Mission farewell PARTY!

 

Jennifer will keep TeddyPuppy for me until I get back. I didn't want to take him with me to El Salvador. I thought about it- he is a nice little piece of home- but concluded it would be a childish thing to do. Missionaries are supposed to rely on the Lord, not stuffed animals from their childhoods. And besides... he could get lost.

Lots of people came in support of Graig and I: family, friends and neighbors. We were happy to see them all!

 Anderson relatives group shot

 Graig and I with our Grandma and Grandpa Anderson

 Henrie relatives group shot

 My friend Zach returned from an LDS mission in Paraguay just in time to tell me goodbye

 Friends who came to the Sunday brunch at our house:(back row) Joseph, Jennifer, Mary, Jill, Mara, Josh, Amanda, (front row) Sara, Ashley and me!

 Literally supported by my aunts and cousins :)

 Graig and I with Sister and Brother Southard- best home teachers in the Church!

 I will miss my friend Jill a lot. She's a great strength to me. We'll write each other, though!

 More friends: Tyler, Katelyn, me, Carron

I'll miss Katelyn lots, too.

 I love this family! We've been neighbors for close to 20 years- pretty much my whole life. Graig and I grew up with their kids. Tina (in the pink) was also our preschool teacher.

 Great family friends, the Browns

 Representatives from more family friends, the Caprios

 Jennifer is such a good friend that she's practically been adopted into my family. :)

 Whitney wasn't able to see our farewell talks, but she came Monday night especially to say goodbye. I've also known her for most of my life.

 

Somebody must have told me a joke! 

My mom's friend Sarah Brown is a freelance graphic designer. She designed these business cards for Graig and I. Lots of people exclaimed about how cute they were, so I thought I'd include her information here. Her email address is sarahbrowndesigns (at) gmail.com; just send her an email for quotes and design samples. She's designed logos and shirts among other things, and as you can see, she's good at what she does.