[© THE MOULTRIE NEWS]
By JENNY SANFORD
Editor’s Note: South Carolina First Sanford has kindly agreed to write an occasional column for the Moultrie News about life in the Governor’s Mansion. The first lady, Gov. Mark Sanford and their four boys lived on Sullivan’s Island before the election and still maintain a home there. We thank Mrs. Sanford for sharing her insights in these letters to friends back home.
About time last year, we had dividing the boys’ basement playroom so we could make more room for campaign volunteers to sleep and to work. Tom Davis, an attorney and friend from Beaufort, had just joined the permanent team and dubbed the new room “Jurassic Park” because of the dinosaur sheets on the bunk beds. As we got closer to the primary me, we added more computers, more wires and cables, more phones and more bodies. I never knew who I would find in the house or at what hour, but somehow that didn’t really matter.
I would go to bed at night thinking laundry left to do, all the campaign tasks unfinished and all the hugs and kisses the boys missed. It was a wild but fantastic experience.
We were as surprised as anyone n the primary and the runoff, and we finally made the decision to move the campaign to a real office. For me, this was the most difficult time of the entire last year, because when the campaign moved I moved with it. I now had to leave the house every day to go to the office, and found myself campaigning in a different city almost every night. I had no idea how much I would miss just seeing my boys after school or just knowing what they were doing for homework or what they ate for dinner.
Even though I missed them, I was very proud of them. I know they were as tired of the campaign as we were, and yet I asked them to persevere for just a few more months, and they did beautifully.
The two months leading up to the general election were filled with a range of incredible emotions for me. Suffice it to say, there was plenty of stress. As a campaign manager, every decision mattered as if one’s life depended upon it. Running against a well-financed incumbent left no room for error.
As a wife, I felt a sense of outrage seeing Mark’s reputation purposely and systematically tarred. But in dealing with this sense of outrage and injustice, my faith and my trust in God were strengthened.
Mark and I and the boys prayed constantly, as did many others on our behalf. The pure power of prayer and of faith is incredible. When Election Day finally arrived, I was ready for whatever the outcome would be and, for the first time in a long time, I felt stress-free and at peace. I believed that we had done our best and, more importantly, we could be proud of our campaign.
I knew that in the days and weeks ahead we could slow down and see more of our children. I also felt, somehow, that South Carolina would someday be a better place because of the ideas we had talked about in our campaign.
As the reality of the results sank in, we started to ready ourselves for the changes we now faced. While Mark remained overwhelmed with all of the aspects of his transition into office, I focused on the transition of the family. I cleaned closets, packed and visited new schools.
We cried with the boys’ classmates and teachers as we said our goodbyes. We spent time with family over the holidays and saw some old friends. In the new year we moved into a temporary home and the boys started school, sleeping at night in sleeping bags and on Mark’s old futon.
In many ways, this was an incredibly happy time. We spent lots of time at the park down the street, tried restaurants all around Columbia and learned our way around.
We prepared for the inauguration without really being sure what to expect. When Inauguration Day finally arrived, I could not sleep for fear that I had forgotten someone’s shoes or that we would not all be ready in time that morning. Once we made it to the church and heard the bagpipes, I had a sense that it would be an incredible day.
The prayer service was a perfect start to the day and the Inaugural Ceremony was wondrous and unforgettable. While we greeted people at the mansion after lunch, the boys played soccer on the lawn and discovered where all the brownies and snacks were in the kitchen.
At 6 p.m., we closed the doors and quickly changed our clothes for the barbecue, which was more fun and festive than we could ever have imagined. That night, with overnight bags packed, we spent our first night in the mansion.
We awoke the next morning, humbled at just how it was that we cam£ to be in such a place of honor. We continue to settle in to our life of new responsibilities, and continue to be thankful for all of the love and support that so many gave in order to place us here. The last 12 months have been among the most tumultuous and, at the same time, the most exciting times for our family. In reflecting upon the events of the past year I find that most of all, we are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support that we have received from people all across this state. We are blessed by the supportive prayers and well wishes of so many, and will continue to rely on that support and on our faith in God to lead in the days and months ahead.
FEBRUARY 19, 2003
BY JENNY SANFORD
Editor’s Note: South Carolina First Sanford has kindly agreed to write an occasional column for the Moultrie News about life in the Governor’s Mansion. The first lady, Gov. Mark Sanford and their four boys lived on Sullivan’s Island before the election and still maintain a home there. We thank Mrs. Sanford for sharing her insights in these letters to friends back home.
About time last year, we had dividing the boys’ basement playroom so we could make more room for campaign volunteers to sleep and to work. Tom Davis, an attorney and friend from Beaufort, had just joined the permanent team and dubbed the new room “Jurassic Park” because of the dinosaur sheets on the bunk beds. As we got closer to the primary me, we added more computers, more wires and cables, more phones and more bodies. I never knew who I would find in the house or at what hour, but somehow that didn’t really matter.
I would go to bed at night thinking laundry left to do, all the campaign tasks unfinished and all the hugs and kisses the boys missed. It was a wild but fantastic experience.
We were as surprised as anyone n the primary and the runoff, and we finally made the decision to move the campaign to a real office. For me, this was the most difficult time of the entire last year, because when the campaign moved I moved with it. I now had to leave the house every day to go to the office, and found myself campaigning in a different city almost every night. I had no idea how much I would miss just seeing my boys after school or just knowing what they were doing for homework or what they ate for dinner.
Even though I missed them, I was very proud of them. I know they were as tired of the campaign as we were, and yet I asked them to persevere for just a few more months, and they did beautifully.
The two months leading up to the general election were filled with a range of incredible emotions for me. Suffice it to say, there was plenty of stress. As a campaign manager, every decision mattered as if one’s life depended upon it. Running against a well-financed incumbent left no room for error.
As a wife, I felt a sense of outrage seeing Mark’s reputation purposely and systematically tarred. But in dealing with this sense of outrage and injustice, my faith and my trust in God were strengthened.
Mark and I and the boys prayed constantly, as did many others on our behalf. The pure power of prayer and of faith is incredible. When Election Day finally arrived, I was ready for whatever the outcome would be and, for the first time in a long time, I felt stress-free and at peace. I believed that we had done our best and, more importantly, we could be proud of our campaign.
I knew that in the days and weeks ahead we could slow down and see more of our children. I also felt, somehow, that South Carolina would someday be a better place because of the ideas we had talked about in our campaign.
As the reality of the results sank in, we started to ready ourselves for the changes we now faced. While Mark remained overwhelmed with all of the aspects of his transition into office, I focused on the transition of the family. I cleaned closets, packed and visited new schools.
We cried with the boys’ classmates and teachers as we said our goodbyes. We spent time with family over the holidays and saw some old friends. In the new year we moved into a temporary home and the boys started school, sleeping at night in sleeping bags and on Mark’s old futon.
In many ways, this was an incredibly happy time. We spent lots of time at the park down the street, tried restaurants all around Columbia and learned our way around.
We prepared for the inauguration without really being sure what to expect. When Inauguration Day finally arrived, I could not sleep for fear that I had forgotten someone’s shoes or that we would not all be ready in time that morning. Once we made it to the church and heard the bagpipes, I had a sense that it would be an incredible day.
The prayer service was a perfect start to the day and the Inaugural Ceremony was wondrous and unforgettable. While we greeted people at the mansion after lunch, the boys played soccer on the lawn and discovered where all the brownies and snacks were in the kitchen.
At 6 p.m., we closed the doors and quickly changed our clothes for the barbecue, which was more fun and festive than we could ever have imagined. That night, with overnight bags packed, we spent our first night in the mansion.
We awoke the next morning, humbled at just how it was that we came to be in such a place of honor. We continue to settle in to our life of new responsibilities, and continue to be thankful for all of the love and support that so many gave in order to place us here. The last 12 months have been among the most tumultuous and, at the same time, the most exciting times for our family. In reflecting upon the events of the past year I find that most of all, we are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support that we have received from people all across this state. We are blessed by the supportive prayers and well wishes of so many, and will continue to rely on that support and on our faith in God to lead in the days and months ahead.