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.

Amy is Awesome!

Dear Colin,

I got an email recently. It's from a guy who wants to publish a longer version of the paper I presented in Rhode Island. Evidently one of the four people who were at my entire presentation thinks I'm publishable.

Just thought I would let you know. I'm a big deal. :)

That's all.

Being Cool

Dear Colin,

My geek self was satisfied this week.

100 acre wood- where Christopher Robin played. We played pooh sticks and everything.







And a trip to the Harry Potter studio- there are no words.







I geeked out.

Again, it's ok to be jealous. Wish you could be here. Love.

Big Ben

Dear Colin,

Did you know the clock tower in London is not called Big Ben? That's the name of the bell.




The name of the tower is Madeline. At least that's what I heard the guide say...

I think I will practice my English accent.

Love.

Been Busy

Dear Colin,

As soon as I was finished presenting my paper, I was on a plane. And now I'm in England!

However, I only spent one day there before running off to Scotland with Kristen.

4 days. Over 700 photos.

We spent a day in Edinburgh- bus tour of the city, Mary Queen of Scots exhibit, walking tour of the castle, and a ghost tour.







Then took a two day tour up to Iverness, through the Scottish highlands, and seeing Culloden battlefield- where Bonnie Prince Charlie finally lost his battle to reclaim the Scottish throne.




Saw Loch Ness, and lots of highland scenery. Ate haggis.




And rode the Jacobite steam train. Also known as the Hogwarts Express.




It's ok to be jealous. Because it was awesome.




Also saw Tom Riddle's grave. The real one. With the unfortunate glory of being the inspiration for our generation's greatest fictional villain. (Which you may debate...)




And then a train ride to Stirling where we saw the castle there.




And the trip is just beginning.

Love you.

Becoming an Adult

Dear Colin,
Up to now I have always felt that I was playing house. Pretending that I was an adult when I felt that I was actually still four years old with a play kitchen. Today, I officially became an adult.
It didn't happen when I graduated high school. It didn't come with a first kiss. It didn't come with college. It didn't come with getting married. It didn't come with moving away from family. It didn't come with a husband's deployment.
It came with going alone to the American Folklore Society conference in Rhode Island. It came when I presented a paper to other folklorists. The few people there were engaged and asked questions and made me feel like maybe I am becoming an expert in the field.
So it's official. I am an adult.




Love you. :)

Cool

Dear Colin, 

Today is 60 days left of deployment.  60 days until you come home.

That's cool.

Love

Conference

Dear Colin, 

Don't you love General Conference weekend?  I do.  It made me just think of all the things I am grateful for, like:

- You
- Our nearly perfect marriage
- This chance to spend so much time with family
- The easy access we have to scriptures and the words of living prophets
- Books to read and movies to watch
- Photos to take and paintings to make

I think most of all I learned that I am grateful for the trials of the last couple of years.  I have learned to slow down.  To focus on the things that matter most.  No, I was not able to get a job, to clean the house, to work on crafty projects, to cook dinners, to run around DC with you. I wasn't able to exercise at all, I slept anywhere from 11-13 hours at night, and needed an hour or more nap in the middle of the day usually. I was only able to really do one thing a day.  But I was able to work on a Masters degree and spend time with you, even if it was doing nothing.

I am grateful for people who understand that sleep can be a trial. That low thyroid can cause major issues.  That less severe physical trials are still hard.

I'm also grateful that I have never felt like a second rate citizen in the kingdom of God because I am a woman.  I have a testimony of the Gospel even though there are things that I don't fully understand yet.

I am grateful that you understand me better than I do sometimes.  And I'm grateful you love me, despite my flaws and trials.  

Love you.

Chocolate

Dear Colin,

Remember how chocolate milk is the best recovery drink?




It makes working out worth it. :)

Love.

Amazing

Dear Colin,

Despite the last two years of literally no exercise, today I ran a 5K.







You should be proud. I almost didn't make it. Emily is a good cheerleader.

Remember how you laughed when I told you I was running? Well I made it. :)

Coming Back

Dear Colin,

I miss you. And I have so many things I want to do when you get home. 101 in fact, in honor of 101 days deployed. :)

1. Make lobster
2. Hold hands
3. Eat sushi
4. Eat Mexican
5. Bake chocolate chip cookies
6. Play the piano while you cook dinner
7. Play the mandolin while you play the guitar
8. Listen while you play the guitar
9. Play video games
10. Play board games
11. Play card games
12. Build a fort
13. Find a place to live
14. Go to the smithsonian museums again
15. Go to the temple together
16. Go to church together
17. Do laundry together
18. Sleep in
19. Cuddle
20. Dance in the kitchen
21. Watch Once Upon a Time with you
22. Watch Downton Abbey with you
23. Watch Clue with you
24. Watch the new Hunger Games with you
25. Visit family
26. Buy a camera
27. Buy a new car
28. Buy new phones
29. Decide what we are doing with our lives
30. Make babies
31. Go to New York and see a musical
32. Go to Disneyland
33. Visit friends in Florida
34. Visit friends in Connecticut
35. Go to the beach
36. Make ice cream
37. Make s'mores
38. Tell you how much I love you
39. Take family photos
40. Take an Argentine tango lesson
41. Go country dancing
42. Go grocery shopping together
43. Make hot chocolate
44. Kiss your face
45. Share toothpaste
46. Share a bed
47. Hug you
48. Babysit for friends and family
49. Get a calling in church again
50. Watch Christmas movies: Home Alone 1&2, White Christmas, Elf. You know, classics.
51. Plan a trip. To anywhere.
52. Drive down GW Parkway
53. Drop you off at work
54. Pick you up at work
55. Visit you at work
56. Tell you how much I love you
57. Watch a sunset
58. Watch the planes take off at Reagan airport
59. Buy you some new clothes
60. Get in your way
61. Let you get in my way
62. Listen to a book together
63. Nap
64. Make stuffed tomatoes
65. Make Kristen's black eyed pea salsa salad
66. Make peanut butter cookies
67. Make bread
68. Make pies, all kinds
69. Make dinner for the missionaries
70. Eat mac and cheese
71. Eat mac and cheese while watching Iron Chef America
72. Sing in ward choir
73. Sit next to you in sacrament meeting
74. Kiss your face again
75. Wake up to you kissing me goodbye in the morning
76. Wake up to your snoring
77. Wake up to you laughing
78. Watch a sunrise with you
79. Go camping
80. Graduate
81. Visit Berkeley Springs, WV
82. Be together and say nothing
83. Fall asleep at a decent hour
84. Fall asleep holding hands
85. Read children's books together at the store
86. Walk down King Street
87. Make a new recipe
88. Pick out what shoes go with your green pants
89. Have you pick out my shoes
90. Watch you shave
91. Sit in the passenger seat while you drive
92. Listen to you sing
93. Put my head on your shoulder
94. Be the little spoon
95. Make watch the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble on DVD
96. Make Hawaiian haystacks. Or Mongolian dinner.
97. Greet you at the door when you come home from work
98. Keep holding your hands
99. Keep kissing your face
100. Keep hugging you
101. Keep telling you how much I love you

There is more. But 101 is a nice place to stop for now.

Love

Almost Complete

Dear Colin,

This week is halfway thru the deployment! Halfway! It is downhill from here. :)

I thought I would celebrate by sharing some of my favorite moments of the last three months.

Remodeling my parents home. It's a whole new house now.

Hanging out with family- Laina's dance recital was lovely.

Bear Lake!

Seeing Emily perform

Face Timing with you

Hot summer days with trampolines and ice

Boating.

Making ninja-bread cookies

Hanging out with friends in DC- I was there when this cutie learned to crawl.

Florida

Tour. The people made it worth it.

Emily.

Beaches in Maine with Dana and her family

Lobster.

Boston

Connecticut with the Rawcliffes. This is the river my phone fell into. Twice. 

 Also.  Just because we talked about the horror, please watch this.  :)

I love you. 

Cameras Part 2

Dear Colin, 

Remember these people?  They are some of my favorites.