We went back and forth for a while trying to decide the best way to help Lucy move to Utah. We didn't have a lot of time to take away from work and it was tricky with the boys starting school that week. Driving would have taken too much time, so we decided to fly. We had someone from our ward driving out for education week and my dad was driving out as well. Both were willing to take somethings out for Lucy. That made is possible for her to fill her suitcases full and take what she could. We could always buy things out there and she will be home for Christmas to get anything else she needed. I started feeling sick on Wednesday and was questioning if I should make the trip. Lucy said there was no option, I was coming. I drugged myself up and off we went on Thursday afternoon. We coordinated a lot of help with Nolan while we were gone. He had rides to football that evening and Garrett would pick him up. Our flight got in late Thursday evening/early Friday morning. We were all exhausted and I think getting a little more sleep for me would have been helpful. We got up Friday morning and started running errands. First to Target for cold medicine so I could make it through the day. We then picked up Lucys apartment key and then headed to campus to get her student ID. We decided to walk around campus a little bit since we were there. We walked around and found where Lucy has classes there. They were easy to find. We then got some lunch and headed to her apartment. We were excited to see where she would be living. It is an older apartment and pretty small. I was trying to gauge Lucy on what she thought of it. I asked her later if she liked it and if it met her expectations. She said she didn't really have any expectations. She picked it and it was in the location she wanted and in the price range she wanted to spend. It was nice to see the apartment and see what we needed to get to help it feel like home for Lucy. We meet up with the couple from our ward who brought out a few of Lucys things. They dropped the stuff by. It was so nice of them to help us out. We spent a lot of the day shopping and running errands. We made a trip to Ikea for somethings and then got dinner and stopped by to see JJ's parents. We were staying in a hotel in Provo since I wasn't feeling well. It ended up being the best choice since we were close to Lucy's apartment. We went to Target to use some of Lucy's gift cards. It was so helpful to have those and were able to get several things there at Target. They were also having a discount for college kids. We had a very busy day and were ready for bed that night. Saturday, we got up and started the day by riding the bus and the frontrunner. That was a big thing we wanted to do with Lucy. She doesn't have a car there and she will be riding the bus a lot. We wanted to make sure she felt comfortable with that and especially riding the frontrunner to Salt Lake for her classes. It was fun and easy to ride the frontrunner. We rode it up to Salt Lake and then walked to the building just two blocks from the station. Both of her classes are there and it's easy to find. We are glad she doesn't have much walking to get to where she needs to go. We got off the frontrunner on our way home at Lehi and meet up with Courtney and Jesse. It was a last-minute thing, but I was thankful for them being flexible and meeting up with us briefly while we were in town. They picked us up at the station and we went somewhere quick to have some lunch. That afternoon we ran more errands. We went to Sams club and Walmart and got the last of what we needed to get as well as some groceries. We also went back to Target. We helped get Lucy's bedroom put together. We assembled the Ikea pieces we got, and everything was starting to really look good. Lucy was still going to have somethings to work on after we left. We decided to get a little Caesars pizza for dinner. There is one on the corner of her street. We wanted to ride the bus a little more with her, so we ate our pizza while waiting at the bus stop. After riding the bus, we decided to catch a little bit of the women's soccer game going on. It was a fun game and BYU won. We were exhausted again at the end of our day. We accomplished a lot over the past two days. We slept so well that night. Sunday we were heading home. It was raining and we had planned on a walk but ended up just driving up the canyon to look at Bridal Veil falls and then back to drop Lucy off at her apartment. It really hit us that morning that we were leaving, and Lucy was staying. It is a strange thing to have kids grow up. I remember back to my parents saying similar things and not really understanding. Even other families who have had kids leave for college. I never have understood until now. Going through this and leaving a child in another place is hard. We went into Lucy's apartment, and her roommates were there getting ready for church. It was nice to be able to meet them and most of their families as they moved in that weekend too. Once we were all set, we knew we needed to leave so we could head to the airport. We said our goodbyes, which was harder than I thought. I don't usually cry but I cried saying goodbye to her. I am so happy for her and so excited for this experience, but it is sad to leave her so far away. We know she will do great and have so much fun. This is what we want for her! I saw a quote online that I love and keep telling myself, "The healthy bird leaves the nest." I am thankful Lucy wanted this adventure and has big goals for herself and her future. I know she will do amazing and do great things, I can't wait to see. A big part of our hearts and our family now lives in Utah. We will miss her at home and things won't be the same.
