Last Night

We planned on clearing out our house on our last Wednesday and then spending our last evening in Germany with our friends, the Domingues Family.  Then I came home from shopping on Tuesday afternoon and Jared told me he had had enough and we were finishing the house that afternoon and staying an extra night with the Dominguezes.  I was fine more than fine with this and started packing our bags.

So I stressed and stressed about getting everything in our bags. In the end Jared just threw stuff in and we rearranged them the next afternoon.  Then is packed the kids in the house and went to Sara's house while they turned the house over to the landlord.  It was a rather anti-climatic end to our life in that house. So many wonderful memories through the years. Jared had lived for 20 years. That just blows my mind.

Anyway, Jared had a final night out with friends and I got the kids bathed at Sara's then took Hyrum and Katie over to the Dominguez with me. Anne and Alicia spent that night at Sara's house.  I got the kids tucked in (Katie had a hard time settling in and kept getting up) then I read until I fell asleep.  Jared came in later that night.

The next day we did out last minute things, while the Dominguez prepared a bbq for us.  They were so good to us. Daniel's mom had taken that week off work to be with us and they prepared all this while we were working on other things.  I just couldn't believe it.  We have such wonderful friends.

The little pool they set up was a wonderful relief from the heat.

I had some laundry hanging out desperately trying to get it dried in time to be packed.

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It was wonderful to spend our final night with the Dominguez and the Schulzes. They have been such good friends to us.

Jared and Ray checked our luggage in at the airport that night, so the following morning would be that much easier.  Anne and Alicia decided to stay with us that night. I think it was all too much for them and they needed the security of being with Mommy and Daddy.
Finally the big day came, I thought it never would come.  I still have a hard time believing it happened.

This is how we transported Hyrum through most of the airports.

At our gate airberlin had this little airplane playset for the kids.  Great to get that extra energy out.

We had quite the farewell group at the airport.  The Dominguez, Schulz, the Schwarz family and Mattias Lange all came. 

I have only had 2 breakdowns with this move. Once in a church meeting and then here saying good-bye to my Sara.  She and I relied heavily on each other, being so far from our families.  She is the best friend in the world.

Our layover was in Düsseldorf.  We had a struggle getting through customs. They gave us a hard time that the kids had US passports, but no stamp from the US.  Well, it is hard to have one when they haven't been in the US yet.  Hyrum was screaming and it was stressful. Finally we got through and had some food before going to our gate to wait.
Airberlin is converting their planes so that each seat has its own tv. I literally was praying that we would get one that had already been changed, but it was not to be.

The kids got the most sleep the last 2 hours of the 11 hour flight.  Sidenote: Dramamine doesn't work on Katie.

The kids were really good considering everything, but I was stressed out and am not prepared to fly with my kids again for several years.
We landed in Vegas and quickly made it through customs, no trouble there.  Then we had to wait for our baggage for 10 minutes while the baggage claim belt wouldn't move.  Torture!  My parents drove down to Vegas in a rented 15 passenger van to get us.

These ladies (ingnore the one with the very confused look) were there to great all the arrivals as we exited the airport.  That's when you are sure you are in Vegas. Anne was fascinated by them. I am not sure she noticed the immodesty, she jsut like the sparkles adn feathers.

We immediately noticed the lack of humidity and it was heaven.  We traveled up to Syracuse, stopping on the way in St. George to see Gma Dautel,  and got there at about midnight.  I stayed up with kids, because we had slept in the car.  Finally they went to bed and we stared life in Utah.  It wasn't hard to get over jet-lag.