Alot of the friends from Long Island happened to be having a picnic today, so we decided to leave afterwards. You can see from some of the pictures below that even gone, Matt will still be having an influence on our youth. Heh.. I might've accidentally told them that Matt had once done a headstand on one of these type swings!

Carlos, Master Chef	Matt	Face Painting	"Hey Unkle Matt!"
My Nephew, Diego	Helmet	How not to ride the swings	Look what Matt started
Camille and Diego

We thought we left the car in a safe place, but someone aparently attacked it with plastic wrap! It was so hysterical. One of the culprits, Andrew, explained, "We couldn't just let you drive off like it was nothing!" They were, however, thoughtful enough to enclose enough peanut butter and jelly to last us to Kansas. I got a kick out of the shipping label on the side.

"Hey, what happened to my car!"	"May you never go hungry"	Shipping Label	Australia or Bust
The Brothers Cetrangelo	"So who did it..."

While things started settling down, and most of the kids were playing baseball, we wandered off for a last family walk together.

Frantz Pitching

Alex at bat

Fist Come As

It goes without saying, that this will be pretty hard for my mom. It'll be pretty hard for all of us, but I have a few weeks before I need to start worrying about getting overcome with emotion. For my parents and sister, though, the minutes are slipping away fast. It was difficult to watch and document at the same time. I think the saddest thing, is that our young nephew and niece will never really get to know their unkle.

Going for a walk	Diego tags along	Mom and Matt	This one's kind of sad
Dad shows the way

And so began the long series of goodbyes, farewells, and tearful hugs. As we climbed into the overloaded car, we were surrounded by a sea of friends and loved ones, none of them really ready to let go. I had a lump in my throat that seems to have returned, just typing about it. As we turned the corner of the parking lot, I looked over at my brother diving and said, "You know what we really should have done instead? ... " "What's that? " he asked. I said, "We should have turned off the car as we pulled away and pretend it stalled! They'd all still be laughing..."

The goodbyes begin	Janet	June	Unwrapping
"You need a knife..."	This is a good idea!	Side	Back
"Make him come home..."	Diego and Unkle Matt	Delaney Smiling	Irene
Dad	Andrew	Mom	Mom
Mom	The Stupid Wave	Grandpa

There was instant traffic as we left the park. It was a dead crawl all the way to grandma's and grandpas, and on until the bridge. It really felt like we were just waiting in line to leave the island. As soon as we got off, I held out my hand, and felt a burst of freedom. "We're really doing it..." Matt said. Yep. We really are.

Instant traffic

Hand Flying