Goodbye Seems To Be the Hardest Word - Princess Five Leaves For Her Mission

Princess Five has been waiting for months to finally head out to become a missionary. She first goes to Mexico to learn Spanish for six weeks and then will head to her final destination for the rest of the 18 months she will serve. 

We are many hours from the airport and she had to report at the airport at 5 a.m. I didn't want to have to drive all those hours in the middle of the night and worry about bad weather or having a car problem or anything on the way there, so we decided to stay at my fathers home the night before as they are only 1/2 hour from the airport. 

We picked up Princess Two on the way to their home and decided to meet them for dinner at Olive Garden for Princess Fives last meal before leaving as we are not a big early morning eating family. It was funny that we literally ended up on the exit ramp behind my dad and we had hours on the road so to take the exit at the same time they did to meet at the restaurant was really a feat! 

We enjoyed a good meal and they were very sweet to pay for us. We enjoyed eating there and I hadn't been to that restaurant since my mothers 80th birthday party when we all went there for dinner so it brought back a few memories for me to be eating there. Here is a link to that post. 

After that meal, we went to visit her Step Great-Grandmother. My step-mothers (only use that term to distinguish her for you as I love her like a mother) mom is 96! She is still alert and amazing and remembers everyone's names and what they are doing and has a better memory than I do. Her hearing is going and her eyes aren't what they used to be but she is still going strong. Here is a link to some history she shared about the war when she worked near Pearl Harbor. 

We also visited my mothers grave as we hadn't been there since her headstone was placed on the grave. It was sad to see it had shifted some and was a bit crooked but we realized when there that it was the anniversary of my nieces death that day. It was a surreal moment.

After that, we went to my fathers house and they were so wonderful to have us. I had promised Princess Five I would do her toenails and give her one last pedicure (see here a post about that) before she left but we got so busy packing and getting ready that it didn't happen so we all sat on my bed and I did her toes as I had brought all the needed items with me.

We talked and giggled until her toenails dried and then she and Princess Two shared a bed and didn't get much sleep visiting and whispering most of the night. I heard them get up a few times in the few hours of sleep I got but we all had to be up by 4 a.m. to get things packed up and in the car and then to the airport for the 5 a.m. check in and then security. 


We ran into a few other families sending missionaries to Mexico that morning and we traded out taking family pictures for each other. I was glad to know she would have someone on the plane with her. 

There weren't many people around when we first arrived, but we visited for a few minutes and then I snapped this last pictures while she was going through security. We watched until she was through security but we couldn't see her once she got through, so this was our last eye contact before she left, but would you look at the smile on her face. Even thought she was nervous and a bit sad leaving, you can clearly see she is excited and happy to be heading out to serve. 

We got a short email from her saying she arrived safely and will write next week. 

I am truly blessed! I hope you have a blessed day!