Allllll the goodbyes

In what felt like ZERO TIME, we were repacking all of our bags and boxes to head back to North Carolina. We had such a fun and full semester in DC, so saying goodbye to our friends there was hard. We were so blessed to have such good friends in DC at the same time as we were. Most of them were friends of ours from college who have made their homes in DC for several years. Some were friends we've made since college via Boston and North Carolina (or via Brad's doctoral work). But they all made our days in the District so much better.

Karl is a friend of ours from college, but we got to know him much better when we all ended up in Boston for a while in 2012. We didn't get to see him a ton in DC, thanks to our varying schedules, but we were able to do dinner with him before heading out. 

We met up at this DC staple.

And we even got a group shot!

Saying goodbye to Amanda was especially hard. We were able to see her and spend time with her about once a week (and sometimes more often). The girls LOVED her and just considered her part of the family. Brad and I have both, individually, been friends with her since college (I was actually her freshman orientation counselor, and Brad had all the same classes with her, thanks to their obscure double majors).

When the 6-year-old takes the picture, you get some real gems.

We got to have a fun evening of dinner, dessert, and Christmas movie-ing with the Crawfords as our farewell. We went over to their house and had burgers, ate their gingerbread houses, and crowded into the family room to watch Angela's Ashes all together. The kids put together a scavenger hunt for us, and we had the best time. It made all of us really sad to remember that after parting ways in DC, the Crawfords would be moving back to Australia, making visits just a teeny bit more difficult in the future.

The Crawfords rented in the neighborhood next to the National Cathedral.

So much love

We really love those Crawfords.

One of my most favorite surprises of living in DC was that Mark and Oksana weren't just friends that we had in the District but that they lived on our street. It was so fun to get to spend time with them as NEIGHBORS, as well as getting to hang with them while they prepared for their first baby.

Gosh, we love them!

I, personally, had an emotional goodbye with our house. We LOVED living there and made truly wonderful memories as a family and with so many friends and family members. It was a fun haven to return to after long days of seeing the sights, a great place to cuddle up together with pizza and a movie, the scene of so many meals shared together and with others. It was a really special place for us to call home for a really special season. We'll always be grateful. (and we'll never forget all of the quail)

Right before we loaded up the vehicles to head back to North Carolina. I made everyone pause for a farewell photo. Lily was thrilled, as you can see. Also...my hair was a mess, thanks to all the packing and hustling.