From Boulder to Baltimore: Last 24 Hours in Boulder

Our last day at our house on Fairway Court was a long one. It seemed the list of things to do was never-ending, even though the movers had finished, the car was gone, the cleaning crew had left. Poor E.J. had a bad cold and spent most of this day crying and whining. We had a steady stream of visitors- Cyndi W. came by with lunch from Snarf's (tears upon departure), Tracy and the boys and puppy hung around helping with many jobs (tears upon departure), Rebecca, Riley and Kyler stopped over with a card for Madison, Margaret and her 4 kids dropped in with presents for the kids for the airplane. The kids had fun running through the house doing cartwheels in all the empty space and made one last trip to the park with our babysitter (and my assistant) Sam.

Madison had a few hours of "alone-time" with best-buddy Sammie, while Emerson and I borrowed Bob and Paula's car (more neighbors) to make a delivery of our stuff to the Vaccaro's house, where we would be having a last sleep-over.

David, Jennifer, Sammie and Jacey came over to say a dreaded goodbye (more tears, which Sammie thought was comical), and then a drive with Patrick and David and about 1000 lbs. of luggage to the Vaccaro's to finally relax. At this point E.J. was at his wit's end, but after a home cooked meal from Cambria and a bath with Hailey, he was a new boy. Patrick stayed for dinner and we enjoyed some deck-time with Cam and Craig, another wonderful meal and some much-needed wine. We got a good sleep, and started the next morning on our final errands and goodbyes. It was beginning to feel like a marathon.

Now borrowing Cambria's car, I took Madison, E.J. and Hannah for a last breakfast at Marie's and a couple of errands, then a last stop on Fairway Ct. to say goodbye to Bob and Paula, and Nikki (another neighbor), who gave us an adorable baby Pine tree from her yard to take with us. We named it "Piney" and it's with us in Maryland now, awaiting a new yard to live in. More tears after hearing such nice words from our neighbors, and a final walk-thru of our house with the kids to say goodbye to each room.

It's hard to leave a house that holds so many memories, good and bad. I remember being 8 months pregnant with Madison on 9/11, getting the phone call early in the morning from Glenn, and then watching the coverage on TV all day with an aching back and swollen ankles. I remember bringing her home from the hospital, to her yellow and white room with the blue sky and clouds her daddy painted on her ceiling. And her pink clubhouse, where she spent so much time with her friends. Both of my children learned to stand, crawl and walk on those wood floors.

It's even harder to leave the col-de-sac. That great big driveway we shared with Patrick (the most patient neighbor who let our kids setup camp on his front stoop, peruse his immaculate garage, and would give them a "spin" whenever they asked), those smooth sidewalks and that quiet street were our haven. Madison and Emerson learned to ride their bikes there, and grew up being comfortable and safe enough to walk to our neighbors houses to borrow some milk, deliver some banana bread, or just say hello. The walks to the park with Sammie and Jacey, the sleepovers, the many play dates and babysitters and nannies and snow storms and rainbows and projects and birthday parties and trampoline sessions. Our children led a great life on Fairway Court and we miss our neighborhood so much (well, except for the raccoons).

Thank you to Cambria for taking us to the airport and helping me with all the luggage. Thank you to all of our friends in Boulder for your love, help and support!