Saying Goodbye to Houston- Part 3

 After a much needed trip to Texas, it's only appropriate to do a blog post about the great time we had in Houston, right? : ) Well, we need to get two more very important Houston posts taken care of, and then I can move forward!

 

First of all, I never posted the beautiful picture that my dear friend Rebekah had her sister paint of our Houston house, as a going away present! Isn't it awesome?? 

 

That house will always be so near and dear to my heart and for her to have it captured in a lovely oil painting like this, makes me want to cry, it's perfect!

 

Thank you soooo much for this incredibly thoughtful gift Rebekah! 

 

We found just the right place for it in our Indianapolis home. Every time we look at it, it makes me smile!

 

Okay, so the last "Saying Goodbye to Houston" post is the going away party that my always so caring,  Houston friends threw me!

 

Once again, I was overwhelmed by their kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness!

 

It was a girls night, and it took place at my friend Mary Rebecca's house, just down the street. It was actually supposed to be a surprise that my incredibly honest hubby who doesn't have a sneaky bone in his body, accidentally told me about! Always one for surprises, I still can't help but love that part of the story!

 

Look at all the yummy desserts that they had!

And let me tell you, these friends KNOW desserts! : )

 

 

 

 

 

Look at how they had J's put on the petifors, so sweet!

Yay for Moellers! I will miss living right down the road from that great bakery!

 

As a party favor, they sent each guest home with a pre addressed card to send to us, once we moved away. Can I just say what a blessing these cards have been to me and my family? Oh my gosh, I had no idea that we were going to find so much comfort and love in this simple, yet incredibly thoughtful idea! It makes me think about how I want to be better at corresponding with people, through letters, when they move away, and really,  just in general!

 

I honestly believe that these cards and letters promoted Bekah's interest in writing and coloring as well, because she always wanted to "respond" to her friends.

 

Thank you again for this blessing everyone!

 

A very special thanks to my DEAR friend Kim who got this whole thing going ( including talking to Zack to find a date and then, telling him to dig through my overflowing address book to send her addresses!! good work Kim, sorry Zack blew your cover! : ) ). All of your details, hard work, thoughtfulness and energy was so very appreciated, I couldn't believe such a special party was thrown for me!

 

Kim, Staci and I

God sure knew what he was doing when He got me going to Christ the King, I will forever adore the friends I made there like Staci, Kim, Stacy and Mary Rebecca and will always consider it a church home! 

 

( oh and another thing, it just occurred to me that I am in every picture, yikes! I don't think I have ever done a blog post with that characteristic before, and I don't think I ever will again : ) Teehee!  But my friend Ting's sister came to the party to get pics and wanted to make sure I got pics with all my Houston friends that I love and miss so much! Which, was flat out awesome! : ) Thank you so much again Ting and EE!)

 

 

 

I love this pic of Ting and I! Thank you Ting for all of the work you did for BOTH parties!

Zack doesn't call you "a mastermind" for nothing! : )

 

Along with Ting and Val, Tracy and Courtney were my very first friends that I made in the neighborhood, thanks to Library Storytime!

It's been a privilege learning how to be a mommy with these ladies that I admire so much!!

 

And another sweet detail of the party (and one that was soooo unnecessary!), was, they brought gifts for me to use in Indy, whether they were scarfs to keep me warm, cozy blankets ( one had playgroup pics on them! : ), books for reading, cookbooks to help me be more adventurous in the kitchen,  gift cards to buy warm clothes with, I was blown away by everyone's generosity! Oh, I even got a scrapbook to keep track of our year here!

 

So happy my friend Robyn came! When we found out we were moving to Houston, as sad as I was to leave Dallas, it was the knowledge that Robyn would be there that really encouraged me! We have been friends since our student teaching days in college!

Robyn (and Emily too!) , I will always cherish our Houston days where our families became so close!

 

Stacy and Mary Rebecca

 

Thank you Mary Rebecca for hosting the party at your lovely home! It was perfect having it there, because both Bekah and I LOVE spending time there with you and "Little Catherine!"

And thanks again to Ms Stacy, for making Bekah her "Indianapolis Jacket!"

 

 

Thank you Lauren and Amanda for coming too! Amanda provided plenty of comic relief as I got to be the center of attention while opening the gifts, I was all to happy to share the limelight with this funny friend of mine!

 

I like this picture because it shows Lauren laughing at Amanda, which is pretty much all I do when I hang out with her! Amanda, I am already missing your one of a kind sense of humor!

 

What a sweet picture! I was so sad to move right before Nicklas was born, but so happy I met that cutie last week!

 

Tracy also was a part of making this party happen, it meant so much to me that she wanted me to have a girls night, in addition to the park party, so I could really talk with the girls I was going to miss so much!

 

Never one to include single pictures of myself, I included this one because it shows how surprised and grateful I was for the yummy food and the baby's breath. See, Kim sent sweet Mary Rebecca to buy ALOT of baby's breath to decorate the house with to look like "snow", to go along with the "moving up north" theme : ). It was really so pretty!

 

 

Val, Diane and Kati

 

Time and time again, I say it, but what an answer to prayer those playgroup friends were!

I sure do love you guys!

 

Thank you also to Erin and Erica and Rani, who I didn't get pics with. Rani, I loved having family there, with my friends, it gave the whole evening an extra special feel to it, having you by my side : ).

 

 

It's hard to express, the gratitude I feel towards these incredible girls and for all that they have given me through their precious friendships. They have been such a GIFT to me and I praise God for them all the time, I really do! Who would have thought I would have fallen in love with Houston the way I did??

 

It breaks my heart to think that the Houston chapter in our lives is over, I really still can't accept that . .. . but you know, maybe I never will, and that's okay, right?? : )  These girls and their families take up such a big part of my heart and they will always be in my heart, no matter where we all are. I truly believe that. Plus, San Antonio is just a car ride away, which takes on a whole new meaning these days, up here in the great state of Indiana : ).