We spent that entire day together until I had to teach that evening. I dropped him off at the recruiting center and went to teach for a couple hours. Afterwards, I met up with him at the hotel and we walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner and then strolled through Target (it was near his hotel plus it was where we met, so it was a good choice). At the hotel, we sat in the lobby and talked for an hour or so, watching all the other recruits coming in. We were both distracted and dreading the good-bye. I couldn't tell you a single thing we discussed, just the calmness I felt. He walked me to my car and I could have stayed there all night with his arms around me. As we were standing there, a car pulled up and asked if I was leaving. The parking lot was full and they were trying to find a spot. I said that I was and we hugged for the last time. I think we were both "relieved" that they pulled up and "forced" us to end things as neither one of us wanted to be the one to make the first move. As I pulled out, she came over to me and said she hoped she wasn't rushing us. I explained the situation and she started crying. :) She told me to thank him for his service and thanked me for supporting him. It was a nice way to end the night.

As I drove the 30 minutes home, I had such a peaceful feeling come over me. Of course, I cried. I cried for missing him, for the unknown, for the realization I'd soon be loving the area and friends I loved, for all the things we wouldn't share over the next months. I was so unsure of what was going to happen in the coming monthy from the small (would pay come okay, would he get there okay) to the large (would we make it through this as a couple). While unsure of many things, though, I wasn't unsure of myself--I knew I'd be fine with him gone. And I was. And we were.

Looking back on that time, it all seems so easy. Those 4.5 months of not seeing him really did pass quickly and were much easier than I expected. (That isn't to say it was easy having him gone though!) I'm glad I didn't know that night that his company wouldn't get their mid-cycle pass though. 9-10 weeks seemed so much more manageable then than 16 (which turned into 18!). Now 16-18 months in Iraq even seem manageble.

A year ago, I really had no idea what the next year would bring. While it included lots of challenges (like not getting the orders until graduation and waiting almost two months to finally move out here & reunite!! LOL) it has been a wonderful year.

As I sit here tonight, my little girl kicking me (she's ready for bed!!), at a base I never even thought of as a possibility, preparing to send my love to Iraq, I know that whatever the next 18ish months bring, we'll be okay. 10 years ago we were getting ready to go our ways to separate colleges, unsure if we'd make it through the first month apart. 10 years later, I have no doubt we'll make it through 18 months. :)


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