A foreboding waffle dinner (7/22)

How do you tell your kids that you are moving 1000 miles away? There's no right way to do it so we chose a favorite family dinner to discuss. Jack immediately perked up - showing a sense of adventure but soon withdrew his excitement when he saw Kindin begin to bawl. Dalia also cried. I don't think Kindin talked to us for at least a week and remained cold for about a month. For the record, we accepted blame for about 5 months before finally telling her that we were done with her anger. (I don't think Stover mom will ever entirely let go of guilt over the move though. Despite knowing it is the right decision for our family and future, she spends a lot of time beating herself up about it.) 

Unfortunately, racing out to catch the start of the schoolyear would have been next to impossible so we waited until high school's first semester was complete in October. Nebraska's block schedule didn't quite line up with Arizona's but it allowed them to be ahead rather than behind at school. In addition, it allowed for a few months notice from Bishop Parry and for Madonna as well as a home finding trip to expedite settling down. The extra time also lent itself to a drawn out goodbye - filled with naysaying natives who we had hoped to get support from or at least help garnering excitement to 3 very scared teenagers. After all, we had seen sacred miracles of open doors and lit paths. 

In the end, our last moments were filled with the 'Nebraska Nice' we loved. Highlights included: a bucket list day with my girlfriends, a meal hosted by my big brother and a visit from little bro, offers for goodbye parties, Omaha themed gifts, a heart to heart with mom, food brought in, a farewell at work, a few goodbye walks, and a surprise book from the ward. In addition, our family photographer insisted on snagging one last photo before we left. It was the perfect goodbye gift from a treasured friend - considering she has taken the last 10 years of photos for us.