Baby

Life happened this year.  But the best thing since Colin came home-

We had a baby.

We love him.

Arrival part 2

Dear Colin,

You are home!

I waited for you at BWI for about an hour. I was early. And there was this group of volunteers who spend their Saturdays welcoming home military on their way home from deployments. And our friends from Andrews came up to meet you and their friend who was also on your flight home.

And I stood with some nine other wives waiting for husbands. One had a little girl who didn't know her daddy was coming home that day. She thought Santa was on the airplane and she was going to meet him. Instead she got her dad!

I was already a bit weepy. We all were. And all sweating. Anxious for husbands to come home. Too much information? It's true though.

Then they started coming. Every time someone rounded the corner and opened the door, we all held our breath to see if it was who we were waiting for.




I wondered if you would be the last one off the plane. And then I saw you. Pushing your cart full of all your bags. And you saw me, and this lady tried to get you to go the other way.




And so I just rushed past her, bursting into tears and hugging you. I imagined when you came home I would just want to look at your face. Instead, I just wept. Into your neck. And my mascara got all over your face.




I guess some one took your cart and pushed it to the side. Making room for other soldiers to move past. Maybe I should have cared about being in the middle of a traffic pattern. But I didn't. I just wanted to hold you. I didn't even hear anything, see anything. It was just you.







Amazing how surreal that moment was. Amazing how quickly it felt normal to have you here with me, holding my hand. Amazing that it has been 9 days since you have been home. Amazing how surreal it feels to be with you all the time now, knowing you are here for all of the foreseeable future.

And how amazing it is that we get to celebrate Christmas together. After all our time apart.

Merry Christmas!




Love.

Arrival part 1

Dear Colin,

You come home in less than an hour.

This is where I am waiting.




I'm so excited I've gone to the bathroom twice. And I feel like I'm going to throw up. But in a good way.

My body just can't handle the excitement for getting to kiss your face for the first time in 6 months and 8 days.

I love you.

Closer and Closer

Dear Colin,

You come home in four days. Three for you since you leave Friday night. But four days until we see each-others faces.

The last month or so has been weird. It has felt... Normal. Normal to be alone. Normal to only see you on a screen or not at all when we talk. Normal to do everything alone-apartment searching, traveling, sleeping, ice-skating, walking. It's normal now to not have a hand to hold.

I hope what is really normal feels normal soon. I just want to spend forever with you.

Four days.
Love

Addendum

Dear Colin-

I have more numbers...

- I bought 4 pairs of shoes yesterday :S
- 3 apartments looked at, 5 more scheduled on Thursday
- 18 plane rides. 2 more this week. And that's just for me.
- 1 Christmas Around the World concert

And the most exciting news- 1 masters degree accomplished (almost)

And now 6 days till you are with me. And we will just look at each other and smile. All the time.

Love you.

The Countdown Begins

Dear Colin,

Two weeks. Fourteen days. Can you believe it? That's only ten fingers and four toes.

I do believe this had been the most busy and least productive six months I've had in a long time. I've made a list.

- 6 months
- 4 Internet calling capabilities
- average of 1.6 times a day we get to call, generally face to face (I love technology)
- 8 different states
- 8 different countries
- 1 new guitar
- 1 new oud (rhymes with food)
- only 1 new pair of shoes (so far)
- approximately 60 books read (I know I have missed a few. Or a dozen. I've read a lot of books. Three in one day last week. New personal best.)
- 1 presentation leading to actual adulthood
- 300+ photos at Harry Potter related sites
- only 4 castles (surprising...)







- 3 high teas
- 1 new Christmas tree (surprise!)
- 1 phone that still works after 2 swims in 1 river and 1 shattered screen after falling 1 time in a walmart
- 3 doctors visits
-1 new medication
- feeling approximately 50% better than 1 year ago
- 1 sprained ankle
- 4 weeks of exercising every day (hooray! But followed by two months of lazy book reading and touristing...)
- time with 7 sisters
- 5 beaches
- 5 musicals
- 2 ballets
- 6 art museums
- 1 new set of scriptures
- 5(?) Thanksgiving dinners (did you have two? I had three...)
- 6 pies plus 11 mini pies
- 2 missionary parents







All of it adds up to too long to be away from a husband I love and some 336 hours until you are with me. 1 excited wife.

With 10 days r&r, 3 days Christmas in Berkeley Springs WV, 1 week in Colorado, and 1 week in California to look forward to when you get home. :)

Miss you. Love you. See you.

Crazed

Dear Colin,

It's ok to be jealous. I'm going to The Hunger Games movie today. It comes out a day early here in England.

I know. I'm crazy.