A change

Today I was cleaning a picture frame. It contains 4 pictures: an 8x10 of the Liberty Bell, and 3- 4x6s of Zack and I.  In one, we are kissing in front of the Love statue at Love Park.  It was taken by my cousin when she and he husband came to visit almost 5 years ago.  Another shows us in front of the Joseph Smith family frame home.  We got that one on a upstate New York trip with Zack's parents a couple of years ago.  The last one shows us smiling away on a hot summer day on a New Jersey beach.  We have done so many fun things in the last 5 years.  I love this place.  And I am going to miss it.

Have I mentioned that we're moving back to Utah?

We couldn't be more fond of Philadelphia, and I think under the right circumstances, we would be happy to put our roots down here forever.  But our families are back in Utah, which suddenly seems like an even bigger deal with our little babycakes in our lives.  Plus we're at this kind of stand still here while we figure out what our next school/work plans should be and we figure we might just as well work all that out in a place where we can be with family.  We don't hate Salt Lake, although we're not particularly fond of it either.  It just seems like the right decision for us right now.
But that doesn't mean it's not a heart-wrenching one.
During our time here, we have been influenced by so many wonderful people, many of whom we already miss as they have moved on, and many of whom we will leave here.  Robert and Natalie, our dear friends from the beginning of our time here, are a rare breed.  They are the kind who can put up with us, and maybe even enjoy our company.  We did so many things with them, from teasing their little kitties to grocery shopping to staying up into the wee hours of morning talking politics and religion and the like.  They moved to Seattle a while back, and definitely took a piece of us with them, but they really helped color our experience here in Philly in a positive way.  Tyler and Becca struggled with us a little bit (we know we can be intolerable), but were still so kind, and tried so hard to be our friends.  Thanks to their kindness, we were able to find the car we wanted to buy, which has made life so much easier.  Jesse and Savanna were the only other "city couple" with us for a while, and we love them for being so nice and putting up with us.  I guess the options of people to hang out with were slim, but they rose to the occasion beautifully.  Savanna helped put on that lovely baby shower for me a couple of months ago.  They and their darling little boy just recently moved, and we miss them.  Weston and Michelle moved in just at the right time, as Jesse and Savanna had recently moved out to the suburbs and we were left alone in the city.  At the time, Oliver would only speak in 2 word sentences, and there was no Madeline.  Over these past 2 years, we have grown to love and appreciate their little family so much.  We have watched Oliver grow into a curious, smart-as-can-be little boy.  We held little Madeline when she was only a few hours old, and have now seen her become an adorable, daring little 1 year old.  We feel like we can be ourselves around Weston and Michelle.  Many of our opinions and personality quirks that bother other people just make them laugh.  We are so thankful to have had them, and we will miss them greatly.
There are so many others who have touched our lives.  Bishop Judkins, who actually asked us what callings we wanted in the church, and who worked so very hard to include everyone in our ward.  Rebecca Sloan, who actually got me to do my visiting teaching once in a while.  Sophie Tailey, who, even though she can't read, listened to recordings of the Relief Society lessons that someone made for her, and used that to plan and give lessons.  Zakpah Kaydea, who made me African bread while I was pregnant and who holds my baby every week in Relief Society.  The Stringfellows, who invited us over for our first Thanksgiving here, when we had no where else to go.  The Howdens, who welcomed us with a smile to church on our very first week, and also had us over for dinner.  Quilley and Mary, who have adopted us as their children, who call just to see if we're alright, and who absolutely adore our little baby.  The list goes on and on.  I wish I could name each person by name and thank them for touching my life.
Change is hard, but with it comes the opportunity to meet new people, and to experience new things.  So, on August 24th, Clara and I will hop on a plane, and Zack will hop in the car, and we'll head for our next chapter in Utah.  I hope we can make the most out of life wherever we are.