Goodbye New York

Well, here is our little shipping container, loaded and ready to go. It wasn't that little and we really only filled half of it and we took a lot of stuff! We packed each box to avoid additional costs. We worked hard to get the boxes and inventory finished in time for the packers to load in the morning. They came and sat all. day. long. For some reason the guy bringing the container was lost, or missing or something and he didn't show up at the door until 3 in the afternoon. So after sitting all day in our driveway, the movers worked for a half hour and were done. That quick! Next time I will pay the extra money to have them pack everything, because it was so stressful getting it all in with a deadline. But we did get it done with the help of many friends and neighbors. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it also takes a village to help the Larsen's move without losing their minds!

The babies and I headed out that night on a plane to Utah to visit family for the holidays and the older boys drove across country (again!) with Patrick. It was a fun time is what they said. And by the looks of the pictures Ronin took, I believe it.
We are really going to miss our home. New York is where we had a lot of firsts. First babies (and second, third and fourth!), first homes, first drunk stranger in our living room ; ) First real adult responsibilities and jobs! First days of school and first school bus rides (with tears shed by mom). First real church callings. First real testimonies. We have grown so much and learned so much from the people and the atmosphere. Each place we have lived (2 apts. and one house) have brought us friends and neighbors whom will never be forgotten.

The last month of cleaning and packing has been so bitter-sweet. So many wonderful memories and special moments not to be had again. But also the beginning of a new adventure for each of us that will prove to be special in its own way. How grateful I am for the experiences each of us have had.We hope to live in New York again someday. It is our home. Each of the kids has been born there which makes them official New Yorkers! That means it will always call to them in some way. I believe it was meant to be apart of our history and I'm glad that we had the impression to take our life adventure there 8 years ago. So we will indeed be back there again. But until then, we will seek different experiences over the seas and hopefully we will all be better for it. I am sure in another 8 years we will be glad we left our safety net in New York for different adventures. And here's to what lies ahead for the Larsen clan: Adventure. Experience. Growth.