Last Week....Looked Like This...

The Boy's missionary documents arrived about two weeks before he left for England...

Within the packet was his name plate/missionary tag....they don't usually get those until they enter the MTC....but since he would be traveling a long distance, they sent one for him to wear on the plane.

I have to admit...seeing that tag was both amazing and overwhelming...it took my breath away,

and left a pit in my stomach....it made this whole experience very real.  Also within the packet

were very clear instructions both for the missionary and the parents...

....here are the instructions for the parents..."Once your missionary has boarded the plane...

DO NOT CALL THE MTC TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE ARRIVED......just assume that they have, no news is good new."  I thought that was pretty funny at the moment....but didn't think it was too funny after The Boy had left...and we had nearly a week without any news from him....and

then I understood the instructions....and understood even more why they were all in capital letters!

But...if I can add my parental "two cents".....I really do wish we had gotten a quick email from the

Preston MTC...letting us know he had arrived, safe and sound;)

While getting The Boy all packed...we had his suitcases in the living room...
As I was packing his things, I thought about how this would be the last time for
two years that I would wash his clothes...

make sure his shirts were ironed....and make sure he had all he needed to meet his
physical needs.  I thought many times during the packing process...

how grateful I was to be able to do these

things for him. 

Many nights I layed awake at night...going over his list...to make sure nothing had been forgotten.

Hopefully everything he needs was well packed in those two suitcases.

We...PreShie, The Rooster and I....spent the month before The Boy left,
making little notes to put in his suitcase, pockets...scriptrues....eveywhere you could imagine,
so that he would find them little by little.  PreShie even placed a few inside his socks...he
could be finding those for quite a while....the little notes written by
 PreShie and The Rooster were so tender,
and full of love.  Some said how much they loved The Boy...others said how proud they were of
him for serving a mission.  Other were stained with tear drops....from the Mom for sure...and many
from The Rooster....he even placed a little stuffed animal...a Rooster, that even made a crowing sound...deep within The Boy's suitcase with a sweet note tied around it's neck.
 I would have loved to see The Boy's face when he found that;)

This picture I found...after the fact...I am not sure who took it...but most likely it was PreShie.

This was taken after The Boy was set apart as a missionary....he placed his missionary tag on and had

come into the kitchen where alot of the family had gathered for cake......the tender part of this

picture for me, are the words above his head, on the wall in our kitchen.....

"There's no place like home...."

I don't think he even realized where he was standing....We are missing The Boy terribly...

but there is no place we would rather have him be!