Mayberry Voyage: Closing a Chapter in Our Lives

This week we left Mission Viejo, our home for the last seven years. It was bitter-sweet, but it was wonderful to be able to say goodbye to many of our wonderful friends, whom we hope to see again when we return, or preferably, when they come visit us in Geneva. The Mission Viejo II Ward has been our family in many ways and we will treasure the great memories from our time there.We have had and raised our two girls in this ward, and along the way, have formed a strong friendship bond with many. During our farewell party, whom my dear friend Tracy Larsen organized for us, I had the great blessing to feel the great love shared in this family ward. (If only I had taken pictures with all of them to treasure with me forever.) However, I still was able to capture a moment that brought back memories from many years past.
Tracy, Laurel and I were young mothers with our firstborns, and would get together every Wednesday at the park—We were each other’s support system. Funny enough, the three of us were pregnant at the same time and would share the pains and sorrows of pregnancy. Laurel moved away before having her second boy, and now it is my turn to move away. But I will treasure these fond memories.