Going Away...but not yet

Yesterday there was a going away party for me at work. The party was pretty fun (rather than sad) because we all knew that I still have 2 more weeks before I leave. In otherwords...we were still able to avoid thinking about the day that I actually leave!


Tina (on the left) and RaeAnn (holding Cheyenne and Cheryl) organized the party and made tons of delicious food! Tina and her family moved here just a year after we moved to Kansas, however, it's hard to remember the LRC without her! She has been such a wonderful friend to me and to Brody. She is such a compassionate and selfless person. She is always ready to help in whatever way we need it. Brody loves going over to her house (right next door to the LRC) to play with Chip (one of her dogs). She is one of the people Brody talks about when we're at home. He loves "Nina"! Torrey and Brice worked for us during the summer while they were in high school. I always had a lot of fun with these two guys...and can't believe that they're now college graduates! They're always good about stopping by to see me when they come home for a visit and it was good to get to see them one more time before I leave.
Manuel is one of Brody's favorite gym members. He comes into the gym every morning and Brody will run to the baby gate (that keeps him out of the weight room) and wait for Manuel to come say "Hi". One day Brody was playing with a fly swatter and Manuel showed him an imaginary fly on the door frame. Every day since then he's had to hit pretend flys with Brody.

Yvonne has been part of my life ever since we moved to Kansas. First she was a member in my aerobics class, then she was a sponsor on our Kid's Day Out trips, then she became a fellow aerobics instructor, for a while she babysat for us, and now she also cleans for us! She always has a smile on her face and an encouraging word on her lips.
Marcia has been a fixture at the LRC since way before my time. She taught aerobics for 5 years before I arrived in 2000. She is the one who mentored me while I was learning to be an aerobics instructor. She is now a member of our Board of Commissioners and helps us to make decisions regarding the future direction of the LRC. Not only has she been a mentor and a Board member...she has been a wonderful friend!
Brody was excited to go to the party once I told him that Chey would be there! They love playing together! RaeAnn and I enjoy watching them play together too! RaeAnn started working for us in 2004. She has been such an asset to the LRC! I can't believe that I used to do this job all by myself! Not only is she a co-worker, she is like a sister to me! I really enjoyed the conferences that we went to together. We'd stay up late at night talking about everything. We ask for each others advice on everything from work to parenting. Even though we only see each other for about 30 minutes a day...I'm really going to miss that 30 minutes! I've already been going thru withdrawals since she's on maternity leave right now. I'm glad that we both have blogs and email so that we can keep up with each other thru pictures and stories!
RaeAnn and I were talking about how much trouble these two would get into if Brody was here for a few more years!
I didn't get a picture of Junior, my boss, at the party. I'll get one of him later. He deserves a separate post anyways ;)

Thanks to RaeAnn and Tina for a wonderful day. The good thing is....I can still avoid thinking about leaving. I still have 9 more working days...