annual fall festival

last night we attended the seminary's fall family festival.  it was the 5th year we've attended.  5th year!!!  i dare say it is the most traditional thing in our family's life.  heck, we've been going every year since before sophia was born!  the first two years we were living at the seminary and walked up with all of our neighbors.  the first year we had no idea what to expect, and were so blown away by all that they had for us to do.  the second year a larger group of neighbors headed up as it was the 100th anniversary of the seminary and it was rumored to be a great time.  sky divers and fireworks shows did not dissappoint.

the third and fourth year we went with dear friends, who have since moved and are doing other things.  i spent a good part of last night remembering and thinking about all the families we have met in our time here that are no longer living near us. all the wonderful people who have now moved on and are scattered about the country.  mississippi, pennsylvania, vermont, illionois, indiana, georgia, arizona.  we could go anywhere in the U.S. and have someone to visit!

last night i looked forward to going just the 5 of us.  to holding matt's hand and watching our kids play.  from being pregnant, to pushing strollers, to not even going with a diaper, i anticipated it would be a freeing night to sit back and watch the kids play.

bounce houses and slides.  cotton candy and pony rides.  cowboy hats and funnel cake.  it was a great night.  and as we left, our sugared up kids thanked us profusely for taking them.

half way through the night the president addressed everyone, thanking everyone for coming.  he talked about why they throw such a bang up party every year.  part of the reason is solely for the kids.  to give them a good time in the hopes that when they think back to the 'time when mommy or daddy was in school' it will be filled with good memories.  remember it as a happy time.

i appreciated him saying that, but as i thought of my own kids, about their experience here in kentucky, i realized they would never think of it as 'the time daddy was in school'.  it's just their life.  for sophia and alaythia, all of their memories, all and the majority of their lives have been in kentucky.  and we have a great life here.  isaiah already laments the idea of leaving. 

maybe it was the extravagance of last night.  maybe it was the back drop of the beautiful buildings of southern seminary against the kentucky sky.  or maybe it was 5 years.  the tradition, the people, the familiarity.  if matt doesn't get me out of here soon...i just might stay.