Being the one left behind, it's just part of
our life as a military family. You would think we would be used to it
after a couple of moves.
But, it never gets easier. Some places are easier to say farewell to
than others but, it's not something I would say any of us look forward
to
or like. And, we all have learned it is much easier to be the one
leaving
vs. being the one that gets left behind.
I
knew this day was coming. We found out in May that our friends were
going
to be on the next move list. We knew this meant they would be leaving
sometime in the next 6-9 months. Most likely they would move while Josh
was deployed. Then, one July afternoon, Amanda asked if she could come
over and chat.
They got their orders that morning.
.
They were heading to Texas
next...in six weeks! What?!?!?! Six weeks, I was going to lose my best
friend here in Las Vegas in six weeks. My kids were going to have to say goodbye to their best friends in six weeks.
Well, we can actually do a lot in six weeks. But, life had a way of not
giving us the time we thought. Amanda and the girls headed to Boise to
visit another "Ohio" friend for a week. The day after she got back to
town we got the call that my Grandfather had passed away and we left
town within hours planning to be gone for a few weeks. By the time we got back to Las Vegas, the movers were coming to the Harter's house in two days and the girls had already left. What happened to those six weeks?!
My
kids still ask about going and playing with Kylie and Reagan. They ask
about going to Kennedy's birthday because they remember that it is this
month! Molly wants to play "going to Target with Kylie and Reagan"
nearly every day and Zachary explains that they live too far away to
play with us. It still breaks my heart every time I have to explain to
the kids that we can't just call Miss Amanda for a play date. And yes,
my kids really do ask at least every other day, if not daily!
We
had so much fun living just down the road from them. I think the best
friends are the ones that you don't have to do anything with! We would
just hang out and that was all we needed. We weren't always going for
big extravagant play dates or activities. It was lots and lots of time
just playing at each others' houses, impromptu lunches or dinners, and
meetings at the park. They are the only family here in Las Vegas that I don't care about how disastrous my house is when they come over. And who cares if I have even showered for the day? I know that Amanda loves me just the way I am!
There
is a bond that we have that only a select handful of others will
understand. I think I will always refer to Amanda and her family as some
of my "Ohio" friends. There was just something about the time that we
were in Ohio, I don't know if it was just the group of people that was
there, or if it was a specific time in our lives, but the friends that we
made there are people that we still consider more like family than most of the other military friends we have made.
Maybe it's because we all lived within a few doors of each other! It's
so easy to form bonds with some you share a front or backyard with! When we got the news that we were heading to Las
Vegas, one of my first emails was to Amanda asking her about the area,
if they liked it, what to expect...all those questions we all ask with
every new assignment. I trust her. I knew her. And I had taken her advice
on where to live in Mississippi, and it had worked out great for us!
Having
the Harter family here made adjusting to living in Las Vegas easy. I
still remember meeting for our first play date and it was like we were
back in Ohio hanging out in the street or at the Heaton's swing set! Our
kids were even playing like they had been friends forever! Mike was
deployed at the time, so we started hanging out all the time. Mike was
gone and Josh was working crazy hours. It was just us and the kids!
- Amanda got me addicted to Cafe Rio
- I can place her order at McDonald's, Subway, Port of Subs without calling her
- She is someone I can call after 9pm and I know she will still be awake
- With her help, I purchased patterned curtains, cream frames and a wall clock...how is my house ever going to get decorated now!
- She sold me on not needing a mini van anymore!
- We ran a 5k together just a few months after I arrived here
- She helped plan my baby shower for Broden
- While I was on bed rest she planned a cleaning day with another friend knowing how much it was bothering me that I couldn't clean my own house!
- She went to the temple here in Las Vegas before I did! And she made sure I got a photo of every temple she passed on her road trips
- Who am I going to go to TOMs parties or maxi skirt parties with now?
- I can't see, smell or hear about anything pumpkin flavored without thinking about her
- She was the only visitor we had in the hospital when Broden was born.
- She was my emergency contact!
But, our friendship wasn't just between us. It
was with our families! Although it was a bit challenging for us all to
hang out due to Josh's and Mike's schedules, we made it work every
chance we got.
When I said my farewell to Amanda I knew that Mike was still going to
come back for a few weeks. Well, we had to say our farewell to him last
week...no more avoiding it now!
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