One Last Hurrah

The night before Jansen left to college, we had one last hurrah with family and friends.  Joe cooked up some wicked sloppy joe's and everyone else brought salads and desserts.  All I had to do was enjoy the festivities and try not to cry.

Jansen had a huge party with all his Corvallis friends a few days earlier so this time he had his Hamilton buddies, Easton and Jesse.  Of course, Gianna and her parents came to the last hurrah too.  We loved having the Schrocks over and getting to know them better.  At times like this we wonder, why didn't we do this sooner and more often?

 The weather cooperated beautifully so we were able to have our spread outdoors:)

 Here is a pic of Gianna's dad and Coach Albert with Joe in the background.

 And a party isn't a party without Grandma!  We weren't sure if Mary would come because her baby was due...as of this post, she just had her baby!  And here is a rare picture of Paul who employed Jansen on his surveying business.

 Even Brit and Ed were in town so they got to come to the last hurrah:)

  Of course, no Jessop gathering is complete without Jessop Feats of Strength.  This time...throwing rocks into the field... left handed.  Fun!

 Everybody took turns oohing and aahing at the various levels of talent;) 

 

 The trick to winning is finding the perfect rock...right?  Haha!

 Rachel, Erica and I were most amused and impressed by our honeys.

 The Jessop brothers always take their competitions very seriously...

And the windup...

 Brit decided to sit on the lawn and watch the craziness too:)

 

Notice Ed holding his shoulder...hee hee. 

All the guys at one point or another were holding their sore muscles;)

  
 As the evening wound down, just a few people stayed.  We just didn't want the evening to end...or Jansen to leave.  Jansen and Gianna exchanged going away gifts before the party started.  Gianna gave Jansen a beautifully bound journal of all their experiences together...so sweet.  Jansen gave Gianna a college survival kit with some very funny inside jokes.  Here is Gianna and her mom showing me the gifts.  We will call this one the "Dang-it Doll";)

 Peach rings for days that are just peachy...Jansen's phone number on a 3x5 card for days when she misses him...her favorite movies for rainy days...and for days when she wants to laugh... http://youtu.be/XCPj4JPbKtA.

 Uncle Rich tried not to be jealous of Jansen's computer;)  There's always something funny on youtube.

 Oh yeah...this picture reminded me that not only did Gianna get bangs...but she gave Jansen an awesome haircut right before the party.  Is there anything this girl cannot do?  I think not!  We are all going to miss her too!

 Will tried his best to sabotage every picture;)

 After 10 attempted photos...I finally got this one of Brady and Nicole:) 

 As I looked around the room, I reminisced about when the kids were little. 

Both Carlie and Jaylee grew up way too fast also. 

 Kristen, sensing the emotions of the moment, held tight to anyone who would let her.  Thankfully, Nicole is only moving down the road;)

   As the evening came to a close, the inevitable goodbyes had to come.  I struggled to hold back tears.  Young love is such a precious experience.  Jansen and Gianna agreed that once they headed to college, they would be free to see other people...so essentially, they broke up.  Breaking up is tough anyway but when neither of them really wanted to, it made it that much more sad.  Those two hung onto each other as long as they could and when the time came, Gianna could hardly drive away.  I stayed up crying with Jansen for quite a while, after she left.  He melted into my arms and I got to be momma one more time.  I thought my heart would break in two as we sat crying, overcome by a plethora of emotions.  As we sat in his empty bedroom with all the luggage packed and ready to go, the anticipation of the coming days adventures lay ahead. 

This was the end of an era where Joe and I had all our kids under the same roof.  Kristen was afraid that once Jansen left, we would no longer be a family.  We explained to her that families are forever!  We know Jansen will come back every now and again, but life will never ever be the same for any of us.  I am reminded how important it is to treasure the present moment because eventually we all have our last hurrah to open up the chapter of a new adventure!  We are so proud of you Jansen and wish you the best of times at college.  We can't wait for your first visit back home:)