Goodbye Sumter...

          Thirty-six hours after flying back to South Carolina from our trip to South Dakota, we officially said goodbye to Sumter.  I am not going to lie.  It was much harder for me than I anticipated.  Our time in South Carolina was so special to me.  I am so thankful God put us at Shaw for this past assignment and brought so many wonderful friends and families into our lives.  It was not an easy 2 1/2 years... Matt was gone for over half of our total time living in South Carolina.  But, God provided such a support network for our family.  We had a great church, life long friends in our squadron and on base, a truly solid bible study, and some of the best baby-sitters EVER!! (You know who you are!)  Claire joined our family while we were in South Carolina, and we saw our extended family often since our parents lived within driving distance of us.    All of this is to say that, while we are excited about our next adventure in Arizona, my heart is sad about those we said goodbye to when we left South Carolina.
          Audrey also felt the sting of a move for the first time.  As she was only 18 months old when we left Korea to move to South Carolina, she did not really "miss" her friends and playmates in Korea.  As a four year old, though, she had much stronger ties to our community.  I watched her tell her best friends, her baby-sitters, her teachers, and her adult friends goodbye.  Each time, she would either hug and kiss them until I had to pull her away, or she would attempt to "go home to live with" whomever we were telling goodbye.  She still talks about many of her friends, and she prays for them each night!
          So, I must thank all of you in South Carolina (past and present residents, as many of our military friends have already moved on themselves) who poured yourselves in to our family's lives. Thank you for your friendship.  Thank you for your encouragement.  Thank you for making our time in Sumter so rich and full.  God bless you all until we meet again!

          We took these two photos as we were headed out of town...

 Ms. Stephanie, Camryn, Audrey, and Ms. Mary Beth

(Audrey's teachers at day school and her best friend from school)

Timothy and Audrey

(Audrey's other best friend)