Saying So Long to the Cunninghams

Our week in Coronado served as the perfect distraction from the fact that our very good friends here in Tucson, the Cunninghams, left for their new assignment on the East Coast while we were out of town. We met Brent and Sara through Sara's brother who is also in the Air Force. At the time he and Brian were attending the same university: Brian was getting his Master's and Sara's brother was getting his PhD. After completing his program, Brian was assigned to San Antonio and the following year, Sara's brother also moved to the area. When we got our assignment to Tucson, he put us in touch with Brent and Sara, who gave us a place to stay during our house hunt and we all immediately hit it off. I also stayed with them when I came out to Tucson two weeks before Brian later that summer, and in the course of that time Sara and I became fast friends. 

Between our two families, we've been through three deployments and the birth of three children in as many years as we've been here together! Sara became my closest friend here in the Southwest and I feel so blessed to have met someone with whom I share so much in common.

When I was admitted to the hospital while pregnant with Ellie, Sara was the first person I called; she brought me some essentials from home and picked my mom up from the airport late the next night. She even threw me a baby shower after I was discharged but still at home on bedrest! She was so supportive throughout a scary and uncertain situation that I felt like she and Ellie shared a special bond -- it's no wonder Brian and I asked her to be Ellie's godmother!

In the midst of packing up their house we had the Cunninghams over for dinner the last few nights before we left for the coast, which I told them it was purely for selfish reasons as we wanted to see them as much as we could before they left.

As they were heading out the door, Braden and Ellie even gave each other a hug -- sort of.

Awww.

That's one of the downsides to military life: you make wonderful friends, but eventually there comes a time when you have to bid those friends farewell. Thank goodness for cell phones and FaceTime, but we're still holding out hope to be assigned together again down the road!