the notes of our song...

our time in little rock has been like one long song...lots of verses. some happy tunes, some sad tunes but nonetheless, some major tunage!!! all of our friends are the notes of that song. when we found out we were moving, we immediately went into panic mode because we wanted to maximize the amount of time we had to spend with all those amazing, dear friends we have made. so.................let's just say, i don't know how long it will be before i want to eat out again. we have shared so many fun times with all of you - it makes us wonder why we didn't do it more often. it also makes us wonder why we don't tell people more how much they mean to us.

to all the bunko crew...you guys are AWESOME and i will miss you so much. i so looked forward to our time each month. catching up on everyone's craziness and the latest "kiddo news"! man how we shared some laughs!!! i look forward to crashing an evening in the near future!

to the fisers...you are precious. cathy, i will never forget the first time i ever laid eyes on you. i immediately knew i wanted to get to know you...and look where that led us! i will always have a special place in my heart for you...and you know why. our girls will have a really funny story to tell as they grow older...thank goodness, ella doesn't need a nose job!!!!!


to the duncans...our first set of WONDERFUL, NEIGHBORLY neighbors. we will never forget you guys. it is a really special feeling to have friends that have known your children since they were born. unmatched really. we will be waiting for that visit.


to the davidsons...who are we going to stay up all night with? the journey we have endured with each other has woven us together in a remarkable way. it is hard to believe that all of that is behind us...who would have thought WE would be the ones moving. there are too many moments to share but i can assure you that you guys are permanently tattooed on our hearts. i cannot even begin to imagine us not being at noah & saylors birthday parties...i am just going to go ahead and say that "it is just not fair"! we will definitely be there in spirit. you are one in a million.


to the mosleys...words fail me. lori, you were the first person in this town that needed me more than i needed you and what a blessing that has been to me. you were truly an answer to prayer and i will miss you every second of every day. i will never be able to express with words what your friendship means to me...i hope you know. your whole family is the sweetest and i cannot wait to come pick you up at the airport...HA,HA,HA!!!!!


to brooke and stephanie...what am i going to do without you? we have had so much fun together and i will miss you tons! i am going to be so jealous if yall have a placement together and i am not there to share it with you! i have no doubt we will stay in touch! i love you gals!

to the eiseles...we never got to see you guys too often, but we will definitely keep in touch. mere- thanks for your visit the day before we left. small acts of kindness are what carried me through those days. i know i can read the latest "eisele family news" to keep up to date with all of you!

to "mother margaret"...you are such a dear, dear friend to me. no value can be placed on your wisdom and i have learned so much from you. i consider it an honor to have had you as my "arkansas mom" for all these years. your faith is incredible and helps me pave my walk every day...your voice rings in my head on a daily basis. i will miss you but i will NEVER forget you...there is no way i possibly could. we love you.


to nathan & lisa...we had such a wonderful time with you! our only regret is that we won't have more time to get to know you better - i can see us being lasting friends. we are excited that we will get to share lisa's first experience with our nation's capital! nathan, thanks for being such an amazing friend for jeffrey...you are really special to him.


while i know i am not moving to a different planet, or country for that matter, the idea of not being within driving distance for births, birthdays, special occasions, etc. makes me feel a sort of distance inside. i have never known what it feels like to be the one who couldn't make it because the trip would just be too far...

through the eyes of my three year old, this is no big deal and how i wish i could feel exactly what she feels. safe. the innocence of children and their resiliency is astonishing and frankly, i beg for it right now. my two children have no idea what is to come and that is such a gift. i could learn something from them every second if i would let myself. ella asked me the other day if we were moving. i said "yes, we are". she looked at me and said "do they have parks there?". i said "yes, they sure do". she then shrugged her shoulders and said "ok" and that was that. oh, if it was only that easy for her mommy.

i will keep playing the "song" of our last seven years over in my head...it makes for some sweet music. thanks to all the master musicians.


we love all of you.