36-hour pass!!! :-)

WOW!!! What an amazing most wonderful time!!! The love we share has expanded 10 fold! I have never felt more close and more in love with that husband of mine as I do now!!! So here is how it went:

So Thursday June 3rd was my traveling day. It was funny though because it wasn't my first time traveling alone but because it had been 76 days since I last saw my husband, it was like I was anxious about seeing him again...but the day went amazing! The Lord looked after me ALL day and nothing went wrong. My flights were on time, getting the rental ended up being $50 cheaper then originally intended, getting to the base and getting my parking pass was REALLY simple, getting to my hotel was easy...it was just AWESOME! So thank you Lord!

(Nick, Diaz and Martenson)

Then Friday I was up early (because we all know I didn't sleep very much Thursday night) and decided that although they weren't getting released till 11 I would just take a shower and head out. So I left somewhere between 9/9:15 and got there like 9:30ish maybe (and again getting onto post and to his barracks was simple). So only like 15 minutes after I got there, they issued us to a classroom type thing to answer questions and give us our safety brief. The CO asked one last time "so any other questions?" and I was like "Ya, can we have them now?" hahahaha! Then finally around 10:55 they led us up to the pavilion type thing that connects all the barracks where all our men were waiting!!! :-) At that point our now soldiers chanted the Infantry Creed and then the Soldier's Creed (which was just awesome!). As soon as they were done, it was a scramble to see all the families and women searching for their soldiers. So a mother who's son is in Nick's platoon and I finally found 3rd platoon and at first I couldn't find Nick. I was searching every face and couldn't find him...FINALLY...he stood up (because they all were looking for their bags) and I DASHED over to him. I honestly thought I would be able to somewhat contain myself! NOPE!!! I was pretty much already hugging him before he realized I was there and when I pulled away, his eyes were just sparkling! I always knew how much he loved me but that was like really seeing it for the first time!!! :-) Then within a minute, all of this friends (like 5 guys) walked up to me and introduced themselves and gave me hugs (which I thought was really cute because I didn't have to search for any of them). So we all talked for a couple minutes and then everyone was all kinda ready to get out of there. Although he has quite a few...Nick became best friends with 2 guys there (Diaz and Martenson) and one of them actually lives right in Rhode Island and his wife (Angela is Diaz's wife) and I have actually become really good friends. So anyway, she wasn't getting into Columbus till noonish and they were getting let out at 11 so I told her that I would take her husband to their hotel so she wouldn't have to worry about getting to the base and going thru all that. So after dropping him off, Nick and I headed back to our hotel and just hung out. Then for dinner we met up with his 2 best friends and the loved ones they had with them at Chili's (with it being Nick's favorite and all) and hung out there for a little while, went to Wal-Mart to pick up some gatorade and a little bit of candy (although I have to say, Nick was good all by himself, didn't ask for any soda or anything like that, which just made me happy because he really is loving his new "job" and it shows). Then for the next, 24 hours at this point) we just hung out in the hotel and stepped out a few times for meals and that was about it.

(Nick, me, Martenson, Angela, Diaz)

So during the safety brief on Friday morning we were told they had to be back for 2100 (9:00 p.m.) but then boys had read on the bulletin a week before 2000 (8:00 p.m.) so JUST to make sure we were ALL good, alot of us met up around 1930 (7:30 p.m.) so that way the boys could kind of show us around the base...which I LOVED because now when Nick talks about something, I can actually picture what he is talking about!! :-)

Then on Sunday I spent the day with an old high school friend who now lives in Peachtree City, GA because I wasn't flying out till Monday. It was really fun catching up with her and it was nice not being alone in the hotel room for another night..haha! Finally on Monday my traveling was just as simple (although my flight was an hour delayed it didn't really matter because at this point I was going home so I was fine)!!!

Overall, it was the most AMAZING weekend I have ever had and I can't wait to see him again (especially because that will be when I get to take him home with me!)!!!

Countdown number 2 begins - 28 days till his Angela and I head back down to GA for "Turning Blue" and Graduation!!!