Last full day in Illinois

My final day at work was Sept 21 and after work, my boss hosted a very nice going away party at a local restaurant called The Claddagh (how fitting). Many people showed up and I received some very nice gifts. Who would've thought?!--I wasn't expecting gifts and didn't even consider that I may receive some...people were so generous and thoughtful, I got some really nice jewelry, a designer bag, some gift cards, and a few inside joke gifts and nice cards. I was most honored by the presence of people who were able to make it and the flattering comments they spoke. I will miss the people that I worked with and am so thankful for the friends and experiences there. I was a sappy mess that night!!

The next day, Thursday, was spent finishing packing up the house. The kids were surprised to see all the boxes packed when they got home from daycare. Then Adam and I dropped the kids off for a play date (babysitting) while we had a date night getting a couples massage using up a gift certificate he had given me for our anniversary (it was actually a couple years old and I had used part of it, but there was still plenty left I didn't want to waste). We then picked up my dad from the Metra station after his bus trip from MN to help us move, ask him later about his adventures :) We packed a little more and so the kids were even more surprised to see all the boxes in the morning, but they found a way to turn on their favorite cartoon and still watch part of it before their last day of "school".

They had a great last day. I sent a camera to get pictures with them and their friends and Conor's class even made him a really great giant going away card that they all signed with their handprints. It was sweet. He is now trying to maintain them as penpals and send letters and pictures back and forth.

We did some final packing and Dad, Adam and I loaded up the big 24-foot rental truck as much as we could that day. When it was time to pick up the kids, we took a break and went for one last dinner at Gino's East Pizza to get a deep dish Chicago-style pizza. We came home and got to have a mini-family movie night sitting on the floor with blankets and pillows, watching on the computer.

Last night sleeping in our house in Illinois (we tried to let them sleep in the same room like a sleepover, but they were distracting each other too much and getting a little crabby)...