MTC or BUST

Saying farewell to technology! No iPhone, iPad or laptop computer for 2 years!

Giving one last hug to his beloved little sister before he left California

At 1:00 pm today Jon and I dropped off Elder Coleman at the Provo Missionary Training Center (MTC). Shakespeare captured my emotion centuries ago: "Parting is such sweet sorrow." My heart was full of joy to see his excitement to finally be there and sorrow to know I won't be with him for two years. After we gave him one last hug and watched him walk away with his suitcases, my heart nearly burst. Lyrics from a Mindy Gledhill song popped into my mind: "Don't let this distance tell you this is good-bye....It's not good-bye."

 The three of us ended up with a 12 passenger rental van for the drive from Salt Lake City to Provo. Haha Awesome memory of bouncing along in that cruiser!

 Clay's last meal before entering the MTC...CHICK FIL-A at the Cougareat, of course! His favorite!

 The long line of missionaries waiting to welcome the newly arriving sisters and elders...

These hugs will have to last us for two years!

 And off he goes. Godspeed, Elder Coleman! We love you to the moon and back!

Flying back to California, we flew past Provo. It was surreal to know that somewhere down there amidst all of those lights was my little boy. He couldn't be happier and neither could I.