Texts

So at work, kind of a slow day, when I get this text from my husband:

I love you. I can't get any of the jobs I want. The corps is downsizing. I might have to re-enlist as infantry. Only for two tears then re up and lat move.

Cue stomach landing in shoes. We've discussed him re-enlisting for a long time, but not as infantry. Infantry is not the best for couples, for families, and quite frankly it terrifies me.

There is absolutely nothing else? - me
I'll find out at 1330. But if I lat move into something I don't like I have to be there four years. If I stay infantry I can do only two then move. Can I call you?
Don't have lunch for another hour.
That's fine because I will be finding out my options at 1330. Then I'll text you around 1400.
You know I love you and I will stand by you no matter what. I just know you know infantry terrifies me.
But I can do it... well. Only for two years then I can do what I want.
But that means a deployment, a fleet deployment. Maybe two.
Inevitable regardless.
Not true. A deployment yes. A frontline, fleet, infantry deployment... not inevitable.
True. Call you soon.


Keep your fingers crossed for some good news ladies. My stomach is in all sorts of funny worried nots :(

So sick of this week already...

Oh what a day. A week. And it is only Tuesday.

So at work today I am up front and checking my email when all these little windows start popping up saying that our firewall expired and viruses and spyware were in the computer. I try and get rid of it but no luck. I was just on AOL so it obviously wasn't something I did, but opening the internet I think re-triggered it. So I tell Marlene and Charlie and my boss was pissed. Understandably so, because apparently me (and the highschoolers who do my job too) used the internet and someone got a virus on the system. So the register was down for an hour today while the computer company dialed in to fix it off site.

Then one of my bridesmaids Kim fills me in on the dress drama she is having. David's Bridal I thought would be great, it has locations everywhere and lots to chose from. Now I want to kick the Manhattan location in the face. Kim ordered her dress January 27th and they tell her NOW that it is a "special order" item and needs 12 weeks to come in! They told her it would be in April 1st back in January which was cutting it close to our "April 15th" wedding (we lied to get things in on time!). Apparently Blue Velvet is a special color and needs more time and they don't carry dresses in that color in floor stock. So why did I see at least four Blue Velvet dresses at the New Brunswick location as I was showing Sue (Sam's mom) what they look like? And if it is a special order item why do I have four girls with dresses in the color who had no problems getting theirs???

So I am on the phone with the manager who can't access our information as the computers all crashed. Of course they did. She had to call me back while I was still at work.

I am just so angry they gave Kim the wrong information and would not own up to their mistake. Once the computers were running the manager looked at all stores for that style and color and size for Kim but of course it doesn't exist. Anywhere. So they looked for any dress (and at per Kim's request a different dress than the other girls) that is long and Blue Velvet in Kim's size.

Apparently they found one. Kim is going in on Thursday with her mom as she was still angry. Me too. I was texting Kim and Sam and on the phone with Carrie and at work doing this for three hours!

Plus Ryan left his phone in his pocket while on the range and it poured so now his phone is not working. He will have to get a new one and can't really afford it. Or maybe afford to come this weekend but he is going to try but it is so stressful. And he didn't get our application in for the apartment in on time so the one we looked at is taken. There is ONE one bedroom left on the top floor, so it is more money, and someone already applied. Our only chance is that his credit sucks and he gets denied. Otherwise a one bedroom probably won't be available til JUNE.

So now what???

I think we will know tomorrow.

I just want to cry.

Reunited!!

Ok sorry this took me so long to get to! But this is how my weekend with the love of my life went!

So I woke up at about 4:30am and was in the car by 5am with Don, Patrick, and Karli who all came to see me off. I was on the plane by 7:20am and in DC by 9:30am!!! As soon as I stepped outside of Regan Airport I was cold!!!!! It was FREEZING! My poor Florida body was in shock! I got on the metro platform and I knew I was in for it when it came to how cold it was. I took the metro to Union Station and I met Cat, which was awesome. It was sooo good to see her again too. We had breakfast together and then we went to the Smithsonian and the Mall (and our tree!) for awhile and just caught up before Ryan could get up to DC.

Ryan texted me that he was on his way and we agreed to meet at the Eastern Market Metro Stop... doesn't sound too exciting, but that was where we had our first kiss over a year and a half ago! So our first kiss after the deployment was in the same spot. And it was a long one. I literally jumped at him and just hugged him for so long, it was wonderful.

We got on the metro and went back to Union Station so I could get my suitcase from the baggage storage area and then we went out to Branch Ave (at the very end of the Green Line) where we stayed.

I was so nervous about seeing Ryan, and being with him again. It had been a long time since we had seen one another... hell we didn't even talk on the phone that often while he was gone. He was in Iraq, he had a lot go on... I moved to Florida, we had grown and changed, and I was terrified that we might not click like we used to or something would be different. But we were wonderful. I was still a little nervous when we were together but that all fell away.

The first night we hung out around the hotel... and the only place nearby to eat (we were carless remember) was Red Lobster, so we walked there and had dinner. The next day we slept in and it took us awhile to get going because Ryan wasn't feeling the best. I walked to the gas station and got him medicine (had to force him to take it!) and then we went out into DC. We hung out in Georgetown since it was Halloween, had this wonderful dinner at Clydes where we talked about a LOT of things (ie the future, plans, ideas, hopes, what's going to happen...) and then we went and saw Couple's Retreat. I already saw it but it was funny and worth seeing again. Ryan got pretty sick so we just went back after that. He had a fever that night and wasn't doing well, but his fever broke in the night while I was taking care of him.

The next day I got sick.

So we were both sick!

You take someone from the hot dry heat of Iraq and someone from the hot humidity of Florida and put them in the cold dampness of DC in November, of course they'll both get sick!!!

So we were both drugged and struggling for a few days. Sunday we went back to my campus and went to church at the Basilica and then I saw some of my friends on campus. After that we went to Chinatown and got Ryan a cellphone charger but I was pretty sick at that point so we went back. It was my turn to have the awful fever so we just watched tv and I was miserable in a ball under the covers. (But we watched UP when he was sick and The Ugly Truth when I was, so we got some movies in! And I think Jumanji was in there somewhere too....)

Monday I was a little better. We went down to the Mall and saw some of the monuments and met my friend Kristin briefly before having a nice dinner at Jaleo in Chinatown. We were walking around after that and all these guys were scalpling tickets outside the Verizon Center. We were tired of being asked so we finally caved and asked what the tickets were for, turns out Bruce Springsteen and the E St Band were there! Guess who ended up at the concert?

That would be us!!!

It was fun, and I know Ryan wasn't a huge fan so it meant a lot to me for us to go. After we went back to the hotel and then it was suddenly our last day. We took a long metro ride to Virigina and went to IHOP for breakfast, I didn't eat much since I was still sick, but I was getting there. Then we sat on the National Mall and talked for hours until it was time to go to the airport. We had dinner at Fridays in the airport and then I had to say goodbye again. Leaving him at security physically hurt, I cried the entire way through. Then I was suddenly on the plane and back in Florida.


I also finally quit smoking. Being sick prompted it and then I just didn't want to anymore. It has officially been six days. And I am still sort of sick. I finally have a voice again but it comes and goes. Not good when you talk for a living.

Since our visit we text constantly and we talk on the phone every night, usually for an hour or more. Last night was two and a half hours.

We're planning on moving in together after I finish here in Disney. Ryan thinks he will end up in DC until at least August (*fingers crossed*) so we'll get an apartment together. I just have to ask my Dad first... eek. My mom is cool with it though.

Talk of an engagement and rings has also come up.

Multiple times.

Whew. Ok, all written! Thanks for keeping up with me and this deployment saga. I cannot believe we made it through our first deployment. Yes it was shorter than expected but we still did it and so far we're still going strong, if not stronger than before. I love him so much, he is worth every bit of this.

Semper Fi readers, Semper Fi.

Just Another Tuesday...

You know, when that Tuesday is probably the last time you're going to see your boyfriend for seven months. I didn't have rehearsal yesterday and Ryan got off work early so I drove down to see him. It took me about an hour and a half thanks to traffic but I got there early enough to beat rush hour at least. I helped him pack up some of his stuff in his room. He has been trying to pack all week but everytime they get something packed their section leader wants to do an inspection so they have to unpack to do it all again! Well, their idea of packing is rolling something into a ball and shoving it into the bag and standing on it or punching it until it is compact.

After packing for a bit we went for dinner in Q-Town at this place called Sam's. It was pretty good, I got some stuffed shells and loved being able to sit and eat with my Marine in his camis. He's too adorable in them.

We went back to the room and hung out a bit more. It was so surreal that this may be the last time we're together besides the send off. It was really hard to wrap my brain around. I just loved being with him, I kept the tears in check the entire time and just enjoyed being with him. A bunch of the guys ended up wanting to watch the Big Lebowski so we started that but it started getting late. Halfway through the movie I knew I needed to go if I was going to make the trip home.

I offered to stay at the Crossroads, the hotel on base, so we could have one more night together. Just to fall asleep with him at my side. But he said no. It was a waste of money and things would be harder for him if we did that. So I respected that and left. He walked me to my car and we said our goodbyes. I was doing pretty well until he said, "I'll see you at send off." I got in the car and waved goodbye and as soon as he was out of sight I started crying. I called my mom and talked to her the entire way back to DC. I don't know what I'd do without her.

Thanks to road work I got home at around 12:30am. I texted Ryan to tell him I made it home and say good night and got a text back. Then he texted me again saying he was a dumbass. I replied, Why??? He basically went on to tell me that he thought it would be easier if he didn't spend the night with me and now all he wanted was me lying next to him one more time before he goes. I replied to him that he would not have said that originally if he didn't know deep down it was true and that it was ok. I didn't feel it really but I was sort of telling him what I knew he needed to hear, because lord knows I just wanted to be with him! And he replied that he just didn't know, he was so confused. He knows he wants to be with me forever but he can't so he is pushing me away which is the opposite of what he wants. I told him again it was ok. He could push me all he wanted I am not going anywhere. And we can be together. We will make it through this deployment and have time for one another fully once more. I even offered to drive down tomorrow night (aka tonight) to spend it with him when I got off rehearsal if he wanted me to.

And that was kind of where we left it. Tack on an I love you and that was it.

Today is our one year and two month anniversary.