Oh, Peonies! You Are My Favorite!

My Mom has so many peonies bushes in her yard -- white, light pink, fuschia...  And every Spring when they put out dozens upon dozens of buds, I get so anxious for the day when I can go outside on a beautiful Colorado day, barefoot & armed with a pair of scissors, to cut myself a bouquet!  And a few for around my parents'  house too, of course :)  When it was time for my wedding, I quickly chose to have peonies in my wedding bouquet, as well as my bridesmaids', & they were cut from my Mom's yard special for the occasion :)

Without a doubt, peonies are my favorite flower.  No matter the color!  What is your favorite flower?  Is there a particular memory that you associate with it?

Q & A: Our College Days of Long Distance Dating

So, there's a section of my blog called Ask Me Anything!, & I got my first question today!  The question is from Che over at Guileless Living By Day.  Thanks so much for the question, girl!  This is a fun way to be inspired for my daily post!  Che asked:

"What was it like dating long distance? And how long was it before you guys got engaged? Maybe you already blogged about it and can refer me to those posts! I just saw how you wrote about seeing each other once a month, so I was wondering how long that lasted before you both decided to take the leap of faith and get married :)"

Good question! And a topic I like remembering!  So let's go, first with some catch-up facts.

1. Don & I met in 6th Grade.  *cue the ooh's & aah's!*  I always thought he was such a great guy, & not bad to look at either ;)
2. We went to separate high schools in the same town, starting up our friendship again when we each had our High School Graduation parties.  It didn't take long for me to see that it would be a dream to date him!  And lucky lucky me, now he is my husband!
3. Off I went to Stillwater, OK & he to West Point, NY.  I was busy, he was busier, but one email turned into many phone calls, then a Ball at a fancy hotel that Christmas.  The next thing I knew, we were practically inseparable.  Er, except for the fact that we were in colleges hundreds of miles apart.

Lots of people told me what you always hear about long distance relationships: They never work.  But that is just a lie.  If you are with the right person {which I was!  And AM!}, then it doesn't matter if you're sitting beside each other every day or you only see each other once a month.  Or once a year, for that matter!  {Case in point right here!}

We've always trusted each other.  There's never been bickering or arguing.  We didn't even have to make a point of talking daily...because it's what we wanted.  It wasn't easy being apart, & my goodness it wasn't easy saying goodbye after those short weekend visits, but I knew I would give up everything just to be with him.  If this was the way God planned it, then by golly, I wasn't going to complain!

At the time, I remember thinking that it was practice.  If we were to get married, we'd be doing much more of the long distance thing, & I knew it.  So back then in college, God was showing us that we could do it.  He was teaching us how!  And that He would help us through.

At West Point, where Don went to college, the students aren't allowed to be married while receiving their education.  So, we knew that getting married was a definite, but Don didn't propose until  April of our Junior years.  I wasn't worried; I knew it was going to happen.  :)  Then, two weeks after his graduation, we became Mr. & Mrs.!

So there ya go, Che!  I hope that answers your questions!  And for those of you who are considering dating a guy long distance, take it from me that it can be done!  And it has!  If you're with the right person, no distance is too great.

3 Months Down, Only 9 More To Go!

Yes, I know I just posted an hour ago, but I'm so excited that I have to share & commemorate this milestone!  As of today, we have officially completed three months of this deployment!  WOW!  At roughly 1 am this morning three months ago, Don & I said our goodbyes & off he went to the desert.  It feels like that took place a lifetime ago; I miss him so much, every moment of each & every day.  But I remind myself that every day is one day closer to being together again.  And the time really has been going by quite quickly.  Hooray!  We are 25% done!  You're doing so great, baby, & I am so proud of you!  You are incredible, & I love you so much!

Since my baby left, I've been doing a pretty good job of staying busy, I think!

+ My June trip to Pisa, Lucca, & Cinque Terra

+ My brother's five week visit & our trips to London, Munich, & Salzburg!  {I still need to finish these posts!}

+ Keeping busy with our FRG {Family Readiness Group}

+ Long daily walks with Layla & Lucius

+ Church every Sunday

+ Bible Study even Thursday night

+ Cleaning the house & generally taking care of everything

+ Working on some business projects for my Dad

+ Planning our R&R trip to Portugal!

+ Taking up knitting

+ Spending wonderful time with friends
+ And plenty more!

Here's to three months down!  Stay safe, sweetheart!  I love you!

Hooray For Modern Technology!

First of all, thank you so very much to each & every one of you who wrote to me through email, Facebook, & here on my blog letting me know that you're thinking of Don & me & praying for us both!  Your support was overwhelming & I cannot thank you enough!  I know we're not tackling this alone!

Don was able to call me about four times yesterday, send text messages, & I even woke up to find an email waiting for me! Hooray! Isn't technology amazing? I'm so thankful for telephones, cell phones, wi-fi internet, email!  Don is so far away from me right now, but that distance does seem smaller when we're able to communicate!  Thank you thank you, brilliant inventors of the past!

Image courtesy of Flickr.Com

If you've been following my blog for a while, you may remember that Don went to Ranger School back in the States last year.  While he went through this grueling process, I moved back home to Colorado to live with my parents.  Don was only allowed to call me twice during the School to let me know how he was doing, & our calls only lasted a few minutes each time!  Other than those two precious conversations, our only form of communication was through writing letters.  Every day, I would walk to my parents' mailbox hoping to find a letter from Don inside!  Whenever I did, I would hold it so close & read it over & over.  I know that people don't write letters as often as they used to, but my oh my there is something wonderful about that tangible form of conversation.  Knowing that the other person held that paper too :)

It made me think about the men & women who served our country decades ago when the ideas of cell phones, internet, & Skype hadn't even been born!  Can you imagine saying goodbye to your soldier & knowing that he wouldn't be home until the war was over?  Can you imagine waiting for months on end to receive just one letter in the mail?  This was the way that my Grandparents stayed in touch during World War Two.  And my goodness, if they could do that then I can do this!

Love letters straight from the heart
Keep us so near while apart
I’m not alone in the night
When I can have all the love you write

I memorize every line
And I kiss the name that you sign
And, darling, then I read again right from the start
Love letters straight from your heart

{From the song "Love Letters Straight From The Heart" sung by Nat King Cole, Elvis, & many more.}

I love you, Don!  You're doing great, sweetie ♥