Tosha's Moving Day

After spending some time with Tosha and Austen, Tuesday came way to fast.  A small moving van pulled up Monday night and then it began to feel real.  They were really going to pack up and move to Oklahoma.

Back story:  During the past few months people would often say things like "How can you let him take her to Oklahoma City?"  A weird question for me.  After all, we have lived much of our lives in different places from our families and I have never lived closer than 8 hours from my mom.  Why would you tell your child they "couldn't" move?

And actually, Gary and I packed up the day after we were married in Provo and started our drive on much of the same roads Tosha and Austen were traveling to move to Springfield, Missouri, where we lived the first 9 months of our married lives.

Despite all of that preparation and intellectual understanding, it was very tender to actually live through it as the mom.  Tuesday morning Tosha told me not to cry and then later told me I could cry.  I assured her I would not cry..."until after she left."  For her, I was very happy and excited.  She had married a sweet guy who is crazy about her and they were going to have a chance to build their family like we did with only each other to rely on.  Plus I knew the road trip would be amazing!! Gary and I learned so much about each other during those three days of driving cross-country and I knew they would to.

They got everything loaded about 11 (except for one large box of stuff I found later and some wedding gifts which arrived after they left).  I was so glad when Gary invited to feed them lunch before they headed up to Mountain Green to get a few more things packed from his dad's house.

Austen and Tosha
all smiles during lunch
Their adventure was really beginning now!

Scott came over as well to visit with us and say good bye to them.  They were hoping to be able to come home for a week at Christmas time but that has been changed.  Now we are hoping to see them in May.  Austen's brother gets home from his mission and his sister graduates from high school then.

After a long lunch, they headed on their way and we headed home.  I took these two pictures. 

I do miss her but I love sharing her life through phone calls and cute pictures with texts.  We are hoping to do FaceTime with them on Christmas if we can get it worked out on Jena's IPad. 

I don't know about the future but I feel very peaceful about this movement in Tosha's life.  I know that God's timing is perfect and He moved Tosha so that she was open and ready to meet Austen and I think Austen was prepared as well through some hard times.  They know to treasure each other and both have a firm belief in the importance of marriage and families.