SPECIAL REQUEST

I found this special request and just had to share!!! It's the last day before school starts, so I think that she's a little sad that there are no more late overs on school nights!]

IT SHOULDN'T BE HARD

It shouldn't be hard to say goodbye. At least in theory.

But I miss Ang. I miss Robyn. And, I miss Sara.

It has been hard to process losing so many loved ones this summer. They aren't dead; they are just many miles away. A few days ago, I came to the realization that it is naive to think that everyone you love will live close to you forever. It's true that people move all the time. And they survive ... I'm sure their friends do as well.

Each day this summer, I've focused on little moments. One day at a time. My heart aches ... some days worse than others. I wonder when I feel so bad, what do they feel like? Do they miss Pocatello and Chubbuck? Do they miss surprise dropbys to say hello? Do they miss family?


In the process of saying goodbye and having a few real good cries, I know that I've made other friends feel bad ... It is not intentional and I love you just as much. Truth be told, I am close to family and friends (shocker, I know). Those who I call my friends, I call family. I would do anything for any of you!

And so, as summer comes to a close, I look forward to wonderful times with all of you. I can't wait to try out Skype and come for visits. I can't wait to get to know all of my Pocatello friends a bit better.

But just a warning. If you decide to move away, it might just be hard for me to say goodbye!

POKEMON SLEEP

To say that my kids love Pokemon is an understatement. After cleaning up the Bohney's house on Friday night, Kate fell asleep at the Beauchat's house like this:

BEFORE TEXAS

I have a feeling that the Bohneys life in Texas will be exciting. In that same token, I can't help but know that life for them will be "Before Texas" or "In Texas." Maybe ... eventually ... it will even be "After Texas." It is heartbreaking to know that I will be in the "Before Texas" category.

Little things like driving around the corner and seeing their lawn with different ornaments...

Picking up the phone just to shoot the breeze...

Escaping the house for a moment of sanity...

Knowing that I have a 'safe house' for the kids if needed...

Girls night...

They are headed to Midland, TX, close to where the 2 perpendicular lines meet.


Texas is rich in history and is a very unique state. Here are a few fun facts!

Texas is the only state to enter the U.S. by TREATY, instead of by annexation (This allows the Texas flag to fly at the same height as the US flag). It has also changed government six times (Spanish 1519-1685, French 1685-1690, Spanish 1690-1821, Mexican 1821-1836, Republic of Texas 1836-1845, United States 1845-1861, Confederate States 1861-1865, United States 1865-present.)

El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas.


The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built over water.


The name Texas comes from the Hasini Indian word "tejas" meaning friends. Tejas is not Spanish for Texas.


The State animal is the Armadillo (An interesting bit of trivia about the armadillo is they always have four babies! They have one egg which splits into four and they either have four males or four females).


The Dallas-Fort Worth area has more residents - 5,221,801 - than 31 U.S. states. For example, Arizona has about 5.1 million residents.


Their last day here was a time to say goodbye to the friends that have become our family. Here are some pictures from Anya' phone.

Anya, Zoey, Sara, Rachel, Tami

Sara and Tami
Sara and Anya
While trying to take a picture, Will decides to answer his phone...
Will and Tyler
setting up to take a picture - I love Dawson and Kaden in this one!
Myah was having a hard time

More than anything, Myah just broke my heart. I had to grab her after these pictures and give her a hug. Of course, I was crying to, because I know how hard it will be for all of us.

Watching their van pull away.


 They stopped to say a big goodbye to Brandon too since he couldn't be at their house.

Will and Brandon


God be With You Till We Meet Again
God be with you till we meet again,
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again.

God be with you till we meet again,
When life’s perils thick confound you,
Put His arms unfailing round you,
God be with you till we meet again.


God be with you till we meet again,
Keep love’s banner floating o’er you,
Smite death’s threat’ning wave before you,
God be with you till we meet again.
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.

S-T-R-E-T-C-H-Y SPEECH

It started learning that she was going to have a boy teacher. There was nothing worse than a boy teacher!

And then she met Wade. He was very sweet and of course, Kate is a charmer. So they hit it off great. Twice a week, we drove to the campus of ISU to take speech therapy from Wade.

Kate learned about S-T-R-E-T-C-H-Y speech this summer. Slowing down speech is one of the best ways to deal with stuttering. The did this all kinds of ways, but one of the funnest was saying words while stretching silly putty while saying words like "Hippopotamus" and "Elephant."

She also learned about taking good breaths and filling up her lungs with air! They pretended to blow out candles on a birthday cake. That was fun!

She continues to be such a bright, shining star. One session, she took a baby doll around to take to other adults in the building. She named this baby 'Sparkle.' Only one of my kids could be creative enough to name a baby 'Sparkle."

And I took pictures on 2 different occasions. Do you think I can find the pictures? Negative!!!

ROCK CLIMBING

The other day we thought that we would pop over to the Brooklyn's Playground Carnival to check it out. Overall, it was going to be an expensive adventure, so we didn't stay, but here are a few fun pictures that we took.

Here is what the playground will look like.

Here is the old playground. I was shocked that it was already removed.

Kate had to say hello to the dog, but the other kids were 'too' cool to have their picture taken with Sparky.

As we were leaving, we saw a rock climbing wall that looked like fun. Bryleigh was the first one to try it out ...


Then Dawson decided to be brave.

And then change his mind before I could let go of him and take a picture of him climbing.

Faith was next. She got almost to the top and wanted to stop. We helped her to finish and she really enjoyed herself!


And then, on a whim, I asked if I could do it. They said yes, so I did it!


But I'm kicking myself for not adding this to my bucket list before I did it!!!

THE JOLLEY JOURNALS - CHOICES

This is Me Challenge #2

What are some choices in your life that affected where you are now?

When I think back on choices that I've made that have changed my life, I think that there are a few. Here are my top five ...

Choice #1 - Deciding to stay in Pocatello and attend ISU. It is there that I re-met Brandon at an Institute ward!

Choice #2 - Deciding not to marry Daniel (engagement #1). Years later, I am still friends with his cousin. She informed me that he is now an atheist.

Choice #3 - Not marrying Greg (engagement #2). That was a hard decision. Sometimes that hardest decision are not the easiest decisions.

Choice #4 - Giving Brandon a chance (engagement #3). He was divorced, and that was something that I never wanted. But, when things are right, things are right. I'm glad that I opened my heart to that possibility. We sure have a great time together!

Choice #5 - Switching jobs with Megan. Megan is a dear friend. I applied for a job when she worked at Gold's Gym. There wasn't an opening, but I prayed for it and it happened just a few days later. When she moved over to Sunsations, I applied for a job there and worked with her again. She moved next to Aethetics by Physicians Med Spa, and yes, I followed her over there. If I had not have followed her over there, I would probably not be as interested as I am now in completing schooling in esthetics. It is something that gets me very excited.

I BOUGHT WATERPROOF

Today is the day that the Royce family leaves to return to the Boise area. They have had an exciting time moving, complete with Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and Montana. They have moved a few times in Nampa. This last move was back to Chubbuck. It was nice to be able to have them so close, even if it was temporary.

Although they have moved a bunch of times, this time really feels different. For everyone.

This time we know it is permanent. They love the area, the shopping, having Jason's large family so close, and still living within driving distance to see our family. Somehow, knowing that they won't be moving back (even though they are close) makes it feel so final. And sad.

Yesterday, I spent time with Robyn cleaning out her rental. I'm sure it was hard for her to pack everything up, yet again, and clean out a place that isn't even theirs. But, we did it.

And then I took my kids to Grandma Cindy's to say goodbye to their cousins.

They enjoyed a little bit of playing dress up.

And then gave BIG hugs to say goodbye. Grandma Zoey was there saying goodbye too. As we were leaving, Robyn said that it was good --- no tears. I said, "Yet." And then she said, "I bought waterproof." We chuckled.

Yes, tears will flow. And we will cry. And we will miss them.

And we can't wait to see them again ... soon!

My Wish

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,

And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,

I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,

If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,

I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,

Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.


But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish.

This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you

May all your dreams stay big

Good luck Royce family! You will be missed!