Goodbye Laura

So my sister Laura was ready to head back to good ol' Utah by the end of the summer. She was going to wait til her home sold, but decided it would sell better if it were vacant. So she picked September 11th as her departure date from the Sunshine State. I'm not going to lie, I have mixed emotions about her leaving. I'm really very happy for her that she's going to live somewhere more desirable & where she will be happy. But....I'm super sad that she isn't going to be my backyard neighbor anymore. Yes, we move at the end of the year too, but to have her leave first, sucks. 

I couldn't let her leave without having one last GNO with some of the girls that love her dearly. We all met up for dinner at this cute little bistro called the Mustard Seed Cafe. The food was sooooo good!

 {Wendy, Allisa, Aubrey, Brielle, Katelin, Laura, Me & Michele}

I'm pretty sure the only thing Laura will miss about Florida are the friends she made. She wasn't a big fan of the heat, humidity or culture down here. Not that I completely disagree with her, just saying. Friends become family away from family. It's always the hardest part about moving in my opinion.

There were some tender moments expressed by Gavin in regards to Aunt Laura moving away. One night while she was babysitting she said when she was putting him to bed, he just broke down in tears saying, "I don't want you to move! I'm going to be so sad without you." She said it took everything in her to not cry too, but knew that would only make it worse. There were a few more moments just like that with him. He is such a sensitive & tender little guy. The poor kid has had every one of his good friends move away from him too. So sad.

 This is us out running a few last minute errands before she hits the road. This is going to be one of the many things I'll miss. We always ran errands together. 

Laura was really sweet & got me this cute compass bracelet. I love the card that came with it too. "True Friendship is when two people can walk in different directions but still remain side by side." So true and such a good reminder that goodbyes are not forever. :) Now I couldn't find anything that sweet to give her, but I did use my craftiness & Pinterest to come up with her going away gift. I didn't get an image of the two side by side, but I made one for her & for myself.

MISS YOU MUGS!
I drew Utah where she lives & then Texas where I'll live soon with our hearts connected. I think it turned out pretty darn cute. :)

This is Laura's last night with us. We were lucky to have her sleep at our house the last week since her POD was on it's way to Utah. We loved every second we got with Aunt Wawa. She was leaving at 5 am the next morning so goodbyes were said that night. 

Having my sister live right by me was a LOT of fun! Yes, we still had our sister moments where we bugged & irritated each other, but all in all this is what has made our Florida experience so nice. Having family close really is such a blessing. We feel so grateful that she decided to come take on the Sunshine State with us. These are years that I will hold dearly in my memory & heart. Love you sissy!