Wrapping up 2011: Sad things first

Don't worry, it's not tragic sad.  But there has been a bit of a cloud over our house since mid-December.

Our good friends, the Katschkes, took advantage of a new opportunity and relocated to Panaca, Nevada.  It's always hard to say goodbye to friends, and it was very hard to say goodbye to these ones.  Paul and Nate were in the Construction Management program together at BYU and our families moved to Bellingham at the same time.  They rented a house down the street from the one we rented for a while, and Nate helped Paul get a job with Dawson Construction after some miserable months with another company.  After we bought a house, Nate and Cassie bought one several months later in the same neighborhood.  For nearly a year we enjoyed close proximity to these great people.

Benjamin and Rhett are especially fond of their friends Jada and Payton.  Here they are a few days before the move.

(No picture of Shaylee, but I sure thought she and Lucy would become good friends.)

Let me tell you, I have (hopefully) learned my lesson about taking friends for granted.  As their departure became imminent, Cassie and I repeatedly said to each other, "Why didn't we have dinner more often?  Why didn't we hang out more often?  Why, why, why?"  I guess it wasn't till they were leaving that we really appreciated what their family was to ours.

We said several goodbyes in the hours leading up to their final departure.  The night before the big move I couldn't resist bringing the kids over one more time while Paul was already there with the scouts helping to finish loading the truck and clean up.  It was late at night, but the kids were all still excited to play with each other.

Here's Rhett getting in one last game of hide-and-seek.

The hugs goodbye.

And the late-at-night, not-so-flattering picture of our two families.  (Why didn't we take more pictures over the years??)

This post really doesn't do justice to all the feelings we have about the Katschkes and their move.  It would be insufficient to try.  While we wish them the best, we miss them daily and are looking forward to the summer when we will hopefully be able to get together in Utah.