Lasts

"Goodbyes" are never easy, and after a little over 3 years, it is time for us to say "goodbye" to Sumter, South Carolina, Shaw AFB, and all of the wonderful friends we have made during this assignment. We are going to miss Sumter...but mostly because of the friendships and memories here. There have been lots of details and waiting, but everything is slowly coming together with our move and transition.

We have a strong potential for a rental home in Fort Collins, Colorado that is very close to the house I rented with a couple of girls in college. We currently have a temporary lease agreement since we have not yet seen the home. In addition, after unceasing prayer we were blessed with an offer on our house this past Saturday! The negotiating didn't get us as high as we had hoped, but it is time to say "good bye" to this beautiful home we love.

We attended a going away party with Steve's co-workers this past weekend and it was such a blessing to hear their kind words and affirmations; they spoke so highly of Steve and I know it was such an encouragement to him.

We have also said goodbye to close friends in the neighborhood, my MOPS group, Christian's preschool, etc. The packers come tomorrow and the time that we have anticipated is finally here, and as always there are tears, but we are looking forward to what lies ahead...Colorado!

Christian's last day at school:

Feeding the animals at the Treehouse Nursery down the street from us:

One last trip to Swan Lake:

And last but not least, enjoying one last day at our home in South Carolina:

Colorado Here We Come!

It's been almost 7 years in the making, and now we can say we will be heading home to Colorado late May (assuming the pending amendment goes through on Steve's current orders that have us moving in August)! We thank God for His hand in making this possible. We are beyond excited to return to Fort Collins and Colorado State University, our Alma Mater! Steve was accepted to their PhD program in Industrial Organizational Psychology. He will begin research this Summer, complete the Master's program in a year and a half, begin teaching at the US Air Force Academy December 2014, and then hopefully return to CSU to complete the PhD portion after his 3 years at the Academy. Whew! Steve has a lot of hard work ahead of him, but we just cannot wait to be an hour and a half from family and friends. We will easily be able to celebrate holidays, birthdays, and everyday life with those we love!

Thanksgiving 2012

On the Monday of Thanksgiving week Christian had a cute Thanksgiving Feast at his preschool. All the classes dressed up (the 2 year old classes were dressed as turkeys) and each sang a little finger play before they each ate their "feast" of chicken nuggets, corn, grapes, apples, carrots, and a turkey cookie. So cute! I think my lil' turkey was the cutest :o)

On Thursday for Thanksgiving we celebrated at our neighbor and friend, Leigh's home across the street. We are so thankful for them! Leigh and her daughter have welcomed us as family since we moved here the summer of 2010. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with their family and relaxed for most of the four day weekend...of course, we had to decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. Pictures to follow. :)

The Past Two Weeks: Colorado Week 2

...Continued from this post.

Colorado Week 2:

Tuesday we went to the newish IKEA in Centennial and had lunch with Grandma at California Pizza Kitchen (as you have surely noticed, our goal on this trip was to not eat at places that we have here in Sumter or Columbia. Not that that is a hard task with southern Colorado's variety and Sumter's, well, lack thereof.) We also had a dinner that evening with Ryan, Kim, and the kids.

Wednesday my friend Brooke (who is due with her first any day!) came over for a short visit, while Steve and C went to the park. After lunch the boys and I went to go hang out with Kim and the kids at their house, while Steve and my dad went to go play golf.

Thursday was a relaxing day as we hung out with Grandma and Grandpa, had lunch at Crave in Castle Rock, with Grandma, Kristi, and the newlyweds. That evening we had dinner at Steve's favorite pizza place, Old Chicago with Grandma, Grandpa, and Will and Brittany again!

Friday was our last day. Boo! My grandparents drove down to see us, and we had a nice breakfast and visit. It took a bit, but Christian warmed up to Pop Pop (he calls him "Lollipop") and Nonnie once Lollipop played ball with him. Friday during nap time my mom watched the boys so that Steve and I could go see "The Amazing Spider-Man"- better than the other. :o)

Whew- I made it through all three posts. But really, what a blessed time we had in Colorado. So refreshing and comforting to be home with family and friends. It only makes us want to be there so much more! *Fingers crossed!!* Thank you everyone for making our visit so special. And a big Congratulations to Will and Brittany!