Farewell

This is such an exciting and meaningful moment for us as a family. And surprisingly, I am not sad.

Since the day I became a mother, one of my biggest goals in life has been to raise my children to a point where they don’t need me anymore. To me, that is one of the greatest gifts I could ever give them—the confidence and independence to leave home, even leave the country, and thrive on their own without feeling that they have to stay attached to me or to Jared.

This post is about Mario’s farewell.

I planned every detail with so much love and intention because I wanted this moment to be memorable—not only for Mario, but for our entire family. And even in the middle of a divorce and a year filled with so much change, I was determined to make this a beautiful experience for him. I wanted Mario to look back on this day and remember how surrounded by love he was.

Mario is the first missionary from my Francisco family and the first missionary from Jared’s family, which made this occasion even more meaningful.

I asked Doran Tyler, our former bishop, to speak at Mario’s farewell. Doran has always been like a proxy grandfather to Mario from my side of the family, and I have always looked up to him. He is one of those people who carries himself with such classic style and grace, and he has built a beautiful family of his own. He is also one of Utah’s most respected interior designers. Having him be part of this special day meant so much to me.

I also asked my dear friend Juliet Peacock to perform a special musical number. She did an absolutely beautiful job. In fact, people were still talking about her performance for weeks afterward. ❤️We also had one of the Harmon boys speak as a youth speaker, which made the service even more special.

It was truly a beautiful farewell service. Friends and family who couldn't be there in person were able to join us through YouTube, and we had so many wonderful friends from Palo Alto there to support Mario and our family.

And, of course, I was excited to introduce Hudson to his first billionaire, who happened to be sitting right there at Mario’s farewell. Thank you, Jason. ;)

But beyond all the details, the speakers, the music, the beautiful people who showed up, and everything I planned, what mattered most to me was watching Mario stand there ready to begin this new chapter of his life.

I couldn't be more proud of the young man he has become. This is exactly what I hoped for when I became his mother: not a child who would always need me, but a young man who is ready to go out into the world, serve, grow, and thrive.

I also want to give a huge thank-you to my friends from the Relief Society—Carrie Gaykowski, Kipp Deka, and Christine Glenn—for taking over and serving everyone at the social after church. I was feeling really weak for some reason that morning. I went to Costco and bought everything, and I even made the flower arrangements myself. Apparently, flower arranging is my new hobby. 🌸

The night before, I had everything prepared and ready to go. Then early the next morning, Mario, Milo, Beau, and Hudson loaded everything up and took it to our ward so everything could be set up. And I have to give a special shout-out to my Dunlap nephews. I love those boys so much. They are my bruhs. ❤️

Looking back, what makes me happiest isn't that everything was perfect. It's that so many people showed up for Mario.

After church, we went to Olive Garden to celebrate Mario's big day.

As I mentioned before, I wasn't feeling my best. I was honestly shriveling. 😂 But I had the Dunlap boys staying at my house, so that afternoon we went out to get gelato. As I was walking around with them, I started feeling really sick. I came home, took a shower, and went straight to bed. I asked Jared to come help get the boys ready because they were leaving for New Mexico the next morning, and I was feeling too sick to do much.

Well… I woke up the next morning super sick with the nastiest case of strep. I could barely move the right side of my neck. It was awful. And, of course, because of the timing, I didn't have health insurance. Jared had to explain that we were getting divorced, which made the whole situation even more complicated. I honestly had no idea what I was going to do.

Jared's mom told me to go to the hospital while she helped get the Dunlap boys ready to leave. Luckily, I ended up going to urgent care instead and paid out of pocket.

Well… when I say I paid out of pocket, I mean Jared paid out of pocket. 😂 And he didn't stop there. He also brought me fresh orange juice.

So, in the middle of all the chaos, the divorce, the missionary farewell, the kids, the family, and me being completely knocked out by strep… there was still a little bit of kindness. And honestly, I appreciated it.

These photos are of Mario getting the Melchizedek priesthood. Milo admiring Beau's haircut by Hudson. I took the boys to a dinner where we talked about everything. Listen, I know for a fact that I am the favorite aunt.

Photos of the flowers.

Mario getting his endowment done at the Taylorville temple. That is one of my favorite temples. It looks like a castle.

Home MTC

Home MTC was such an incredible experience for our family. Watching Mario prepare for his mission made everything feel very real. He spent hours and hours on his computer practicing Spanish, completely immersed in his preparation. As his mom, it was beautiful to watch. I could see how much he wanted to be ready and how seriously he was taking this new chapter of his life.

We also had the opportunity to spend time with the Stacys. They are returned mission presidents who had served as Area Leaders in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area. I was so grateful that they were willing to sit down with Mario, share their experiences, and give him advice and guidance before he left.

Brother Stacy even reached out to people he knew in Mario’s mission and put in a really good word for him. That touched my heart more than I can explain. Knowing that people who have been through this experience themselves were willing to look out for my son gave me such a sense of peace. I think that is one of the reasons I am not worried about Mario being away for two years. I know he is going somewhere where he will be surrounded by people who will teach him, guide him, and take care of him. And more importantly, I can see that he is ready.

As a mother, there is something incredibly emotional about watching your child prepare to leave. You spend their whole childhood preparing them for the world, and then one day, you realize they actually are ready to go. Mario has worked hard to get here. I am so proud of him, and I feel incredibly lucky that I get to watch him begin this journey.

President Brad Romney and Bishop Brent Wilson came to set up Mario apart as a missionary. It was a wonderful experience. You have to give it Jared, he always dresses comfortably.