It's been almost a month since my last post.  I just couldn't bring myself to write.   It has been such an emotional experience to leave something I loved so much. We are headed home from our mission.
Our last day was a busy one with a staff luncheon and lots of training.

Elder and Sister Decker on the left and Elder and Sister Fenton on the right. 

 Our first stop was in Georgia to see my MTC friend Beverly.

 This is a view of Beverly's home from the road. A southern mansion.

We had dinner and met her family.  Beverly served her mission in New Jersey.

 

Next stop was New Orleans.  We've never been there before and while it was interesting, I'm not sure we'd ever go back.  We were there for two nights and of course went down to Bourbon Street to check that out.  We watched the paddle wheeler on the Mississippi and took a tour to see the downtown area and hear the history.

Next stop Forth Worth, Texas to see our good friends and former neighbors, Bill and Mary Dodge, who just moved this summer. 

A great evening and a spectacular visit!

 

It was at this point that Doyle realized we had a problem with the 5th wheel.  We headed west and headed for Abilene.  Upon further inspection he discovered that the problem was brakes and suspension.  We were at the door of the repair shop first thing in the morning.   This took 12 days to resolve.  We went to a museum, went to the mall and looked at lots of new and used 5th wheels.  I read a couple of books and we did some exploring of the area, but 12 days in Abilene is way to long. 

 

Finally, off across Texas to Arizona to visit Aunt Betty and we were fortunate enough to be able to connect with a couple of former missionaries that we served with.  It was great  to see them again!!!

This wonderful couple, Alec Brannan and Rachel Brand, is getting married next month!

 

Going through Las Vegas requires a stop at Hoover Dam.  We spent the majority of a day there and as always, we enjoyed it.

Saw several of these signs along the way.

Today we are in Medford, Oregon and making our way north to Washington.  We have family in Oregon so we'll be here for the next week or so.

 

Serving our mission in South Carolina was certainly one of the highlights of our lives.  It was a busy time of spiritual growth and learning.  It went by too fast, but we know that others will be in our future.  We loved our missionaries, our fellow senior missionaries and our mission president and his wife.