Last time in Greenville

The kids and I went back to Greenville on Thursday afternoon, picked up our 15 giant bags at our empty house, and met up with Greg at the hotel where we were going to stay for our last night in the states.  We realized that this was our kids first time ever to stay in a hotel, since when we have travelled we always stay with friends, family, or at the beach-a house.  I think all 3 kids would have been happy to have ridden the elevators up and down all night long-but we didn't let them.  We were all very excited to see Greg again and had a relaxing swim in the hotel pool before dinner.  We also got to see and say goodbye one last time to our dear friends the Finches-Scott and Parker were in preschool together and K-5 and 1st grade at the same school.  They are some of the many friends we will miss terribly! 

 Amy and Susan

Scott, Parker, Ryan, Natalie, and Ashley in the hotel lobby




Our luggage piled in the hotel room

Ryan sleeping                                                                                Scott and Ashley


We enjoyed a great breakfast buffet at the hotel and were off to the delightfully small Greenville Spartanburg airport-where waiting in line for security takes 2 minutes instead of hours.  As we were finishing checking in our luggage and 3 carseats-after some arguing about recently changed luggage requirements-our dear family friends, the Finks, arrived.  Dale and Theta have known Susan's parents since the guys were in the Navy together.  Theta is my mom's dear friend who hosted their Navy wife get together at her house about 2 weeks before Mom passed away.  They have 2 kids-Steve and his wife Tracy and Kam and her husband John.  We have never had a life milestone without the other ones family there-I don't think we've ever moved without helping each other, Dale and Theta were at the hospital when 2 of our kids were born and on the phone many times with the last one, not to mention weddings, graduations, baby dedications and many other things.  So it really meant a lot to me that they came to see us off and the children say thanks for the plane snacks! 

Ashley giving Aunt Theta one more hug

My friend Katie is in the pink shirt

Then we went up the escalator and saw some other of Susan's parents Navy friends-the Harleys.  Their daughter, Katie, and her 3 daughters had been in town visiting and were flying home on the same day we were flying to Manila.  When they were in town for their summer visit 2 years ago, we all met-the Harleys, the Finks, and Mom and I and our three kids-downtown Greenville by the Reedy River to play in the fountains and have a picnic lunch.  Ashley had decided that she was going to walk that morning so we had to stop and buy her a pair of shoes with real soles on the way to meet them.  It was funny to all our moms when they realized that they were much younger than me, Katie, and Kam when they had first gotten to know each other.  I was thankful that God provided yet another time with sweet friends before we were leaving.
Scott and Ryan love studying the GSP airport map that shows where approaching planes are coming from.