Change sucks

I read a blog a few days ago about how sometimes other people's grass looks greener then our own when viewed through a blog. I feel like my grass is brown and dying. There is honestly very little in my life that I should actually be complaining about. I have two great kids and a husband that loves me and great friends. But there are things in my life that are my challenges... I've already complained about those earlier... and I wish those challenges didn't exist. But it's amazing how one person in your life can make all those things seem easier, or at least not so overwhelming. When we moved to DC, I was a mess. The lifestyle change was huge, and I missed Provo so much. I was depressed for months after we moved here. I had an awful graveyard shift, and our cost of living jumped, and we were in a completely new environment. There are people out there who love and thrive with change. I am not one of them. Then I got an inspired calling at church. I was called to be on the ward welcoming committee. My assignment was to visit new members of the ward and welcome them and see if there was anything I could do to help. One of the families that ended up on my list was the Snows. They were a cute little family with a six month old daughter, Eliza. The mom, Erica, and I hit it off right away. We had them over for dinner the next week and Shaun ended up being their home teacher. Funny side note. If you ever have driven down Quantrell Ave, there is a freeway entrance at the end. It has signs all over it to not enter, and wrong way, but I got lost trying to find Erica's house and turned down that road. Fifty feet down I realized what I had done as I saw on coming freeway traffic headed toward me. Thank goodness the person who I was hood to hood with was patient with me as I backed up off the ramp. Erica and I have been through a lot since then. Morning sickness, kids hitting their terrible twos, husbands working late or being being dumb, looking for the best bargains we could, finding the coolest parks to play in, seeing how many kids you can fit in the back of a sedan, watching our kid's milestones, planting a garden...watching it flood, and having someone always there to talk to or visit no matter how you're feeling. Three and a half years, four kids, and two apartments later the Snows packed up their moving van and moved away. At first I was doing ok. The Snows always leave in July for an extended vacation. And they still had a bunch of unfinished business down here, and Rick was living with us. Then I took a trip to Orlando and got to ignore my sorrows for a while. But now I'm home and she's not here. She didn't move very far and I will see her this weekend. And I've made other incredible friends since I've lived here. But Erica turned into more then just a friend. She's more like a sister and not having her live a few blocks away has been so hard . It's left this awful void that I don't know how to fill just yet. I will always be thankful to her. She's been there for me during so many happy and sad times. And I know everything will be ok, and that she's only a phone call away or a three hour drive. But for now I'm going to feel it. I know that it will be ok. I will have to buck up and expand my horizons, and meet new people and I will be ok again. The people in Williamsburg are very lucky to be adding her to their numbers.Our Garden Summer 2005