MATCH!!!

We got a match!! We are moving to....

HAWAII

Despite Hawaii being our number two choice we are still really, really excited. In a way we knew from Ryan's interview experience that this is where we would go. It felt right, but I fought it. The program at Tripler Army Medical Center was by far Ryan's favorite. He knew before he even went that he would like the officer in charge there, just based on his reputation. He is hardcore Army all the way, and he and Ryan share the same views on how to practice psychology with the troops. This really excited Ryan, because he usually butts heads with his supervisors about how to do things. The interview went amazingly, and the Major all but said, "We want you here". He made it very clear (without breaking any rules) that Ryan would be a top choice. So we were not at all surprised that we ended up with the Hawaii internship.

So why was it our number two choice, you ask.

I have a few good reasons. They are concerns that I still have, but will deal with, because we are going. 

#1 We are so far away from family - There is probably no way we will ever fly the whole family of five home, for any reason, in the next two years. At this moment it costs $870 to fly from Honolulu to Salt Lake City and back. Do that times five and we might be bankrupt, even with our new pay increase. So, as you can guess, this makes me really sad. I have gotten used to seeing my family 1-2 times a year, and I love going home.

People will come see you, you say.

I really hope so. But the truth is, when Ryan and I lived in Hawaii before, they didn't. I had a group of college friends crash at my place for spring break. I saw my Aunt and Uncle for lunch, because they happened to be on island for vacation. I also saw my cousin and his family when they were on island for vacation. My Mom and Dad came out when I had McKenna. That was it. But, during those two years I went home three times. So maybe they felt like they saw enough of me.

I will have a dedicated guest room. I want to encourage any and everyone to come and see Hawaii. I will need the distraction, so I don't suffer from island fever.

#2 Some native Hawaiians don't really like white military people - Now this is a very general stereotype, but Ryan and I had enough experiences last time to know that it is something to be concerned about for our kids. I am worried that they will be bullied and picked on at school for being white and military. I am hoping that I can get them in a school that has other military kids or kids from church (who are not prejudiced at all in my experience) so they have a better chance of being accepted.

#3 The education system in Hawaii does not have a good reputation - I take my kids' education very seriously, as most parents do, and I am worried that they will fall behind and struggle when we move away from Hawaii. So, I may need to supplement with stuff at home. And before you ask...I DO NOT home-school. I love my kids, but I would go insane if I tried to do that. 

So there you have it, three reasons. Not very many, but they are good ones.

On the upside, it will be amazing to get to experience Hawaii again through the eyes of my kids. They are over the moon about this move, and I can't wait to introduce them to all the good things about living in Hawaii. It will be a very fun two years. :)

The Torture

Having the future of our family put into the figurative hands of a computer algorithm is nerve-wracking.

Five years ago this month, Ryan was interviewing for acceptance to graduate school. That was a very stressful time. Everything depended on Ryan getting into a program. But, even with all the stress, travel, and politics involved, It was still people dealing with people. We knew two days after his first interview in Lubbock, TX that he would be offered a spot. When he interviewed at the military graduate school in D.C., we knew after two days that he had an acceptance offer.

Internship is a very different beast.

Before last Fall's semester, Ryan spent many hours researching APA accredited internship sites. He also spent many hours getting his application together. He wrote a bunch of essays, created a vita (an academic resumé), and obtained several recommendation letters from supervisors and professors. And he wrote a unique letter for each site, detailing why he wanted to go there. Once he had it all together he uploaded it to the APPIC. They are the third party contractor that stands between internship applicants and the internship sites (we paid them an outrageous mandatory fee for them to perform this service for us). Ryan told them what sites he wanted his application sent to. Then we waited for their replies. The sites are required to send either a interview request or a rejection letter. Over three weeks in November and December we started receiving interview requests. With each one we got, we grew more and more excited. In the end, Ryan was offered ten interviews for ten applications. This is unheard of. No one gets all their interviews. For instance, two other people in the psychology department had 2/7 and 9/21.

Ryan is truly amazing at what he does.

He did one interview in San Antonio in early December and then phone interviews for Alaska and Iowa later that month. That left the remaining seven interviews for two weeks in January. Once everything was scheduled and booked, this is how it looked:

Lubbock to North Carolina
North Carolina to Tacoma, WA
Tacoma, WA to Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City, UT to Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio to Washington DC
DC to Honolulu, HI (he at least got to spend the weekend here)
Honolulu, HI to Atlanta, GA (then drive to Augusta)
Atlanta, GA to Lubbock, TX

He did all that in fourteen days with a carry-on suitcase and a laptop bag.

The interviews themselves varied. Five of the sites are active duty Army and the other five are civilian Veteran Affairs (VA) hospitals. The ones that matter most (Army sites) went great. Ryan left the interviews feeling that they liked him, and found that he liked even the less desirable Army sites more than he thought he would.

Once the interviews were all over, we had a couple of weeks to weigh all the pros and cons of each site. We then came up with our rank list. We turned this into APPIC. Each internship site also comes up with a rank list of their applicants and turns it into APPIC. It is against the rules for either party to tell the other how they intend to rank. If they do, they can get kicked out of the match. But now that everything is turned in, and deadlines to change anything have passed, I will let you, my friends and family, know what we chosen:

  1. Tacoma, WA -Army medical center
  2. Honolulu, HI -Army medical center
  3. Augusta, GA -Army medical center
  4. San Antonio, TX -Army medical center
  5. Washington D.C. -Army medical center
  6. Salt Lake City, UT - VA hospital
  7. Asheville, NC - VA hospital
  8. Iowa City, IA - VA hospital
  9. Dayton, OH - VA hospital
10. Anchorage, AK - VA hospital

Right now, APPIC is using a computer algorithm to match applicants to sites. We find out next Friday, February 24, what the results are. Ryan found a NYT article that explains why this is so scary. Pretty much, there is no guarantee. If the numbers line up wrong then it doesn't matter how good you are, you can end up with no internship. This happens every year to highly qualified candidates. There will be about 1,000 applicants that do not match with an internship, because there aren't enough internships to go around. And many of those who don't match will be better qualified than some who do match. That's just the nature of the game. And so you know, the fact that Ryan is already an Army Reserve officer has no bearing on his chances. All Army sites were explicitly instructed by the lead Army psychologist to not consider the applicants' participation in military scholarship programs when making ranking decisions.

So now we just pray. Pray that the algorithm is good to us. Pray that our number one pick also puts us as their number one. But we mostly pray that we will be placed where God needs us to be.

Run! Sarah Run!

 This is my third 5k race. It was the funnest one yet.

The morning started out right. I went to bed on time and got a good nights sleep. I woke up at 7am to make sure I had plenty of time to eat a good breakfast before I had to leave. As I was getting ready to go and gathering up my stuff, I realized that I forgot to charge my MP3 player. The battery is totally dead. Well, there is no running without music. If I actually had to pay attention to how my lungs and legs are feeling while running, then I would not be able to make it without stopping to walk. So, I grabbed a car charger and figured if I let it charge for 45min before the race I would be good.

It wasn't charging.

I got out of the car and ran into the house and grabbed every cord I could find that fit. I ran back and tried them all. Nothing worked. CRAP.

I finally had to wake Ryan up and ask to use his MP3. It meant that I would be running to mystery music, but that was way better than no music at all.

So I left and drove all the way to the race and realized that I forgot my race number at home on the kitchen table... Poo  Thankfully the race is only a five minute drive from my house so, I drove home and got it.

I had plenty of time. Once I got to the race and had everything I needed, I danced around to the very loud music with some friends as we tried to stay warm. It was going to be a great race.

This was a women's only race. I didn't think much of it, but once I got there and I was surrounded by women and we were all chatting and dancing and being silly, it struck me how different the atmosphere was at this race. I really liked it.

Once the race began I was charged up and ready to do my best. I didn't expect to improve my time. I hadn't run in months. I would be happy if I just managed to run the whole thing without stopping. So as I rounded the first corner and began to descend down a hill, I got nervous. I knew I would have to come back up that hill at the very end of the race. It was going to suck. I can do this!


I found my pace. I don't run with friends. I don't want the pressure of having to stop if they do or of trying to keep up if they're faster. So I just run, and the running was good. It felt nice and right. I was running to one of Ryan's play lists and it was a good one. I barely know how to use his MP3 but I managed to get something to play so I went with it. One thing my husband is very good at is finding awesome music. Well, as I am running a song from Ok Go comes on and everything falls into place. It was like a surge of energy went poring through my body. The tempo was up beat and matched my stride. I noticed a spring in my step and a smile on my face. THIS was a running song. I am going to listen to this song until the end of the race!


After hitting repeat about four times....something goes terribly wrong. I don't know what I pushed but I lost the music. I can't figure it out. I end up having to stop and walk in order to see it good enough to try and fix it. I hate stopping! I am watching as all the ladies I have passed start to pass me and I can't get this thing to work. Curse you MP3 player! 

So, I must carry on and do my best with no music. I start running again. I notice the stitch in my side and the pain in my hip. I develop a rhythm with my breathing, in on the right foot out on the left. I have about 3/4 of a mile to go and I am not stopping again. I start to pass the ladies who have stopped to walk and I am feeling good. I see the hill looming ahead and I watch more ladies stop to walk up the hill. Well, (ha) not his girl. There will be no walking for me (ha ha)!

I hit that hill like a battering ram. My legs were fine. They were in a numb-autopilot mode at this point. My lungs, however, wanted to escape my chest. I wouldn't let them. Not only did I run that hill, I kept my same pace. I dominated that hill.

Once I got to the top I sprinted for all I was worth. I knew the end was just around the corner. As I crossed the finish line I took a glimpse at the time clock and saw 35:41. I almost cried with joy! This was my best time ever!! I looked around and I had no one to jump and cheer with. It was kind of bittersweet and lonely. I am so proud of myself to overcoming all the obstacles and still getting my best time. Makes me wonder what it could have been if I didn't have to stop for the MP3.

At the end of the race I got in line for a massage and loaded up on all the free goodies. It was a fantastic morning and a great race. I am looking forward to the next one.

This is my friend Bethany and I at a race in Midland, TX in March 2011.

Making and Leaving Friends

This is in response to my Sister-in-Law's post.

The question of the post was: If you know you're going to be moving, how much do you emotionally commit to a place and the people you meet there?

My answer is 100%. But that's not easy.

I have mentioned before about how I have moved around many times since the age of seventeen; eight towns and seven states to be exact. In every one of those moves I knew I would be there for a short time, between three months and five years. Every move is hard in its own way. But the people I met made all the difference.

Putting yourself out there in a new town is not easy (even for an outgoing person like myself). Mostly because starting over sucks. Everyone needs a comfort zone, and when you're moved out of yours then things feel awkward.  So here is my quick rundown of friends I made while knowing that one day I would leave them (or they me), and how they changed my life forever.

First move, lived there 6 months: Morenci, ARIZONA

This one is easy. My sister Rose. I have mentioned before how my sister and I were archenemies in our childhood. We hated each other. I can't even really tell you why. Maybe it was competition for love and attention or maybe we just had conflicting personalities. We have always been very different from each other. But that move, I suppose, brought all the right elements together. We were forced to share a room for the first time in 5 years. We were also in the same school together for the time in as many years. We were the only people we knew, which was disappointing to both of us.  But rather than taking our disappointment out on each other, we bonded in a way that has lasted to this day. That move was the best thing that ever happened to Rose and me.





Second move, lived there two years: Craig, COLORADO

We moved right before my senior year of high school. I had zero interest in making friends. I had Rose. Plus, I would be moving again in another year when I went off to college. So what's the point? But as it happens, friends sometimes make themselves; as was the case with Kim and me. We were in the same high school class (1997) and also in the same church ward. I was going to church alone at that time in my life, and her family was awesome enough to sort of adopt me. Her whole family was a rock for me during a transitional point in life. I totally love her and we get together whenever we are both back "home".

Jen and I met while we were both going to community college. She was living with her parents while her husband was deployed to Kuwait. We soon realized that we were meant to be friends. I helped her through a tough time of being without her husband, and she helped me transition from kid to grownup. I learned so much about "real life" from her; things that still stick with me today.

We got our tattoos together and I think of her just about every time I look at it.

Third move, lived there two years: Logan, UTAH

College is temporary. You know that going in. But there is still the expectation of it being "the best years".  Meghan made my last year of college totally awesome. She is the only roommate that I ever actually shared a room with. We hit it off straight from the start. She was younger than me, and far, far away from home (New Jersey). I took on the role of older sister. We even fought like sisters at times. I loved taking care of her and she made me laugh constantly. She gave me purpose at a time when I really missed my family, especially my younger sisters. I nicknamed her Peach and she called me Sass. She is the only friend that I can remember nicknaming.

This photo was taken in 2007. She met me in Hawaii when I planned a "girls trip". We will definitely be doing it again. She's a blast!




Fourth move, lived there two and a half years: Aiea, HAWAII

My beautiful Samoan princess, Iwa, known to all her friends as Bunni. This girl and I hit it off immediately. She was part of Ryan's church singles group and I met her within a week of moving there. Moving to Hawaii is almost like going to a foreign country, and she guided me through that. She taught me what I needed to know so I didn't seem like a complete idiot. But, equally important, she helped me adjust to being a military wife (Ryan was in the Navy). Bunni grew up as an Army brat, and six months after I moved there she married a Marine. She was there for me when I showed up at her door bawling, the day I found out that Ryan would be out to sea for another month (after already being gone for two). She comforted me through my first two miscarriages. Later, I helped her deal with her own. We have seen each other through lost jobs and breakups with other girlfriends. But we have also watched one another have children and receive amazing blessings for our families. Bunni and I have not physically seen each other in eight years but we have never lost touch. I recently received a text from her that says, "You are one of the rainbows in my life after the storm". I feel the same way about her.

Fifth move, lived there for eighteen months: Rock Springs, WYOMING
This move was all about family. I had my new baby (McKenna). I was learning to be a mother and also getting to know my in-laws. I wish I had done better but I was overwhelmed with Ryan starting college, me staying at home, and not really knowing how I fit in with the Grahams. I have fond memories of Sunday dinners and game nights. Those are the first things that come to mind. I was visiting teaching partners with my mother-in-law and I feel tremendously blessed to have been able to have done that with her. I would have liked the opportunity to become even closer friends with my in-laws, but I certainly left knowing them a whole lot better.






Sixth move, lived there for two years: Laramie, WYOMING

These were by far the two most difficult years of my life. I moved to Laramie while eight-months pregnant with Evan. I moved alone, because Ryan was finishing up his Summer job in Rock Springs. I had no desire to make friends, and I was depressed and feeling lonely. After Evan was born it only got worse. I suffered from post-partum depression, and secluded myself. For a whole year I didn't even try to make a friend, and it worked. I was completely dependent on my sister Rose and my mother. I went to see them as often as I could. During that year we also lost my mother-in-law to colon cancer. As you can imagine it only added to the depression and confusion. Our second year in Laramie we moved into an apartment complex that was full of young LDS student families. I became friends with my neighbor Jamie and she made me feel normal. I wish I had not been so depressed to begin with, because she and I could have been so much closer if I had just tried. I honestly don't think I was truly myself the whole time I lived in Laramie. However, I consider her my "Laramie rock" and we are still in touch today. I would be her neighbor again in a second!


Seventh move, lived there for three months: Craig, COLORADO
This hardly counts. I just went back to hanging out with my girl, Kim.

Eighth move, lived here four years and two months...so far: Lubbock, TEXAS

 

When I moved to Lubbock I was in a good place, mentally. I was excited to be living in one place for five years. I was thrilled for my husband to start grad school. I knew we were where the Lord wanted us to be. I was eager to get out there and make some new friends. It turned out to not be that hard. There are a huge number of women in the church (tends to be where I find my friends) who find themselves in the same situation as I do. Being the wife of a grad student often means being a single parent. There was a strong group that really rallied together and we have supported each other through the tough times. Nearly all of those friends' husbands have now finished school and moved on to the "real world". About two-and-a-half years ago I met my Brooke. I give all credit to Brooke's sister-in-law Sarah, for introducing us.  Sarah opened up her family (The Thomases) to us and they all received us with open arms. Brooke was part of that package. We both knew immediately that we had the potential to be amazing friends. She told me flat out that she could not be my friend because I was not a Lubbock lifer. She changed her mind, or rather, couldn't fight it any longer. :) We have had some amazing experiences together. I have supported her the best I can as her son battles cancer. She is supporting me the best she can as Ryan finishes up his last year of school. We couldn't be closer if we were sisters. She is amazing and I love her dearly. Moving from Lubbock will be the hardest move I have ever made.

So, to make a very long and personal story short, give it your all. You will never leave a place wishing you hadn't made friends. I have been around enough, and learned the hard way, to know that investing 100% into the place you are is the very best way to be happy. Women need other women. We may go through phases in our lives when a girlfriend is more or less important to have around, but we all need one sometimes. My husband is my #1 and he knows me better than anyone else in the world.  He also knows I need girlfriends.

Everyone loves an outgoing person. Put yourself out there and make the first move. Introduce yourself to someone you think is compatible. Friendships have a "chemistry", just like romances. You either click or you don't. Once you find someone you click with, run with it. She just might turn out to be the best friend you ever had...even if you move away someday.


Personal note to Shayla: You can still make cakes for your neighbors, have a favorite dentist, and keep track of your kids' heights (get a wall chart). Your family is the "sense of permanence" and  not the house or the town you live in. Raise your (someday) children to know that "home" is wherever you are together. A house is just a house. When I go home to my parents' house I feel completely at home. I'm comfortable and at peace. I know I belong there. I did not grow up with them in that house, but that doesn't matter. My Mom and Dad are there and that is all I need.


Moving is something that takes several times before you get it right. It becomes a fun, exciting adventure and less of a sad, scary unknown.


You're an amazing woman and I know you have many friends in your future. You may even have many moves, but you will always have family. This post may not help you at all, but I had so much fun writing it! Thanks for the inspiration. 

Grandma Quilts

My Mother has an amazing talent for quilting. This is the one she gave me for Christmas last year. I would have it on my bed in a heartbeat if Ryan would go for a purple flowery room. He wont, so I am saving it for a really pretty guest room some day. I love it.

When my Mother came up for McKenna's baptism she brought the quilts she had made for my girls.

They turned out perfect.

Thanks Mom we LOVE them!

McKenna is Baptized, Let's Party

A baptism is a very special and sacred event. It is also an event that requires a party. I think so anyway.


When McKenna turned 7 I realized how close we were to having our first child baptized. I started to think about what I wanted to do to celebrate the event and to make it as special as possible for McKenna. I realize that not everyone feels the same way I do. Most baptisms are small family affairs with very little fan fair. Really the most important thing that needs to happen on that day is the baptism and the confirmation. Everything else is just for fun.


We were lucky enough to be able to have the baptism on a weekend that family could come in. I had my Mom, Dad, sister Becca and her two kids. We were also thrilled to have the surprise arrival of my niece Aspen (Mckenna's best friend in the world). From Ryan's side of the family we had his Father and sister Shayla. We all felt so loved and blessed that all this family came so far to be here and to celebrate McKenna.


Friday after school I took McKenna to Dianne's (Brooke's mother) salon. She had offered to braid McKenna's hair special for her big day.

Evan, Hallie, Aspen and McKenna

Some how Dianne managed to work despite the crazy kids.

The end result

Saturday morning, the day of the baptism, went smoothly. We only had one minor hick-up. My parent's GPS sent them to the wrong end of town and since they had all the clothing and bags we had to wait for them. The baptism started at 10am and they arrived at 9:55am. So, no big deal. I, being generally high strung (about being on time) and easily stressed, managed to take this in stride. I didn't let it kill the spirit of the day (huge for me).

McKenna was amazing. She glowed all morning along. She was sweet and excited. She picked the program out herself and she really wanted her Daddy to give her the talk on baptism. He did an amazing job. It was an emotional and spirit-filled talk about how proud we (her parents) are of her for making this choice and about the importance of baptism and the commitment she is making with her Heavenly Father. He had me, himself and several others in tears before the end. After the talk, Ryan and McKenna entered the baptismal font and had the baptism. I met her at the top of the stairs when it was over. She was smiling so hard I thought she would cramp her cheeks. When we got into the locker room we hugged for a long time and just cried with joy. The spirit was radiating off of her and it felt amazing. At that moment she was as pure and clean as is possible. I will never forget that experience.

Once she was dressed we came out and she recited a poem called My Three White Dresses. She did a beautiful job.

She asked her Grandfather, Blaine Graham, to give the talk on confirmation. He shared some wonderful personal experiences and really helped her to understand the importance and value of the Holy Ghost. The confirmation followed and it to, was amazing. There is no doubt in my mind that McKenna is something special. I'm not just saying that because I am her mother. She really is a very choice daughter of God and I am always amazed that he chose me to be her mother.

When the ceremony was over and everyone had left to head over to the after party, Ryan, Mckenna and I went over to the temple and had my father-in-law and sister-in-law take some pictures of us.

I am so grateful to Blaine and Shayla for doing that for us. The temple shots are my favorite from the whole day.

PARTY TIME

When I told my mother of all the plans I had for the post gathering she replied "Your going to a lot of trouble and expense for this. Is this how they do things down in Texas?". That made me laugh because things are done big in Texas but they don't host BBQ's for a baptism. I, on the other hand, really wanted to. I saved for several months so that I could do everything I wanted and pay cash for it. We invited all our friends and family. I baked forty mini loaves of banana bread to give one to each family. I decorated the house and made goodie bags for the kids. With the help of Brooke and Garth Thomas we had  BBQ-pulled-pork, smoked brisket, my dads coleslaw, rolls, veggie tray, chips, hot dogs, a corn dish called buzzard bate, and of course, my parents' homemade ice cream and Brooke's amazing cake. 

Brooke bought the temple for McKenna and made the cake. It was delicious and so beautiful.

The party was also to celebrate McKenna's birthday. So she got to blow out the candles.

We played pin the Moroni on the temple.

The amazing Shayla drew the temple and cut out all the little Moroni

Of course there were presents.

When it was all over and the last guest left. My Mother, Becca and I cleaned up, all the other adults went to sleep. :)

It was all worth it. All the money and effort, stress and craziness was worth it. I saw so much joy that day, not only in McKenna but also in my family and friends. We have made so many friends here and have gotten to know so many wonderful families, it was truly and honor to share this special day with them all. I felt loved and I know McKenna did to. I wouldn't change a thing. Thank you to everyone who helped out and for all the wonderful gifts. It was perfect.

Evan is Six

My boy has turned six and I really must get the post out before he turns seven. 


The month of August did not go at all according to plan. Before Gavin was diagnosed our family was scheduled to go to Disney World with the Thomas family. They had presented us with an amazing opportunity and we couldn't say no. We should have been there August 10-17. Evan's birthday is on the thirteenth. He was so excited to have his birthday in Florida. When things were canceled the kids really took it very well. I have wonderful understanding kids. There was never any whining or complaining. In fact it was never mentioned again. But after all the build up and let down of Disney, I felt that we had to do something special for Evan this year.


Evan's birthday landed on a Saturday and it turned out it was the weekend before Gavin had his first chemo treatment so, the Thomas's and the Graham's went camping. We had so much fun. We went back to the same place we had camped before and it was just as good. On Saturday we cooked a big breakfast then headed up into the woods. When we had hike there before we found a dried up creek that had some really cool rock formations. Well this time that dry creek was full of water and the rock formations turned out to be a natural water slide. The kids couldn't wait to get into the water. We stayed there for a couple of hours and had our picnic and let the kids swim until they were to cold to do it any more.

McKenna had fun on the slide but, she got cold the soonest and we had to wrap her in a plastic poncho to warm her up.

The cold didn't bother Evan. He went down the slide a lot. He tells me that he likes cold because he was born in a cold state.

Of course Alana didn't go down the slide. She really wanted to. I didn't want to get wet so, no slide for her. She did, however, have a lot of fun throwing rocks into the water and kicking and splashing.


When we got back to camp I surprised Evan with some cupcakes that I brought. I forgot the candles so I put in a match and called it a "camping candle." He was surprised and so excited about the cupcakes. He got one little present with the promise of more at his "real" birthday party later.

It was the perfect way for a six year old boy to spend his birthday.

Fast forward two weeks....

 Evan really wanted to have his birthday at Chuck E Cheese. I told him he could invite two friends and we would have a ton of tokens for everyone. He invited Joseph is best friend from St. Luke's preschool last year and Garth Lee the son of my best friend Brooke. They had so much fun.

Evan had a Transformers themed party and Brooke made his cake. She did an amazing job. I have no such talents. We where there for an hour an a half and with the amount of tokens I bought we could have stayed another hour.

He had a wonderful birthday this year and I am so glad that he is mine. I love my boy. It's hard to believe he is six already. I suppose I will be saying that every year one of my kids gets older, but it is true. Time goes so fast and my babies are getting bigger and bigger. 

Next year when he turns 7 we will (most likely) have just moved to a new city still unpacking our new house and have no new friends, yet. So I really wanted this year to be huge so that when next year is much smaller he will be okay with it. Guess we will just wait and see.