A Few Lasts and Firsts

When you plan a move as far ahead as Dan and I have this time, you start accumulating a lot of "lasts" and "firsts." I began thinking about this when it dawned on me that Balloon Fiesta will begin next weekend, and that it will be my LAST one. Albuquerque's ballooning tradition is going to be one of the things I most miss about New Mexico.

Here are a few other "lasts" we've already passed:

I've taught my LAST toddler's Bible class at Northeast. I'll miss teaching those little sweethearts, and hope I'll be able to help out with the Bible class program once we get settled into a new church family in Temple.

I just went through my LAST performance review at the UNM Foundation. In fact, that was probably my LAST performance review . . . period. (Don't get any ideas, Dan!)

On the day we moved out of our house, we pulled out of the garage for the LAST time, and said good-bye to our dear neighbors across the street. It would be the LAST time they would be our neighbors, but if there's one thing we've learned through all of our moves, it's that there's no end to some friendships. Let's keep in touch, David and Lorraine.

Now that fall is officially here, we've spent our LAST spring and summer in Albuquerque. Dan has celebrated his LAST birthday here. He saw our dentist for the LAST time, last week, and I saw my optometrist for my LAST eye exam.

But with every "last" comes a "first."

We just signed the closing papers on our house, and, with that, have just purchased our FIRST house in Texas.

I'm excited for the FIRST Sunday night, after we retire, when we don't have to set our alarm to get up for work the next morning. (Yes, we might still set an alarm, but it won't be for 4:30 a.m., which is Dan's normal rising time.)

And maybe my favorite first . . . I'm so looking forward to the FIRST time we can have a family holiday meal at our new house. "Over the river and through the wood, to Grandmother's house we go" will be my new theme song! (For those who are precise, I realize that the original lyrics are, "to Grandfather's house we go." He'll be there too, of course, but I'm changing the words to make the song mine.)