Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone

This was the perfect quote for me this evening......
I never imagined how difficult it would be to turn this page in my life!I feel like I am loosing a limb or something! So bitter sweet.... To look in our Son's room full of packed bins and empty walls, I feel like I may just die from heart ache...But it's all good, and their is a rainbow on the other side of this storm of tears!
It is Monday evening, Chanceton is out for his final night with all of his dear and wonderful friends. He has been blessed with wonderful friends indeed! I am up waiting for his return... He has pants that need hemming and I cant sleep until they are done!!
Tomorrow Chance will spend the day here with Joyah and I. Then tomorrow evening He will be set apart as an Elder - Elder Schreiber! Man I like the sound of that! Then Wednesday morning 5:30 AM we will head for the MTC. The "Kick Em' Out At The Curb" Just doesn't sound good to any of us so we wanted to get to Provo early enough for some lunch together and then we wanted to spend some time on the Temple grounds for some pictures and our last good bye's. Oh just typing that makes my heart hurt!
Two Sundays ago we had Chance's farewell. Chance was surrounded by family and friends. He gave such a great talk. He talked about the progression of his testimony, he talked about how when he was younger he knew he wanted to go on a mission, but it wasn't until he was older when he began to understand WHY he wanted to Serve the Lord.
Then this past Sunday we went to our Jackson ward, oh how we love our Jackson family! It was fast Sunday so Chance bore his testimony. The rest of the meeting was as wonderful as Sundays in Jackson always are. We left feeling edified and rejuvenated. Then we spent time at our Dear friends the Genzer's home visiting with friends who came to bid love and well wishes to Chance. We are so grateful for our Jackson Family. Eric and I know without a doubt the HUGE roll they have played in Chanceton's life! Chance was blessed to have outstanding Y/M leaders, Seminary teachers, Sunday School teachers, Bishops and "watch-guards" We can never say enough good about the people of Jackson! We are forever grateful for your love and support for our family!
Then we were able to spend the rest of the evening at a fundraiser event. The proceeds went towards a fund created through Christine Goodman, Erin's mother~ Erin was Chance's close friend who was killed in a automobile crash just one year ago. Christine has started this fund ~The Erin Goodman Fund~ to give financial aid to youth who want to follow their dreams, rather it be collage, or traveling the world. Christine awarded a scholarship to Chance which will help with the cost of his mission. What a great event and what a great evening! They had a awesome dinner, a live band, raffles, a AMAZING silent auction! I was so impressed with what the local merchant's had donated for the event and Christine had donated many art and jewelery pieces that were just beautiful! Chance won the bid on some gorgeous earrings for me! And Eric won the bid on a night with breakfast at the Old Irwin lodge... SCORE! Lucky Me!
We have been trying to have as much family time as possible. Its been nice just having dinner out on the deck each night and enjoying the early mornings on the deck for breakfast. We've had several late movie nights, park trips and picnics with Joyah and just spending time together. Its funny how much you enjoy the small and simple every day things when you know they are changing and in some ways coming to a end.
My heart is overflowing with emotion! Thank you so much to dear friends and family who have NOT left me alone! Your sweet text,letters to my p.o. box, emails and voice messages have buoyed me up! Thank you for reading past my silence and loving me still! It has meant the world to me!
My dear friend Rebecca! You came to my home, helped feed my family, cleaned up my kitchen AND THEN... did it all again in your home the next Sunday! I love you!
All my family, I love you so much! Thank you for being so wonderful to Eric and Our children! Your love and examples, mean more to Eric and I than you will ever know! We love you all so much! I'm not sure how we ended up so blessed but blessed we are! Eric and I were talking about how wonderful it is to have family who loves you, and gets along so well and on top of that, family that is such great examples to our children! Chance has watched 2 Uncles leave and return from honorable Missions. He has watched his close Cousin prepare and leave for a mission. He has watched Aunts and Uncles get married and start wonderful, happy families and it just goes on and on! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! It takes a village and man do we belong to a AWESOME tribe! We love you! I found a few pictures of our sweet Chance I wanted to post. Chance has taught me more in his life than I have learned in all of mine! I had him when I was 20 and we helped to raise each other! He has helped me to make so many choices in my life, choices that have made my life change for the good. He is our only son and such a precious gift to Eric and I. We love him and are going to miss him beyond words. BUT we are so excited to share him with the Philippine people! Chance will make a wonderful Missionary! Heavenly Father shared Chance with us and now it is our turn to share him and his sweet spirit with others. Chance, your Dad and I love you so much and are so pleased with the Man you are becoming! You impress us every day! We cant even believe we were blessed to have the likes of you in our home for 19 years! We are so excited for you and this next chapter in your life!