In 1993, Geoffrey Thames was the new kid on the block when he began attending Tattnall during his 8th grade year.  Little did he know that the first girl he would meet there would become his future wife.  It wasn’t love at first sight or even friendship at first.  It was quite the opposite. Geoffrey remembers how Natalie Padgett Thames would often tell the teachers he was bothering her or being disruptive in order to get him in trouble. It wasn’t until the next year, while in Ms. Patterson’s (now Mrs. Shaw) 9th grade Physical Science class, did things begin to change. Natalie began to see the boy who used to annoy her differently. Soon, his little annoyances became endearing, and she let him know that she liked him.  That year, they began hanging out more and eventually went to the movies with a group of friends for their first “date.”  In high school, Geoffrey was a linebacker for the varsity football team, and Natalie was a statistician all 4 years. Their relationship withstood the test of time as they dated continuously until they married in October of 2002.

After graduation in 1997, Geoffrey attended Georgia College and State University and completed his degree in Marketing and Information Technology from Macon State College. He has worked the past 6 years for Motorola Solutions in the Government and Public Safety Market as a Service Manager for South Georgia. Natalie followed the same path as Geoffrey by attending Georgia College and State University and completing her degree in Dental Hygiene at Macon State College. She has worked for Dr. Lipfert and Dr. Garvin as a dental hygienist for 12 years.

When the Thames family brought their first child, Griffin (7), to his first day at TSA for kindergarten, they knew they had made the right decision when they were greeted by the very same teacher they had for their 9th grade Physical Science class.  Mrs. Shaw, or Ms. Patterson to them, was going to be Griffin’s teacher aide for the year. What a wonderful surprise! Griffin is currently in first grade and loves being a Trojan just like his parents! Also, Geoffrey and Natalie’s family recently grew when they welcomed their baby girl, Ella Grace, in December 2013.

It is beautiful to watch how God weaved all of what they thought were small details at the time into their story. We are so grateful to have the Thames family back “home.”