Actually leaving and arriving...

So leaving Fort Worth was really much harder than I thought it would be. I was doing pretty good with the packing and emptying of our home. Mom came over early on Thursday to help and she was a life saver!
The packers and movers really did an amazing job! We have opened everything and the only thing broken was one crate and barrel wine glass and a mirror from ikea was cracked. Considering they packed everything in our home from our tv's to our clothes to our dishes, we were impressed! We decided they did it much faster too! Not like myself, who would have stopped, flipped through the books, looked through the pictures, etc.

We had some sweet friends stop by ;-) Oh and you can tell how little we actually have. Our stuff didn't even fill up past the M in Mayflower on the side of the truck!

We miss our house ~ but are really working on making our apartment home.


Mom made a chocolate pie ~ it was delicious!!

Since Dave left on Friday, he and Brett celebrated Valentine's Day on the road. Not really sure it is how Claire and I saw V-Day going down this year, but I was really excited for the Buchanan boys to have a roadtrip! So the best I could do was make them a goodie basket ~ which is harder to do than I thought. Brett is not into junk food ~ Dave is. Then, I didn't want to waste money, but was Aleve really exciting to get? Maybe they would need it? I finally accumulated all the 'goodies' and went to put them in the basket, only to find the basket had been packed! They pack everything! We had very few boxes lying around - but this sufficed.

Then, when Dave and Brett loaded up his truck to really move, it wasn't so easy anymore. I knew I would see Dave again, I knew I still had time with my friends and family, but to hug Brett goodbye was so sad. Thankfully, I had another day filled with my mom, sister and friends.

We woke up Saturday, cleaned the house one final time and headed to Neimans for lunch ~ my favorite! We had a champagne lunch and I LOVED it! But like the day before, leaving these girls afterwards was tough! They know me inside and out and I am praying for friends like them up here!

So then, Mom, Marianne and I did some last minute shopping: boots, check, gloves, check, cashmere sweaters on sale at Dillards for $29, check, check and check!

We arrived home and my sweet stepdad asked me what I wanted for my last dinner in Fort Worth. I was having such a hard time deciding between Piranhas and Taverna - so what did he do? He got both! It was delicious and SO fun! We laughed and relaxed. It was such a special night with family.

Thankfully, I woke up late and the race was on to the airport. I think I literally pulled up 44 minutes before the flight and I pretty sure you have to be there 40 minutes before to check your luggage and board. Can you imagine if I missed my flight to move?! Dave would never let me hear the end of it. This was by far the hardest goodbye...to my mom and my sister.

They both helped me more than I could possibly explain these last few weeks. I have a new found respect for people balling their eyes out in the airport while waiting at the gate - I mean, who knows where they are going, who they are leaving, etc. I couldn't manage to lock it up ~ it was really ridiculous. I managed to get to my window seat and just stare out the window for fear the woman sitting next to me would see how crazy I really was. Then, I heard it - Honey, do you need a kleenex? Did I ever! I was barely able to get out that I had just left my mom to move to Pittsburgh.

She was seriously an angel! Her husband was a pastor and she just gave me kleenexes, talked to me about all about Pittsburgh and marriage (hers early on), her children, showed me pictures of her daughter trying on wedding dresses...things I thought were so personal, she just opened up about. She gave me a list of churches to try. We shared a glass of wine and some chocolate and then she prayed for me at the baggage claim while just giving me a big hug. Honestly, I just don't think I would feel quite the same right now without her. It was amazing, just what I needed!

Then I got this email from her later on that night:

Hi Kristen,

Just wanted to welcome you to western PA and remind you that I am thinking of you and praying for you!

I hope you have a lot of fun getting your new home set up and settled into.

Looking forward to seeing you again soon. Maybe I can meet you sometime after I get back from my Florida and Maine trips in the next month. I'll be interested in hearing how your church search is going.

Warmly,

Lori

David was so sweet as he reminded me that this is where the Lord wants us...he even had my neighbor on the plane picked out long ago.