Farewell Fry Sauce

I am getting ready to bid Utah farewell. When Brad told me that we were being sent to Utah almost four years ago I was less than thrilled. Who moves to Utah? I'm not Mormon, so I didn't want to come here. I had preconceived ideas about what life in Utah would be like and made up my mind that I wouldn't like here no matter what. Now I consider Utah my home and I have newly acquired family here.
Now three years and two kids later I am deeply saddened to be leaving. I have given birth to both my kids here. I have made some the best friends I could ever imagine here. The people I am leaving behind in Utah are the women I learned how to be a mom with. I have learned so much from each of them.
Not all lessons have been about raising kids, some have had a broader applications. Like learning that Mormons are people too. Just picking, but before I moved here I had never met an LDS(Latter Day Saint) person. Aren't they the people with ten wives? Don't they dress like Little House on the Prairie? No they don't have more than one wife and they dress really cute.
I have gotten to sit in all of my friends' back yards and discuss potty training advice, cold remedies, what store has which cereal on sale, how to make a two year old eat, and all the other mom topics of the world. Unbeknownst to me these sneaky Mormons have crept into my heart. I may not take the Funeral Potatoes recipe with me when I go but I will be taking with me a deep love for the people of Utah.
What other state in our nation has Fry Sauce? We all like to mix mayo and ketchup, Utah just has it already made up for your eating pleasure. I have met and actually befriended women who know how to grind wheat and make their own bread from it. Potato Pearls, who knew? I still say passports should be required to visit Utah, yes it is that different from any where else I have ever been.
My neighborhood is a modern-day Mayberry. I have actually walked across the street to borrow an egg or a cup of sugar. We keep a full stock of pop-cycles to give to the neighbors when they stop by to play in the front yard. Utah is as close to a hidden utopia as one can get. Maybe I'm partial because my son loves it here so much. Every morning Turner wakes up and asks "Who we gonna play with today?" We could be meeting any one of his ten little friends to do who knows what? Parks, hikes, Kangaroo Zoo, Artic Circle- these are some of the fun places we'll be missing terribly.
Yesterday Turner was at my neighbor Mr Tanner's house. Mr Tanner is in his seventies and one of the nicest people I have ever met, he's also high on Turner's friends list. Turner had chatted with Mr Tanner and his wife Mrs Masako for a few minutes and was ready to head back home, we walked in the house and he said to wait he wanted to shut the door. I let him, but before he shut it he yelled "Bye Tanner, bye Sako, I love you" My heart broke a little. How do I prepare Turner to leave his life long friends? It is going to be a really hard next couple of weeks.
Packing and moving are a breeze, hugging your friends goodbye for the last time is what is really hard. I'll call, we'll write and email but I will long to sit with them in and watch the kids play.