Horribly Painful Good-byes and Decidedly Happy Hello’s.

Marci, going through the temple after receiving her mission call to the Washington Vancouver Mission.

Not many days later she was out the door for her first semester at BYU-Idaho with Aubrey and I don’t think ANY of us realized how hard this would be on her and Jamie, who have basically been inseparable since, well, forever it seems.

The car is packed to the roof with college stuff, aubrey has won the position as driver, and they are ready to roll – except for the good-byes.

This is the first time they have ever been separated for any significant period of time.

I have learned from sad experience that it is difficult to be behind the camera whilst one is crying.

Just watching these two made Jim and I both lose it. 

Well, life moves on, tears and all.

Marci was extremely fortunate to have Aubrey as a roommate and to take her around and ease her in to college life.  Heck, I was extremely fortunate.  It helped me survive dropping off a baby at college and the inevitable separation anxiety I go through wondering if they are going to be happy, eat well, get along with their roommates, brush their teeth, and find their way to all the new places they need to go.

I was just positive that these two would not be able to room together peaceably, as they have extremely different levels of clutter tolerance.  But I have been reassured that things have worked out surprisingly well between them, and that the more clutter tolerant roommate has the ability to live at the cleanliness level of the less clutter tolerant.

Jim and I walked through different buildings on campus with Aubrey and Marci and had fun admiring the fruits of Aubrey’s Ultimate Coaching Escapades.  If you will take careful notice, in Fall 2010, Fall 2011, and Fall 2012, A. Walton, short for Aubrey Walton, was the coach of the Championship teams.

Sisters . . .Aubrey’s last semester before she graduates and Marci’s first.

Marci was denied the opportunity to get her ID card until she came back the next day with shoes on.  None of those ankle-showing outfits on this campus. . .

Jamie had a race in Park City the Friday of Conference weekend.  Marci and Aubrey drove down from Rexburg, but didn’t tell Jamie when they were coming.  The last she knew, they were coming in about 11 that night.  We were hoping they could make it by the time Jamie raced at 4, but they were awfully far away still.  She started the race and they still hadn’t made it, but just as she was coming around the last part of the course, they drove up.  We hurriedly found them a place to stand with us at the finish line and they were able to yell for her as she came running in.

Jamie has just finished and is trying to figure out who she heard yelling for her.

Jamie has to go through the stiles to get her time recorded.

They hugged and cried for 5 minutes.  You would think it had been 2 years instead of 3 weeks since they were last together.

They got a few words in and had to start hugging all over again.

This is one Decidedly Happy Hello.