afternoon, I found Tyler like this on the staircase. He was too tired to make it up the stairs to his bed (or the bathroom) before he fell asleep. Overall, I'd say that his first campout was a complete success!

Family Pictures

My amazing, talented friend, Kara Hagberg, took some pictures of our family last week. By the end, the boys (especially Ryan) were wiggly, goofy, and not super cooperative, but Kara still managed to get some great shots. Thanks, Kara! By the way, Kara is moving to SLC for the summer and then will be moving to Boise in the fall. She really is fabulous!

Ty's Kung Fu Panda Birthday Party

We had such a fun birthday party for Tyler this year. He wanted a Kung Fu Panda birthday party, and boy did he get one! We had 8 3-5 year olds at our house, and it was very busy, but very fun. He invited Isaac Teeples, Sam Gustafson, Garrett Kimball, Zach Gailey (who's sweet mom, Kristi, drove him all the way up here from Cincinnati!), Nathan Elison, Ben Haws, and Cohen Burnett.

First up was a Kung Fu Panda coloring contest (really, just something to keep them busy while we were waiting for everyone to arrive.)

James set up an obstacle course down in the basement, using things like 2 x 4s and food storage cans to make a balance beam, plastic deck chairs that they had to climb under, our kid-size picnic table they had to climb over, and various other items found throughout the house. Thanks, James! The kids loved it.

The best game we played was a contest to see who could keep their balloon up in the air without letting it hit the ground. They had to use some foam swords that I had picked up as a party favor (I'm sure all the parents loved me for sending swords home) to hit the balloon. They had a blast with this game and were even pretty good about not fighting each other too much. We played some other games, Master Shifu Says (Simon Says), Duck Duck Kung Fu Panda (Duck Duck Goose), and practiced some sweet kung fu moves while listening to the Kung Fu Panda soundtrack.

Next up was pizza and a Kung Fu Panda birthday cake. If I ever get around to it, I'll figure out how to upload the video from our video camera of the boys singing happy birthday.

Then it was present time - can you say CHAOS!!! By the end of it, I really wasn't sure which present came from which kid. But Tyler loved them all!


By the end, the kids were so tired, that I popped in a movie (what else - Kung Fu Panda) for the boys to watch while waiting for their parents to come get them. I thought it was so cute that as the boys raided their goody bags, they all put on the Kung Fu Panda masks that were in them, without prompting, in order to watch the movie.


Tyler and his friends had so much fun, and I'm so glad we got to have all those cute boys, who we love so much, over to help celebrate. Tyler has been so lucky to have so many great friends here in Ohio, and I know he is going to be very sad when he realizes that we are not going to be living by them.