Going Away Party

A few weeks ago our friends threw us a great going away party. Above is the invitation that our good friend, Dana, created for it. You can check out more of her designs on her blog. The party was at the Matthews' house--a great location with a pool and lots of space for kids and families. Plus, they are great cooks--so the food was yummy!
It was a hot night, so most of us spent a lot of time in the pool! Rowan loves to swim. The night was perfect for both adults and kids.


Our friends presented us with some very funny and thoughtful gifts. A campground guide, some RV lights, a few new books for Rowan for the trip, some candy for me, a few gallons of vegetable oil, and some funny bumper sticker ideas ("Vegetables tremble at the sound of my name." "Decathletes do it 10 times in 2 days" and then on second thought "Decathletes do it 3 times a year.") This is our good friend Jason Wilkie in the picture, presenting us with the gifts. He said really nice things about us and made everyone laugh, too.


The above picture is of 2 sisters (Tasia and Saraya) who I have known since they were in the 1st and 3rd grade--they were in the after-school program that I ran when we first moved to Jonesboro. We have stayed close over the years--the girls spend a lot of nights at our house on weekends and during the summer. I will really miss these guys!


Rowan got to play her favorite game--Ring Around the Rosie--with all her friends. The party was a great way to see a lot of friends, say good-bye, and really appreciate all the connections we've made while in Jonesboro. In some ways, it felt like our wedding, because all these parts of our life came together--work, Bell athletics, church friends, neighbors--and even though we knew everyone, not everyone else knew each other. The crazy thing is, none of these people who are so dear to us now were actually AT our wedding 8 years ago! We have certainly been blessed with a group of people who feel like family to us here in Arkansas. We know we will always have a place to stay when we come back to visit! Thanks, guys, for a great night.