Saying Goodbye to Daybreak

Our family had a few events that lead to us needing to move from Daybreak. The main one being my husband’s health, the awful air full of PM 2.5 in our county was affecting honestly his life span. He got so sick that I would have to pick him up from walks around the neighborhood. He was getting sicker and sicker in the last year, in the last six months, and then the last three months were the worst. Other factors were a part of it as well. But the actual decision was unexpected and pushed on us by other factors. Bottom line, it was not a happy move and one that I feel like was not a choice.

The hardest thing for myself was that I had finally felt like I had a tribe, home in my heart, and felt fulfilled in ways I hadn’t in a long time. Don’t get me wrong Daybreak isn’t perfect, there are some downsides that would drive me crazy. But the most heartbreaking thing was that we were loved, I really had no idea fully until we left, how loved we are. That was very hard to leave. It was 18 months ago and we are still healing from it.

When we had to move I took each of the girls on a walk alone around Daybreak to talk with me and say goodbye.

Cameron was going to miss Daybreak itself; the viewpoints, the mountain views, the walks we would go on. Actual physical Daybreak is what I feel like broke her heart to leave.

Abby was going to miss her friends, her wonderful tribe of friends that any girl would be lucky to have in her life.

Shae was going to miss the comfort and safety that Daybreak gave her, and her sweet new best friend she had just grown close to.

Reagan was going to miss her crew, her long list of friends around every corner.

Our family was going to miss the people, the vibe Daybreak has, the community, how wonderful they all were at helping each other, and feeling like we had a HOME.

Other than the walks we did a few other things to say goodbye. I had each girl invite a special friend to do something fun with in the house we lived and loved so hard. Daybreak which was our home for five years.

 

Reagan invited her friend Neva over to make slime together.

Shae invited her cousin Emma over to make pom pom animals with and also got to have a late night with Carter.

Cameron invited her friend Summer over who is Heather’s sister and one of Abby’s closest friends. They got together and made crafts.

 

We took some last swims in the pools before we were kicked off the passes!

Saying goodbye to our house and our house before that was hard! We had to even say goodbye to the Bunny Tree, special closet under the stairs, special windows, etc.

I had a last girls night out with a group of friends that meant so much to me. One of my biggest regrets of living in Daybreak was that I didn’t spent more time with them. I spent so much time working, with my calling, and balancing my kids that it was hard to get together most of the time when they did. But I miss having a group like that so badly that I wish I would have spent more time with them. I pushed them all to make a movie work one night and didn’t tell them why. But I knew and I tried not to cry the whole night.

I spent time with my book club for the last time and gifted them all books. Went to lunch and dinner with my friend Staci and Camilla who were such good and dear friends during my time there. The last person in Utah I saw was my friend Jodi who continues to be such a great person in my life.

 

We met friends to say goodbye at our favorite parks in Daybreak and time at our friend’s homes.

We said goodbye to teachers around the neighborhood that had been part of my girls’ lives for a long time. Abby had a YW party goodbye and also a Sunday School party thrown for her. She got to go to girls camp with them and spend time with her sweet friend Ivy.

Shae said goodbye to her reading tutor where she spend some of her best times at. She sure loved all her time with Ms Nancy.

Also her speech teacher Ms Heather. We were lucky to live in a place with so many resources to help Shae get a head start on some learning issues she had.

The older girls had a piano teacher that was just perfect for their personalities and that they still miss to this day, Christel Fund. They also had an art teacher, Marissa, that helped them paint their home on their last painting lesson. I totally started crying when I saw them sitting across the street doing that. Marissa was so wonderful with Cameron especially.

Daybreak’s Mathnasium that fixed all the hatred my girls had from math after sending them to a math center for about five years that I didn’t even know wasn’t that great. Mathnasium was fun for them to go to and helped them really enjoy math for the first time.

Reagan’s primary teacher that she had the entire time we lived there, Trisha, threw her a goodbye party. Watching her say goodbye to Reagan was so bittersweet. Wonderful to see how much she was loved and heartbreaking that it was coming to an end.

 

 

 

A sweet friend threw me my favorite type of party, A Favorite Things Party, to say goodbye.

Another friend, that came into my life the last six months of my time there, and I really believe was sent by my Heavenly Parents. She threw me a goodbye party that was a S’Mores bar and she had a fire pit in her backyard. I was so overcome with how many people came, friends from all around the neighborhood, two wards, old Young Women. They all told me how much I meant to them and it was surreal. I have never felt that loved and also heartbroken at the same time. It taught me two things; one I need to know how much people mean to me AND two that I was loved. I really was loved by so many, and I had never felt that before.

The last night we went into Daybreak we went to a fireside for Abby and I just looked around at all the people I had loved for so long. Boy was it hard.

I had to accept a lot of help and ask for it when moving so last minute. I had to ask people to come pack my house. I said yes to everyone who wanted to bring me a meal. I wouldn’t even ask or allow for help after I had babies. But I asked and said yes. It was really miraculous how many served us, and I will always be indebted to all my earthly angels at that time.

Daybreak taught me what home feels like, Daybreak taught me that I am loved, and also Daybreak taught me that things aren’t always greener on the other side. Look for what you have and appreciate it.

 

 

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