More Than Dog Children

Mama Day

2013-05-15T23:12:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day weekend started off in a special way this year. I volunteered at a Birthmother's brunch at the adoption agency. It was fun to hang out with C alone...we never really have! Because of her and T, I'm a mom. I'm so thankful we have such a great relationship.

Saturday night we hosted my side of the family and celebrated Mother's Day over fajitas. If you know my family, that's a perfect way to celebrate! ;)

Sunday morning I wanted ONE good pic before we left for church. This is the best we got. #crazykid

My niece Keller was dedicated so we hung out with our other side of the fam afterwards.

Silly cousins:

I love my sweet sister-in-law:

The rest of the day was spent relaxing. I'm never off on Sundays (the life of a realtor!) so it was such a treat.

Lincoln Marathon

2013-05-06T22:39:00.002-05:00

Last year I made it through about 70% of my training for the half marathon and I injured my Achilles. I was supremely disappointed. Fortunately, I got to experience some of the race while I ran the last chunk with my running partner. Still- I fell short of my goal. This would be my year until missed registration by 30 minutes. It filled up in less than 24 hours!!

Regardless, this year was awesome! Sara (running partner) and my sister-in-law Jess got together to cheer on my father-in-law, sis-in-law and a bunch of friends. This is like a BIG deal here, y'all. Like half the city lines the streets to cheer. We had a BLAST. Mark my words here, friends: pending some sort of unforseen issue, I'm totally running Lincoln [Half] Marathon 2014. Eeekkkkk...I got nauseated typing that. Ha!

Cheerleaders. It was FREEZING:

Kinsey's first half!

Linda rocking the FULL (her 5th I believe) marathon:

Emily's first half:

Grandpa and his tiniest cheerleader on his 10th half:

My sweet boy.

Hello, Spring.

2013-05-06T21:51:00.002-05:00

Our weather recently has been very un-May-like. Today was redemption...73 and sunny. I asked Declan what he wanted to do and he decided he wanted to ride his bike around Holmes Lake (2 miles!) First we got in some lunch and park play.

Off we went. Declan seriously talked to everyone we passed. He also asked to pet every dog we passed. I appreciate his good dog manners but, geebers, that's a lot of dogs and a lot of small talk for me. ;) Some of my favorite things he said to random people:

"I'm riding a bike just like you."

"It's sunny today."

"You're beautiful" (He said this to a pretty middle aged woman. I'm 100% sure it made her day)

"I just love you" (He said this to an older women, all crooked and walking slow. Her face lit up and I got a little tear in my eye.)

"Are you watching how fast I ride?"

"My daddy is working today."

"I have something to tell you!" (followed by some random thing)

I could go on and on. It was hilarious. I honestly can not remember ever meeting a kid like Declan. His personality is an 11 on a 1 to 10 scale. Even though he's completely exhausting, he's a total joy.

This man was extremely patient with us. He answered about 22 questions about fishing and as we started peddling away, he got a bite and caught this fish!! Declan was amazed. This guy said he was his little good luck charm. Ha!

adoption (lack of) progress

2013-05-05T21:39:00.000-05:00

Ahhhhh. God has me way confused on this journey to kiddo #2. We had no idea we would have an almost 5 year old and no other kids. I always envisioned our family with kids closer in age. I've gone through really patient periods and really antsy periods. Right now I'm just in a "irritated" period. We had our three year renewal with our current agency. We were only shown a handful of times in 2012 (2 or was it 3?....our caseworker wasn't quite sure!!??!) Though birth mom decided to parent, we were matched a year ago April. So at our renewal appointment with our caseworker instilled zero hope in our family to grown through adoption with their agency. Totally frustrating. I'm sure she didn't mean to be a negative nelly but she was. It was salt in the wound that we were even renewing as we have recently be "not chosen" by another local agency.

We did finish up our foster care classes almost a month ago. They're overwhelmed so that's on a delay as well. Hurry up and wait. Our adoption mantra.

I'm...
frustrated, sad, discouraged, annoyed, jealous (lots of pregnancies around me), confused...

Other days I'm...
hopeful, excited, thankful for where we are, trusting...

So what's next? The research phase has begun about reaching beyond Lincoln to adopt somewhere else in the US. For us that means we sink our savings in to our next kiddo and that's frightening. Praying for clarity.

Crosby

2013-05-04T10:29:00.001-05:00

There is some background to this post. When Jack passed away (two weeks ago today) we were completed devastated. We swore off future dog ownership--it's just too hard on the heart. Those next few days were really awful and we felt like there was a huge hole in our world. Our other boxer, Sophie, was depressed too. We knew that would pass and did our best to get use to our new normal. On Wednesday of that week, Mark and I drove to Des Moines for a conference. On that 3.5 hour drive we both admitted that we had been thinking about rescuing another boxer. We both felt like it would appear to others that's too soon.

We agreed to apply to a couple boxer rescues and see what dogs came available. One little guy caught our eye but that particular rescue didn't get back to us. Bummer. Then, Sunday night I was looking through the other rescue site and they had just received 3 beautiful boxers on Friday that were set to be euthanized on Saturday. One of these dogs in particular stole my heart. I texted Mark a picture while he was at fire pit and he loved him too. I emailed for info on him as we were looking for a dog that had good energy (I know, we are nuts), was good with kids and was cuddly. YES- Jack to a "t". Now as much as we adored Jack we know he'll never be replaced. We just wanted a similar dog. The fiesty energy was missed. The sweet affection was missed. On Monday we heard back that this dog was indeed available and had been at a "Paws at the Park" event that weekend and was great with kids, playful and cuddly. Wow! Knowing that they foster dogs 2-4 weeks, the timing felt perfect.

Well we got a call we didn't expect Tuesday evening. They did find a foster home (he's been at a shelter for a bit) but it was in South Dakota! AND...the foster home could potentially fall in love with him and keep him. So, this rescue never does this but would WE foster/adopt him?! I talked to Mark and he say "of course" and they brought him Thursday. So from the moment we admitted to wanting another boxer, we adopted one 8 days later. Craziness. This is usually how we roll though. ;)

Crosby is a JOY. He is 1 years old...total puppy. He has some basic manners and we start training on Tuesday to learn more. He is HUGE. We thought Jack was a big boxer! Crosby is way bigger! He settled right in to our family and he is great with Decs. Sophie hasn't been happier. They run around the yard like best buds. He is perfect for our family. We are thrilled.

This sweet girl is a happy girl. Unfortunately this past week, at a well check, she was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy just like Jack. ARGGG. So we started meds and hope we get some time with her!

The funniest thing about Crosby is that his whole nose is set off center. It's too adorable makes his personality even more irrisistable.

Wedding(s!)

2013-05-04T10:03:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was busy but fun. We had two weddings to attend. Mark was in the second wedding so that added a new layer of busyness. Declan sat (ahem, fidgeted) through both weddings--a first for our family. Though the ceremonies bore him, he loved the receptions. Boy has moves.

Mr. & Mrs Miller

Throwing birdseed with cousin Asher:

Mr. & Mrs. Tran

When Mark walked down the aisle, Declan yelled "daddy"!! Ha!

Love this crazy kid!

The weather was gorgeous and we loved celebrating our friends join lives.

iDump

2013-04-30T22:22:00.002-05:00

My dad reminded me I hadn't "dumped" my pics recently. So, without further adieu..

Boys will be boys and we have no neighbors, yet...

Finally re-painted our blue mirror off white. The mantel is on it's way to being done.

buds.

Declan's favorite activity these days: bike riding!! Yes, we live in a construction zone.

gamers...

Declan swears he didn't etch this picture in our new leather couch. On the left, a picture he did draw. Hmmm. Fishy...

Sad girl misses brother Jack:

Mommy's glasses.

our fave...

Inaugural zoo trip with buddy Owen!

Love this girl!

Heartbreak

2013-04-22T22:03:00.000-05:00

No matter how much you prepare yourself for a pet to pass away, it hurts. Jack was our little ball of energy, goofball, quirky, happy boxer dog. He was our first taste of having true responsibility for someone besides ourselves. In December he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy which is fatal. His heart enlarges and there comes a point where his body can't keep up. We felt like we had finally gotten on the right cocktail of drugs but late last week he had periods of time where the lights were off. He started passing out and we had to shove his pills down his throat. He would lay down to rest and it would seem like he had a shiver every time he breathed. Things weren't working right. We were confused and sad because he had really good times throughout the days: feisty, happy to see us and play, good appetite. Ultimately, after a rough Friday night and good counsel from our vet, we decided Monday was the day. Jack had other plans because he passed out first thing on Saturday morning and we realized, if we waited for Monday, it would be for us. He was ready.

We had the best day. Mark cooked up pasta with butter and cheese which he inhaled. Him and I napped on my bed for an hour. I cuddle him as the "shivers" seemed stronger than ever. He ran around the backyard with Sophie and drank from this hole that has been created by the not-yet-built house next us draining a pool of water. We normally yell at him because he drinks until he pukes but, man, he drank/puked forever. Happiness for him!! Mark and I took him in mid-afternoon and stroked his head and told him he was a good boy and to enjoy running on those streets of gold. His passing was peaceful.

Declan is doing fine. He doesn't totally understand. He talks a lot about Jack being in heaven watching down over us. He also talks about taking a quick visit to heaven to say "hi" since he misses him. Tonight he prayed "dear God, thank you that Jack is dead so he can play in heaven." So, yeah, we have a ways to go with understanding what happened.

Sophie on the other hand is really sad. She misses her leader, her buddy. She is such a follower and we realized we didn't even know how to tell when she needs to use the bathroom because she just went when Jack indicated he needed to go. She is the opposite: quiet, easy. She is also older than Jack was and it seems like her age is catching up with her. Because of that and the heartbreak of going downstairs where both kennels were housed, we moved her kennel up to the nursery. Hey, no baby in there anyways! Ha! (Any day God, any day...) She now sleeps in our room too. Jack would have ripped the house apart so they were always kenneled at night. But, she sleeps quietly in the corner in her new dog bed and doesn't make a peep.

So our new normal is going to take some adjusting. We are still heartsick. The world feels a little gray right now but we know each day will get easier. The pain of losing a pet is so deep. But I'll take that pain because Jack was such a light in our lives for almost 8 years. He'll be missed but we'll see him again someday. Dogs DO go to heaven, don't ya know?!

sharing the journey

2013-04-14T21:48:00.000-05:00

We have few people in our lives that we can share the adoption journey woes with. My friends listen to my frustrations and give me the sympathetic look (I don't doubt it is genuine...not knocking them). But, I don't have hardly anyone I know that just "gets it".

These past 9 weeks we have gone through foster care training. I'm not going to sugar coat it....it's been very hard. The information you have to process, the realities of what these kids go through, the unknowns about the future. It sucks. I don't know if we are cut out for this. But, we've met some amazing people. One of those people is a friend I've known for awhile (I graduated with her little brother) but we haven't spent much time together in person. So thankful for these new friendships. Especially thankful that I can openly share things with her that she just gets. From tonight's FB exchange:

"The balance of having hope and guarding your heart is impossible. Let me know when you figure it out. This is the.hardest.ever. BUT, I dream about how our little family (with whomever new members it will have) will feel so "right" and make this whole process make sense. Gotta dream, right?!"

No sympathetic nods, just similar dreams. Thank goodness.

Spring Game

2013-04-07T22:28:00.000-05:00

There is NO place like Nebraska. Serious. This picture is from yesterday's Spring Game. That's a glorified practice, folks. A practice with 60,000+ fans.

This was Declan's very first Husker game. I have friends that have taken their kiddos much younger than Decs but I know he doesn't sit for longer that 47 seconds and the games are a lot of work: you park far away, the stadium seating is cramped, etc etc. This Spring Game provided us the opportunity to spend a whole heck of a lot less on tickets than normal but get the Husker game day experience. Our good friend "Uncle Ryan" joined us which was the bees knees in Dec's mind. ;)

Among 60,000 fans we ran in to Nana & Papa!!

I can barely handle the cuteness:

Well, after waiting over 30 mins in our seats for the game to start, he lasted 3 minutes in to the first quarter. We had to bust out the trusty Iphone.

We definitely didn't stay until the end of the game (ahem halftime ahem) but quickly heard about a really special moment. There is a little boy named Jack who lives here in Nebraska and is battling a brain tumor. The team (specifically Rex Burkhead- # 22...Declan was representing) have rallied around him in such a huge way. At the end of the game he was given an opportunity to take a snap. Watch this video and grab a tissue. Even my guy friends said it made their allergies flare up.

Easter 2013

2013-04-01T23:03:00.000-05:00

I love Easter. Without the resurrection, what would we have?!

Please tell me you know this song? Love it. We sang it Easter morning [I always cry]:

"Then bursting forth, in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again. And as He stands in victory, sins curse has lost its grip on me, for I am His and He is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ!"

Saturday we decorated eggs. Declan begged all day long. Mama was sick. Eggs were done at 9pm. Don't judge...they got done, right?! ;)

We celebrated with both sides of our family on Sunday. It's a lot of activity but we are blessed to be near all of our family. Don't want to take that for granted.

It's worth forcing Nana & Papa pause for pic with their grandkiddos. So cute, right?!

These cousins are so close, it's precious. Hope they stay like that forever!

It was a little chaotic but we got the cousins all gathered for a pic with Grandma & Grandpa.

Buds!

cute little fam..

SUNSHINE!

Two down...

2013-03-28T21:50:00.000-05:00

Almost 3 years ago I made this post about Declan losing his battle with the wood floor and knocking out a tooth. I was SO SAD that day but his snaggle tooth quickly grew on us and fit perfectly with his quirky personality. Over the years the snaggle got knocked more than a handful of times and has been changing color. So I shouldn't have been surprised when, at our 6 month check up, we found out his tooth was infected. I freaked out! They wanted to pull it right then and there and I wasn't ready. You see, I had bad pediatric dentistry experiences and I wanted to scoop Declan up, go home and prepare him for the "big pull". The dentist encouraged me that it was no.big.deal.

So guess what? It was no.big.deal. Declan was hopped up on laughing gas and had to be told the tooth was out. He got his first visit from the tooth fairy (actually Mr Tooth Fairy forgot to place the cash but fortunately Mrs Tooth Fairy had a coughing attack at 5am and remembered to check). He is so proud of his "two missing tooth-es". I thought he couldn't get any cuter but.....

Mr. Personality

2013-03-28T21:30:00.000-05:00

Declan is full of personality no doubt. Yesterday he decided he was going to dress up in "Easter clothes" before we went to the dentist. He also told everyone it was his new Easter outfit. (None of his clothes he wore were new....and none of the clothes were part of his Easter outfit...ha!)

"Sonic pose":

Another "Sonic pose"... ;)

iPhone dump

2013-03-25T16:46:00.000-05:00

Declan made "listening ears" at church and was oh, so proud of them.

Our drapes took 6 weeks to get in but are worth it. So happy and bright!

Sometimes I look over at Declan and feel like he's SO grown up. This was one of those moments:

Our new neighborhood lacks the trees like we are use to. This street makes me miss them!

Love this monkey:

Our office always has a March Madness/poker party. This was my first year participating and I left with more money than I brought. #winning

Fun play date with Dec's buddies! Shirts off? Why not?!

We are more than halfway through our Foster Care classes!! The licensing process require meds be locked away. I don't mind...I love organizing. ;)

Enjoying our days with this guy (he is in heart failure and won't be around much longer)

Lately...

2013-03-18T23:04:00.001-05:00

We have had a couple days of warmer temps and I forgot how fabulous it is to play outside for hours (and the cat naps that ensue). It is back in the 30s again today. Boo. C'mon, Spring.

Lion King

2013-03-18T22:58:00.001-05:00

This past Friday we went to Omaha to see the Lion King. I had never been to the Orpheum and it was stunning!! The show was fabulous. The costumes were my favorite. So fun!

Circus Time!

2013-03-18T12:13:00.001-05:00

Yes our 4.5 year old had never been to the circus. He isn't much of sitter so we avoid those types of things but he loved it! We met the cousins and had a blast.

truth

2013-03-18T11:20:00.004-05:00

My aunt sent me this and I nodded and said "yes" out loud so many times, it was worth sharing. We don't know the author. It's long but worth the read!

-If you want to fly and move on to better things, you have to give up the things that weigh you down, which is not always as obvious and easy as it sounds. Starting today, give up…
-Letting the opinions of others control your life. People know your name, not your story. They’ve heard what you’ve done, but not what you’ve been through. So take their opinions of you with a grain of salt. In the end, it’s not what others think, it’s what you think about yourself that counts. Sometimes you have to do exactly what’s best for you and your life, not what’s best for everyone else.
-The shame of past failures. You will fail sometimes, and that’s okay. The faster you accept this, the faster you can get on with being brilliant. Your past does not equal your future. Just because you failed yesterday, or all day today, or a moment ago, or for the last six months, or for the last sixteen years, doesn’t have any impact on the current moment. All that matters is what you do right now.
-Being indecisive about what you want. You will never leave where you are until you decide where you would rather be. It’s all about finding and pursuing your passion. Neglecting passion blocks creative flow. When you’re passionate, you’re energized. Likewise, when you lack passion, your energy is low and unproductive. Energy is everything when it comes to being successful. Make a decision to figure out what you want, and then pursue it passionately.
-Procrastinating on the goals that matter to you. There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them. Follow your intuition. Don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. When there is love and inspiration, you can’t go wrong. And whatever it is you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows. Trust me, in a year from now, you will wish you had started today.
-Choosing to do nothing. You don’t get to choose how you are going to die, or when. You can only decide how you are going to live, right now. Every day is a new chance to choose. Choose to change your perspective. Choose to flip the switch in your mind from negative to positive. Choose to turn on the light and stop fretting about with insecurity and doubt. Choose to do work that you are proud of. Choose to see the best in others, and to show your best to others. Choose to truly LIVE, right now.
-Your need to be right. If you keep on saying you’re right, even if you are right now, eventually you will be wrong. Aim for success, but never give up your right to be wrong. Because when you do, you will also lose your ability to learn new things and move forward with your life.
-Running from problems that should be fixed. We make life harder than it has to be. The difficulties started when conversations became texting, feelings became subliminal, sex became a game, the word ‘love’ fell out of context, trust faded as honesty waned, insecurities became a way of living, jealously became a habit, being hurt started to feel natural, and running away from it all became our solution. Stop running! Face these issues, fix the problems, communicate, appreciate, forgive and LOVE the people in your life who deserve it.
-Making excuses rather than decisions. Life is a continuous exercise in creative problem solving. A mistake doesn’t become a failure until you refuse to correct it. Thus, most long-term failures are the outcome of people who make excuses instead of decisions.
-Overlooking the positive points in your life. What you see often depends entirely on what you’re looking for. Do your best and surrender the rest. When you stay stuck in regret of the life you think you should have had, you end up missing the beauty of what you do have. You will have a hard time ever being happy if you aren’t thankful for the good things in your life right now.
-Not appreciating the present moment. We do not remember days, we remember moments. Too often we try to accomplish something big without realizing that the greatest part of life is made up of the little things. Live authentically and cherish each precious moment of your journey. Because when you finally arrive at your desired destination, I guarantee you, another journey will begin! ♥

Life at 4.5

2013-03-10T23:50:00.001-05:00

A little Q & A sesh with my favorite little guy (pinterest inspired)

What's your name?

"d-e-c-l-a-n"

How old are you?

"4 and a half. I'm going to have a Sonic and Mario party

when I turn 5 and getting a DS when I turn 6"

What makes you happy?"when I play with my friends"

What makes you sad?
"time out"

What makes you laugh?"when Jack is crazy"

(our dog...unsure the exact reference, though)

What is your favorite thing to do?
"eat"

What are you really good at?
"drawing"

What are you not very good at?
"drawing mario and luigi cars, daddy does it for me"

What is your favorite food and drink?"Greek yogurt & chocolate milk"

(hilarious to me that he specified Greek yogurt)

What’s your favorite color?
"black & orange...not pink & purple anymore"

Where is your favorite place to go?
"the chiropractor and getting adjusted on the white thing"

(I laughed SO hard at this answer. Out of all the fun places we go he choses the Chiropractor? And the white thing is the table...it goes up and down and he thinks it's the coolest)

Who are your best friends?
"Shauny, Ella, Asher and Evie"

We know who your best friends are but

who are some of your favorite people?

"Bekah, Nana, Papa, Zach and Grandma"

(Bekah's our nanny and Zach a buddy from preschool)

What are your favorite movies or TV shows?"

"Spongebob"

What is your favorite book?"Good Dog Carl"

If you were a cartoon character, who would you be?
"mario, I was already luigi"

Turned the tables to questions about mommy....

What is something Mommy always says to you?"I love you sugar nuts"

What makes Mommy happy?
"when I listen"

What makes Mommy sad?
"not listening"

How does Mommy make you laugh?
"tickles me, sings in silly voices"

What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?
"drink water"

What does Mommy do when you're not around?
"get happy"

What is Mommy really good at?
"lego houses....building strong walls"

What is Mommy not very good at?
"mario game"

What does Mommy do for her job?
"drink water at her office"

(this feels like a reference to when he comes to work withe me...

he's obsessed with the water jug"

What is Mommy's favorite food?
"protein bars"

What makes you proud of Mommy?
"she is happy"

(doubt he understood what I was asking)

What do you and Mommy do together?
"ummm...we play...we read...we go to Target and Cherry Berry"

How are you and Mommy the same?
"we both pretend to be girls"

(ummmm?!??!)

How are you and Mommy different?
"I have short hair and you have beautiful hair"

How do you know Mommy loves you?
"lots of kisses and lot of huggies"

Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?
"work and the pool but the pool is closed until it's hot out. when will it be hot out?"

I'm going to keep doing these questionnaires over the years and I can't wait to see the answers change year to year.

the dog children

2013-03-06T17:39:00.001-06:00

Our dog children are seniors in boxer years and, sadly, it's started to show. Jack (white) has been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and is in heart failure. Until we say goodbye we will enjoy his cranky but loving spirit.

Little Man

2013-02-24T23:41:00.001-06:00

Please stop growing....

what's next?

2013-02-20T22:58:00.000-06:00

What's next with our adoption journey? I wish I knew. As we approach yet another update with our current agency (with very few showings), we are at a crossroads. We applied with another local agency and interviewed for the 4 open spots. There were 20 other couples that interviewed for the same 4 spots. We got a call today that they filled those spots with 4 childless couples. They loved us, but thanks no thanks. Frustrating for sure.

A ray of sunshine in this darkness is that we just completed our second week of 10 weeks of foster care training. We aren't sure fos/adopt is our correct path but we're getting prepared if it indeed is. From here I guess we research different possibilities (facilitators, agencies, attorneys, etc) and see what our next adventure is. By calling it an adventure instead of an incredibly draining and annoying process of meetings and paperwork, I feel a little better. Ha! Everyone copes differently, eh?

love this nugget...

Friday iDump

2013-02-15T11:24:00.000-06:00

I'm resurrecting the ole iDump. I love the ability to catch the random day to day with my phone.

my little artist with his picture of me:

Jack is such a weirdo. He'll lay like this forever:

Got to babysit my nieces this week. They are so adorable:

We've been getting adjusted more with all the sickies going around:

Just chillin' at the chiro's office. This kid cracks me up:

Keller Grace

Declan threw a fit about not being able to see Dora while eating. This was our solution. Some battles aren't worth it:

We hosted our first b.day party for my brother:

lazy dogs:

When the temps are about 40, this little guy heads outside. Love having a big fenced yard. It's going to be a fun Spring/Summer:

Pizza night with the cousins!

story time with Uncle Ryan:

some serious Mario playing...

relaxing and getting better:

My favorite decor item: a huge 42x42 Instagram display:

sickies

2013-02-15T11:06:00.000-06:00

Days after finally moving in to our home, Declan woke up with that horrible sounding croup cough. He struggled to breath and we spent the rest of the night going in between the steamy bathroom and the cold outdoors. The next day I scheduled an appt at 1:30 but about 10:30am after taking his temp (it was 101.3) I gave him Advil and he puked. Off to the doctor (early!) we went. By the time we got there he wasn't being very responsive and his temp went to 103.9. YIKES! We left with a croup diagnosis AND an influenza diagnosis. The next couple of days were a roller coaster but he bounced back so quick! Phew. So, we settled in to the new place by staying holed up in it for a solid week. Good times. Stir crazy, much?!

Soooo out of it. Poor buddy.

Please excuse my absence...

2013-02-04T22:19:00.001-06:00

So happy to say we have moved and are mostly settled. This process started in May when we bought the lot and it's been such a wonderful journey. The move, well, this sums it up: