tennessee-bound.

today begins my journey back to the man i love.

i never thought this day would come.

honestly...

never.thought.it.would.come.

for as long as we've been together, 

there's been a clock ticking over our heads.

how long until graduation when we go our separate ways?

how long until the iraq deployment?

how long until he's home from iraq?

how long until he deploys again?

how long until he's home from afghanistan?

i can barely believe that we can finally, finally,

start to really soak up the present & begin making steps

toward the future we've always dreamed of...

once that next deployment was done.

spring 2010, pre-deployment

of the last 4.5 years, we've been apart longer

 than we've been together, but it's all over now

 (at least until graduation on may 25th!).

when i think about seeing his face tomorrow night,

i get a nervous/excited tightening in my stomach

and i also feel like i could cry for hours...

for all of the sadness, strength, relief,

struggle, love, and longing

of the last {almost} year.

and especially when i think of those men

who were with us last june saying goodbye

and never made it back.

it's hard to describe the mix of emotions,

but this excerpt written by an army spouse does it well. 

i imagine there will be lots of these tiny moments this weekend.

"he wrapped me in his arms--him in his sweaty running gear,

me in my damp towel--and we embraced in silence.

there was so much to say, and so little room to say it.

thank you for your commitment to serving our country.

thank you for picking me to be your wife.

thank you for being man enough to get help when you needed it.

thank you for fighting for our marriage

 as valiantly as you fought any war.

thank you for being both my husband and my hero."

we could NEVER have done it without the love & support

and unending encouragement of all our friends & family.

you kept me going 

and i truly believe your prayers & thoughts 

kept him safe.

there were moments & times when we were carried 

by something much larger than ourselves.

thank you.