The last few weeks before Jameson left went by so quickly.
He had a going away party complete with Mexican soda, a pinata and many dear friends.
The next evening he went to the temple which was such a special night and it meant so much to him to have so many family members and friends to share that day with him.
The next 2 weeks were filled with finalizing purchases and preparations. We thought we were doing pretty good, but there were lots of last minutes things to do.
I saw an idea online and knew I had to send a little love with every tie for Jameson.
I also made a recipe book with a lot of simple recipes like how to boil an egg, make oatmeal, etc. as well as some family favorite recipes. Then I made a photo album with family pictures and inspirational quote pictures. I also sent him with a binder full of inspirational talks and other important info- his immunizations, priesthood line of authority, fathers and setting apart blessings.
The day before he left we spent hours packing. Man, it was hard to get everything he wanted to bring for the next 2 years into 3 suitcases and a backpack. We did lots of rearranging and unpacking. In the end his jar of peanut butter, iced animal crackers and flipflops had to get left behind.
We went up to Lincoln and went out to Valentino's for one last dinner with Grandma & Grandpa Koski and Grandma and Grandpa Bennett.
President VanTassel set Jameson apart. He gave a beautiful blessing and it was comforting to here some of the same advice and promises that Troy had given him in his Fathers blessing 2 days before.
We took some last family photos :(
When we got home Jameson soaked up the last bit of social media that he could. We both were up until it was time to leave for the airport. Me and those darn suitcases were not on good terms. I was just praying that they wouldn't be overweight.
We got to the airport at 4:20.
We got him checked in and it was the moment of truth for the luggage.
Phew!
I seriously think the last hour that we had with Jameson went by in double time. We were busy chatting- taking a few photos and then before we knew it it was time to say goodbye.
There was no holding back the tears now. We had a last family prayer in the airport and we all gave our final hugs.
It was time for the hardest thing I've ever done as a parent- to let him go. I watched him all the way through security until he was out of sight. We then tearfully walked back to the car. I felt more than sad at this point. I know that he was making the right decision to go- I just wasn't prepared for how much I was going to miss seeing him and being able to talk to him. It was so hard to say goodbye.
There were more tears on the way back home. Everyone took a little nap before heading to school and work for the day. And when I say I got a little nap- it was only 15 minutes- which wasn't enough since I had not got a chance to go to bed at all. My emotions were running high all day.
I burst into tears of gratitude when a kind soul shared a picture that they took of Jameson at the Salt Lake City Airport. Later that evening we got a quick email saying that Jameson had made it to Mexico.
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