309 South Boundary Street

Looking at these pictures makes me SO homesick! I MISS this house SO MUCH! It was a cute little house and it was ours (well, we were renting, but you know what I mean). It’s the house we brought Kate home to and we made so many good memories there!

Here is a tour of our home for those of you who haven’t seen it and want to :)

Tim and my dad planted tulip bulbs in front of the bushes but they had already bloomed and died by the time we left :(

This is what you see when you walk in the front door.The door just to the right of the stairs goes into the dining room. The door next to that is Tim and my room. Straight across from our room is Kate’s room and between the two is a bathroom.

The door to the right of the front door is the living room. The room on the left of this picture is Kate’s room. Just out of the picture to the right is an “under the stairs closet”.

Heading up the stairs. Our landlord turned the attic into a room, a bathroom, lots of storage space and a walk-in closet

We had already packed the upstairs when I took these pictures. We had a futon, a computer & desk, an old TV, bookshelves and my craft supplies,etc. up here. The tiny door to the right is a crawl space with lots of storage room. To the right of it (not in the picture) is the door to the bathroom.

We didn’t have a linin closet so the storage container to the right of the shower was our closet :)

Straight across from the bathroom was the walk-in closet.(this picture was taken before the other upstairs pix because there are boxes and other items in the picture) When I was teaching I would get ready upstairs (not only was in more convenient with my clothes right by the bathroom but when you see the downstairs bathroom, you’ll know why!) 

A clearer view of the door to the walk-in closet. Inside the closet on either side was tiny doors that lead to crawl spaces for storage as well.

Here’s the living room. The open door you see in the back on the left is the door that’s next to the front door at the bottom of the stairs. We LOVED the built-in bookshelves! I hope to have those in my dream house someday! :)

There is another built-in bookshelf in the opposite corner. Through the doorway on the right you can see the dining room. There are three doors in the dining room—one to the living room, one to the kitchen, and one to the hallway (that you saw in the picture of the stairs)

The landlord enclosed the back porch and made it into a laundry room. It was just off the kitchen (through that door behind the fridge in the picture on the right)

Here’s more of the kitchen.

Here’s the dining room.

The door on the left is the kitchen. I was taking the picture from the doorway that is pictured below.

From this doorway you can see Kate’s room and the bathroom. Our room is around the corner (across from Kate’s room)

Here’s our room

We had the worlds smallest closet so we were glad there was a walk-in closed upstairs!

I took this picture from our doorway. Kate’s room is straight ahead and the bathroom is to the left.

Here’s the tiny bathroom! The tub (not pictured—obviously) is across from the sink. When we opened the bathroom door it would barely miss the sink! And the only storage space was in the mirror on the wall (which pretty much fit toothpaste and deodorant :))

Here’s Kate’s room! (Tim painted the green trim…actually he painted the entire downstairs before we moved in & added the green just before Kate was born)

In front of Kate was a wardrobe (sort of like on Beauty & the Beast but it was oak colored instead of white :)) A few years before we rented the house, the landlord would rent the house out by room & you had to have a closet in each room to be able to do that so she got a wardrobe :)

Kate really was & is “Our little dream come true!” Mand helped me make that with her Cricut. Lindy and Mand helped me make the curtains when they came to VA after Kate was born.

Tim and I painted and put up the quilt rack (we got the flowers & swirls from The Wood Connection) holding the quilt that my mom, Mand & Lind made for Kate when she was born! I LOVE it! We make one for all of the grandkids/nieces & nephews. Here’s some close-ups.

*Sigh* I loved Kate’s room :(

Speaking of things I loved about that house, I LOVED the door knobs! Aren’t they so cool and antique-looking!?

I cried when we did our final walk through before we had to head to the airport :( I’m definitely the sentimental type :) I miss that cute little house at 309 South Boundary Street so much!

Saying Goodbye

It was so hard to say goodbye to all the people in VA that had become our family for the past three years. I felt like it was even harder then saying good bye to our families when we left UT because we don’t know when we will ever see the friends we made in VA again.

My co-workers at Merrimack Elementary took me and Kate out to Olive Garden for lunch to say good bye. They were known as my “Merrimack Family”. They were so kind to me and sometimes when I had to stay late and arrive early I felt like I lived at the school :) They really were so good to me and I was so thankful for their kindness! I got to work with some amazing teachers!

It was really hard to say my final good-byes to my Young Women and the other leaders. I gave the lesson that Sunday and gave the girls a frame that was three 5X7’s put together. Each opening had a section of the words to one of my favorite songs and a picture of the YW that I gave it to.

On this one I had a picture of the YW in her blessing dress

On this one I had a picture of her at her baptism

On this one I had the YW tell me her favorite Temple or the Temple she wanted to get married in (this is the DC Temple).

At the end of my lesson I played the song for them and bore my testimony. These YW are so STRONG and so GOOD! I miss them SO much!

Not all of my YW were there, but this is most of them :) We had two families move that had two YW each, so we were missing those four and then one girl that isn’t active and one that wasn’t there that Sunday. They all adored Kate and she adored them! The YW were so sweet and had a surprise goodbye party for me later that night. I don't have any pictures (I didn't have my camera because it was a surprise :))

Here’s the girls and the all the leaders except for Heather (one of my best friends, next door neighbor, and my 1st counselor :))

Heather & her little family (her husband Dustin & their daughter Esme) were vising family when we left so we said our good-byes before they left.

We were SO sad to leave Heather & her little family! I have been blessed my whole life to have best friends so close - I got to share a room with one of my best friends growing up & had best friends within walking distance & then get to be room-room mates with some of my best friends and have awesome roomies that became some of my best friends but I never thought after I got married (other than Tim of course) I’d get to have such an awesome friend right next door! Heather’s husband was in Law School with Tim and we rented two houses next door to each other. It was the best! Heather is so kind & was such a good example to me! When I was sick instead of saying “let me know if you need anything” she’d bring me a box of tissues and cold medicine and some soup. We had a key to their house and when we needed to borrow a cup of sugar or anything else & they weren’t home they’d just say to go right in a get it. I know all of you reading this would do the same. I have been blessed with the most amazing friends and family!

Speaking of amazing family, my dad and Tim’s sister Michelle came out to help us finish packing and to help load the moving truck. Michelle drove our KIA from VA to UT with Tim and my dad flew back with me and Kate so I didn’t have to try and do it all alone. They were a HUGE help and we felt SO blessed to have such kindness shown to us.

There was a ferry from Jamestown to Surry and we rode it with my dad one last time

We had the house all packed up and were headed out for one last walk around Colonial Williamsburg.

Busch Gardens & Water Country

We bought a dual season pass to both Busch Gardens and Water Country and didn’t go nearly enough but we did go enough times to make it worth buying the season pass rather then a few different day passes! :) We went one last time to each place.

At Busch Gardens we met up with our friends the Christiansen’s

We watched Collin while his parents rode on the big roller coasters and then they did the same for us. Collin is trying to get a goldfish and Kate is hording them!

We discovered that Kate was big enough to go on a few of the kid rides! The Little Gliders were by far her favorite!

Blake & Collin with Tim & Kate in the background

Liesel & Collin with me & Kate in the background

We also ran into our friend Olivia and her kids. (Tim knows Olivia’s husband from HS and he graduated from W&M Law School the year before Tim). Ella is their little girl (she’s on the right laying down & the little boy next to her is one of their friends)

Kate also LOVED the Kinder Karussel as you can plainly see by the huge grin on her face!

At Water Country the “Hubba Hubba Highway” was our favorite! According to the website “It’s like a lazy river that’s anything but lazy. Hubba Hubba Highway’s fast-moving current speeds you along. We all put on life jackets and let it carry us around! It was so fun a relaxing!

This time that we went we met up with Olivia and her Kids. Here’s a picture of Kate & Ryan

Here’s a good close-up of Kate’s poor nose. She fell off our front porch right onto her nose :(

Water Country was way fun and had a bunch of kid-friendly attractions! Kate liked it a lot last spring but I think she’d love it now! Too bad it’s so far away :(