August 25, 2009 - Leaving on a Jetplane!

On our way to the Airport....

(click the above link for a little video)

It's time to go!

Brendon and Connor both flew out of the Sacramento Airport straight to Sau Paulo, Brazil.
HOWEVER,
Connor left at 8:25am on American Airlines changing planes in Dallas
and
Brendon flew out at 11:35am on Delta Airlines changing planes in Atlanta

Needless to say this was going to be a long Goodbye!

Another little video clip: (click link below)

Here we come Brazil!

AND NOW IT'S TIME FOR HUGS:

Goodbye Mom!

Goodbye Dad!

Goodbye Sisters!

 

...and Goodbye Brother, until tomorrow, we meet in Sao Paulo!

ELDER CONNOR IS OFF TO BRAZIL! 

Funny thing happened....
We said all of our goodbyes and shed some tears and then sent him up the escalator.

A few minutes later he came back down, refastening his belt.
In all our emotional states, we did not realize we were sending him into the wrong concourse!
They had stopped him at secuirty and sent him back!

We laughed through our tears and hugged him again, glad for a few more moments.

Then we said goodbye AGAIN and sent him off AGAIN , this time at the correct escalator for the correct gate!

Destination: Sao Paulo!

August 24, 2009 - The Night Before Departure

The evening before the departure, we met with Bishop Fox and Stake President Watkins where the boys were set apart as official missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was a great experience and we are so grateful for these two great men that helped make this possible.

Packing the Bags!

The goal - 1 carry-on suitcase and 1 backpack to fit everything needed for 2 years in Brazil.

                                                     MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

These suits, the official uniform of a missionary,
laid out just like the night before school...



These boys are excited to go!

The hour is finally here! Sending a missionary out is a lifelong dream and a long, tedious list of things to do and things to gather.

But ultimately we all felt very excited and grateful for the great work that Connor would get to contribute to. What a blessing it is to know that Connor will be serving the Lord and the people of Brazil.

He will be building the kingdom of our Heavenly Father and will be sure to experience many wonderful changes in his life as he learns discipline, charity, obedience, and reliance upon the Lord.

August 24, 2009 - The TwinStone

While skipping rocks into the river, Brendon found a very interesting stone. It had split almost exactly in half and he had found both pieces that still fit perfectly together.

We decided that this stone was very symbolic of Brendon and Connor and the transition that they would experience very soon. Just as this stone had once been whole, so had Brendon and Connor, together since before birth.

In two parts, the stone is still beautiful and strong and each piece is unique, but together each piece supports and compliments and strengthens the other.

Soon a change in life will seperate our sons for a period of time, but one day they will be brought back together, best friends and brothers, united again. This stone now sits at our home on our fireplace mantle, a reminder of our day in Hope Valley.

For now, the stone is together, as a whole. But in October, when Connor goes South to Porto Alegre and Brendon goes North to Fortaleza, we will separate the stones into two pieces. They will remain apart until one day in August of 2011 when we will bring each piece to the airport and each of our strong, unique sons will join the stone together again.

August 24, 2009 - Hope Valley

By the time Sunday night rolled around, the farewell talks and parties were over, and the guests had all gone home and the to-do list was mostly done.
We realized we really just wanted to spend some time alone enjoying eachother as a family.
We decided to let the girls take the day off school and spend part of Monday on a picnic.
Hope Valley came to mind as a beautiful, inspirational place in the nearby mountains.
Grandma Carpenter came with us and we had a lovely, memorable day.

 It was a good thing to have lots of leftovers from the past couple of days of parties and dinners... we had a delicious lunch!

The Carson River drifts lazily through this beautiful canyon, a perfect spot for a picnic and a little ankle-deep wading.

August 22 -23, 2009 - A Farewell Weekend Surprise!

Early Saturday morning we got a surprise.... Uncle Todd, Uncle Kevin, and cousins, Nick, Zach and Noah had driven 13 hours ALL THE WAY FROM ARIZONA!!!

...Just so they could be here for the Open House and Farewell and to give last hugs and goodbyes!

We spent most of Saturday preparing for the Open House and were happy that so many kind friends came to wish the Elders good luck and Goodbye.

Sunday was a special day. Brendon and Connor spoke in church and their sister sang a beautiful solo arrangement of "I Know that My Redeemer Lives" accompanied by piano and cello. It was a very heartfelt piece and touched everyone in attendance.

Brendon, Aunt Karen, Grandma Carpenter, Aunt Jody, Connor


Then later Sunday, after the boys from AZ departed, we had a big family dinner with all of our family that live here close by. It was a very special day!

April 17, 2009 - Receiving the Call...

Just 3 days after their 19th birthdays, Brendon and Connor returned from UC Santa Cruz for Spring Break. They had decided that the most important thing they could be doing was to get ready for their missions and get out there as soon as possible. Within 10 days all of their doctor and dental appointments were complete, wisdom teeth removed and the mountain of paperwork was ready.  They submitted the application papers on April 1, 2009. The video on the right tells the rest of the story...