Matt's on mission.

October 15, 2008 was Matt's date with destiny, or rather the Missionary Training Center. Rick, the kids and I accompanied Jeff, Linda, Courtney and Brian to bid him farewell. It was both happy and sad, happy that he made the choice to go on a mission, and sad to see him go for two years. Lots of tears, and a whole LOT of Kleenex.

Here are the current missionary and the future missionary. When Mark learned we were going to the MTC he insisted on wearing his jacket, which I purchased for him in March and he has been refusing to wear, since it came home with me from NYC. I asked if he would wear it for the Primary program in two weeks and was told "No." Good thing I got a picture, it may never grace his body again.

After seeing Matt off at the MTC, Lauren has now decided she wants to be a missionary.

Linda had to un-pick the sticking in Matt's pocket so he could slide his tag in, and really be official.

Matt and Lauren

The Brothers

Now the entire time, ok well maybe not the entire time, but a good portion of the time that Matt and Courtney lived with us, I really believed his leaving on a mission would be a day of rejoicing for Courtney, after all it would put and end to the manipulation by her older brother, the bossing around by her older brother, and her chance to get her hands on his cool stuff. Well apparently there is less animosity there than I thought, because Courtney was really broken up at Matt's leaving. There is not a sister who loves her brother more.

Of course mom and dad shed lots of tears too, and by the end Matt was crying really hard, I guess he does like us after all. We will see you in two years, when the kids will be older, we will have more grey hair, and for sure more wrinkles, but also have had the opportunity to read two years worth of letters and see the growth and change that Matt will experience.