Sing For Joy

Timing

Today was jam packed day for me-An early hair appointment, running a couple of errands, a 2 and a half hour lunch meeting on base, checking Ellie out of school to go to the orthodontist, meeting Gracie at home and taking Ellie to get her own hair cut, ( it's a cute new style, with just a subtle change-pictures later), picking up take out from Fazoli's for dinner, returning home, eating, and heading to Mentor Training at church as soon as Joe got here.   Everything went well today and I just knew I'd fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow tonight.  Well, I think I may have had coffee with caffeine at the Mentor training, because I've cleaned off my desk, found some recipes I was looking for and started this post-all between 9:30 and 10:00.    One plus to being awake now-Joe and I decided tonight before he fell asleep that we will go out on a date tomorrow night while the girls spend the night with their friends down the street.  We are hopefully going to the restaurant I went to with my girlfriends for my 40th birthday-a place he's never been.  What I realized after our conversation is that it's the 16th anniversary of the day he said, " I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I want you to be my wife."  And I said, " Nothing would make me happier."    I'm excited to share that with him in the morning.   

My Man

This is the man I'm married to-for 13 years and 3 months and 13 days.  I haven't seen him in person in 3 months and 18 days and it will be almost another 3 months before he comes home-for a visit.  He's deployed to the Middle East for a year.  Thankfully, he is in a safe place, enjoys his job for the most part and is working with good people. He has many comforts that many other deployed Military men and women do not have and he does not take these comforts for granted.  Basically, the only things he could use are his family nearby, his dog, and cooler weather.   We're excited about his visit home in December and very hopeful he'll be here for Christmas.  It will be wonderful for the girls to have him home for their Christmas break.   I don't need anything else for Christmas except to have the 4 of us together as a family.  Ok, 5 of us.  He would want me to include our golden retriever, Sadie.  In the 13+ years we have been married, the longest we've had to be apart is about 9 weeks.  That's pretty amazing considering he's a pilot in the Air Force.  During the two years we dated, we were apart for 3 and half months, then just two months later he left for 7 months to go to Desert Storm, and we had a couple times of 2 months or so apart.  So, we really got to know each other through letters and occasional phone calls.  We're very thankful to have email now and we are able to write each other just about every day.  We talk on the phone once a week.  As much as I miss him, I'm so proud of him and all the men and women who are doing their jobs in unsafe places and have to be away from their families for long periods of time.  I definitley know I'll appreciate him more when he's home.  There's also the benefit of an occasional love letter in the mailbox.   I miss having an adult to talk to at the end of a long day-the adult who happens to be my husband and my best friend.  I miss having someone to back me up when I have to tell the girls to stop arguing.  I miss having him to sit beside in Sunday school and at Bible Study.  I miss going out on dates.  I'm going to miss him when the weather really cools off and I don't have him to snuggle with under the covers.  I miss him being here for the big things, the little things, the everyday things.    For those who can read this  knowing their spouse is near by, or that you'll see him or her later today,  give them an extra hug and thank them for  the little things they do for you.  Leave them an unexpected love note somewhere. Go on a date.  On a week night.  Remember that amidst all of the busyness of daily life, God brought the two of you together to be husband and wife.   Key word-Together.