Can you feel the excitement?
We've been having a pretty great month of getting reacquainted. A month that has included a trip to Maui with our families, eating out a lot, going to the movies, and just remembering what it's like to be a couple. Our precious kitty is super excited to have him home again, too. This month also now includes going back to work and starting our "new old normal". (Complete with work trips for him that start off as "I'll only be gone for one night" and then turns to "Well, now it's two..." That's cool, Marine Corps. The husband and I were SO ready to spend some time apart anyway.) The "new old normal" which includes working all day, washing dishes, doing laundry, and fighting over the remote. Ahhh, domesticity!
Getting lei'd in Maui.
(Classic joke.)
Mateo can't take his eyes off him.
Everyone asks me what's it like to have him back home. Is it weird? Do you still feel like you know each other? Is he different? Is your relationship different? Honestly, it feels like it always did. I feel so lucky to be with someone who still makes me laugh, still gives me hugs, and still listens to my crazy stories. Being apart didn't change that. We dated for so (soooo) long before he (finally!) proposed. Those years (and years) of being together when we didn't have to be (aka dating) made our relationship all the stronger. He had no choice but to deploy and I had no choice but to say goodbye. After eleven years together, I felt strength in the knowledge that he would come back to me and we would continue to be happy. His one year deployment was just a minor blip on our relationship radar. I would never hope for another deployment, but I'm not naive enough to think another won't happen. Anything is possible in this military life. Right now, I'm just thankful he's home.
So VERY thankful.
*I've said it before and I'll say it again: I heart that song.
