Going Away Parties

Saying goodbye can be the hardest part...hopefully I'll be adding lots of pictures soon to show you the good friends we made in Krakow.

Brody had a great going-away party even though his best friend Krzys was home with a fever. Fortunately, Morgane, Anna Laura, Camille, Emmanuel, Jack, Matuesz, and Tomi were all able to come. Michal wished he was there, but didn't get the e-mail on time. Oops.

The kids participated in a photo scavenger hunt in the Krakow Rynek. They were given pictures of places in the Rynek where one word had been blocked out. They had to figure out the location where the picture was taken and then find the missing word. In a compeition with the parents, they were able to win by figuring out one extra word!

The scavenger hunt was followed with a meal of pizza and homemade brownies at Pizza Dominion. The kids were given decks of playing cards with Texas logos on the front. The packs also included a card with Brody's address so they can hopefully keep in touch. While the kids were told not to bring gifts for Brody, a few of them still brought some thoughtful keepsakes for him to take back to Texas. They all had a great time! Brody (and his parents) will miss these kids.

Ariana had a going-away party with a few of her good girlfriends. Unfortunately, because we had the party the day after school got out, some girls weren't able to come. Luckily, we had Natalia Haberberg, Glorianne Francavilla, Dorothea Eder, Lisa Hiemlich, Gabriella Cartolano and Martha Ryrko.



The girls each made a scrapbook page for Ariana's friendship book. Ariana treated them to a magic show, an d then they ate hot dogs andbeach themed cupcakes. Hopefully for all these girls, it's not goodbye but until we meet again!

Corey and I enjoyed our own going away party hosted by Terry and Sherri Humphrey. Because our party took place a week after school got out, many of our friends had already left for summer vacation and some for their new permanent home. Being an ex-pat means living in a very transient world. Luckily, we now know people around the world. That means more people to go visit.


Some of Corey's poker playing crowd were at the party. Terry and Carston Heimlich will have to hold down the fort after Corey, Tommy Johnson and Jerry Lis leave town. Terry was nice enough to give the guys who were leaving a "special" poker hat. I'm not sure it's going to help their game, but they enjoyed the gift.

Rehouven and Julian both played guitar: a very special gift that we will always remember and appreciate.

We also recived a great watercolor of St. Mary's Church with goodbye wishes from our friends on the mat surrounding the picture. We'll miss all of our friends from Krakow. We will always remember those years as a special time in our life with special people.