The Best Day of My Life

My first night in Washington was not nearly as nerve racking as I expected. I was picked up from the airport by a woman named Jessica, the very first Army Wife I ever met. She generously picked me, a random girl from California whom she had never met, up from the airport and allowed me to stay at her home that night. We talked about California and my story, her life as a seasoned Army Wife, and she taught me how to twirl a baton. I did my best to stay up as late as possible that night because I knew every hour I spent sleeping the next morning would be one less hour I would have to wait out my soldiers arrival.

The next day I woke up pretty late, hung around for a few hours, took a two hour nap to pass the time, and spent an entire 3 hours getting ready. I had one shot to hook this guy ;)

We took our time heading to the gym. By this point I was in a pretty good place mentally. I was SO excited to finally be there, in the gym, a place I had envisioned every night for 4 months. I didn’t feel nervous at all (yet), most of this was attributed to the fact that I didn’t really believe it all yet. Yes I was in Washington, yes I had all these Army families around me, but I still didn’t really wrap my head around the fact that the guy I had been staring at through my skype window all this time was a real person! haha

Here Jessica and I are at the gym. We waited there for something like 3 hours before the guys actually came. (plane delay)

and then there was my moment…

Just like you see in all those “coming home” shows, the door rose and they marched in. I swear my heart stopped. I swear I thought I was going to throw up. (I swear I still wanted to look like hot stuff so I decided against it).

And then this

All this time waiting, all these months wondering and now? I CANT EVEN TELL WHICH ONE HE IS! They all look the same and they stood like this for what seemed like forever.

Needless to say, they finally dispersed, I met my Army man with a ridiculous smile that he mirrored and we stood there staring at each other like giddy fools. He wrapped his arm around me, escorting me to the parking lot where we shared our first kiss and the rest my friends, is history.

Well sort of.

We got married almost exactly two months later…minor detail ;)

XOXO

T

This time last year

This time last year I woke up really early after a night of tossing and turning.

I crept upstairs and crawled into my mom’s bed and nudged her with my toe. She opened a single eye and just looked at me, confused as to why I, at the age of twenty, had crawled into bed with her. I looked at her and said simply, “today is the day.” She grumbled a muffled “mmhmm you’ll be fine” and rolled over…so much for sympathy.

I checked my suitcase, got myself ready, and waited for my two best friends to meet me at my house.

After much pacing and heavy sighs I declared, “It’s time to go.”

I drove myself to the airport that day, needing something to concentrate on with all this nervous energy. My friends and I said our goodbyes and they watched as I walked into the terminal. This was really happening.

Though there was lots of nervousness I didn’t have a freak out “what-the-hell-am-I-doing” moment until I was on the plane. Suitcases in, overhead compartments secured, seat belt buckled, 1-2-3, prepare for take off. As the nose of the plane rose toward the sky I looked out my 4 inch thick window and thought to myself…”this is the worst idea you have ever had”

I was headed to a state I had never been to, to a place where I didn’t know a single person, all to meet a man I had only seen through pictures and grainy web cam images.

To late now though, destination: Seattle, Washington.