Apologies for being a delinquent blogger…

This post is going to be all over the place dating back to May 2010. It will cover the weeks before deployment, deployment day, a summer course, baby shower, 4th of July, my best friend’s engagement, and much more! Enjoy reading!
The weeks, especially the week, before Ryan left for deployment, we spent every possible waking second together enjoyed all of life’s little pleasures i.e. eating, golfing, hand holding, kissing, you get the idea! It was glorious and we didn’t focus on the cloud looming over our heads; we just smiled and enjoyed being with one another!

My parents threw a little going away bash for Ryan before he left. It was relaxed bbq in the backyard with close family and it was perfect! Ryan and my brother manned the grill and were studs!

Brother in-laws

Even with working hard at the grill he found time to shower me with kisses!

I love him so much and miss moments like this more than words could ever explain.

xoxoxo

We had fun playing with our niece. At that time she was a crawling machine! Now she is a wobbly walker and is getting cuter by the day! Give Ryan and I a few years and we will have a little one of ours, but he/she will probably have red hair, no eyes, and a tiny booty, but cuter than a button! Hehe!

Crawling to get 'Puppy'!  (Everything is 'puppy' to her!)

A few weeks later...

We went to The Melting Pot for the first time and shared a little nock in the back of the restaurant with a bottle of champagne!

Pre-dinner cuties!

In our nook with our amazing meal! 

We had one of the special dinners for two consisting of a cheese fondue, individual salads, a main course of steak, chicken, shrimp, tuna, pork, dumplings, mushrooms, potatoes, and more, and then we had a flaming turtle chocolate fondue for desert!! (I’m not sure of the exact desert name, but it was something close to that and it was glorious!) We walked out of there feeling like we each gained 15 pounds, but every pound was worth it! The service was exceptional, we weren’t rushed, it was just an amazing evening and we would pay the money for that quality of service time and time again.

Another date night before Ryan left was a Mexican style picnic on Mt. Trashmore in honor of our time in San Diego where we fell in love with Mexican food and our first few weeks in Virginia Beach when we shacked up in a hotel next to Mt. Trashmore.  I know, Mt. Trashmore sounds like a horrible date site, but it is actually quite nice!  It is a park made from an old trash depository and there is a lake, a wooden tree house and a few miles of trails!  We justed goofed off, took pictures and enjoyed the light breeze while cuddling!  It was a very sweet evening! 

Tears were flowing...

"See you soon.  I love you!  Stay safe..."

There are no words to describe the feeling of holding the love of you life for the last time in several months, so I am not going to try to explain it.  All I can say is that I don't wish the pain on my worst enemy.  I love my officer with all my heart and nothing in this world can take that away from me. 

Ryan drove my car to base with me in the passenger seat.  I can't wait until he is in that driver's seat again!  Driving will feel right again!  There was a breakfast on the ship for all family and close friends on the sailors.  It was very nice, but very hard.  Everywhere you turned, you saw little kids and wives either crying or standing tall and trying to be strong.  I failed at the "not crying" thing, but in my opinion, tears are sign of love and strength and not a sign of weakness. 

Before he changed into his whites.  I love him!

I couldn't get enough of him.  Holding back tears.

Ow ow!!  Sexy Babe! 

(This photo was for the daddy doll!)

Ever since time, nothings been found that's stronger than love...

And with a final bear hug and a passionate kiss, we had to part.  I stood on the shore and watched my baby pull away.  Well, I stood and cried until the ship actually started moving and then I ran the length of the pier and waved and cried and wanted nothing more than to jump into the ocean and swim to him. 

Ryan is second from the left and smiling for me!

This ship is slowly moving... :(

This is where I wanted to jump of the pier and swim to him...

You can't see it in this picture, but Ryan's ship is out there.  I, along with other wives, drove to the beach to watch the ship go by one last time.  I can't wait until it's coming the opposite way!!  That day will be a glorious one! 

That day I drove home to Pennsylvania and listened to our wedding CD (and Rush) the entire time.  I did really good at not crying while driving.  The only two times I practically lost it was when Sarah called and when Delia called.  To this day, when someone asks me how I am holding up, I cry.  I seem totally fine until asked that question, so word to the wise, don't ask me, I know you care.   I got home and lost it.

Since that day, I have been working 32 hours a week and enjoying staying busy.  I took an Intermediate Microeconomics course at Temple this summer and did well!  It is a prerequisite for graduate school (hopefully in the fall).  I've lost about 10 pounds since Ryan left and it's not because I am not eating, it is because I had 10 pounds to lose.  Ryan and I both gained weigh while we were living out of hotels and not caring about working out before he left.  I feel much healthier now and plan on staying close to this weight!

The 4th of July was a hard weekend for me.  All the patriotism was amazing, but it was a constant reminder of my baby (not that I am not always thinking of him anyways).  It just made everything a little harder.  On the 3rd, I had one of my best friend's birthday parties which was a lot of fun and then I went down to Penn's Landing with my family and listened to the Philadelphia Orchestra and saw fireworks!  The orchestra was amazing!  They played patriotic songs and then some more traditional songs.  On the 4th, I went to Philly by myself and walked around historic Philadelphia, saw a Tea Party Demonstration (looked like a bunch of our parents sitting around in lawn chairs), wrote a letter to Ryan in Rittenhouse Square and then met up with Delia for a little 4th of July party and then the Goo Goo Dolls and Roots concert on the Parkway!  I left early because Ryan was scheduled to call me...and he did at 11pm!!  It was absolutely perfect!  I love the sound of his voice!  It just makes everything better. 

The Philly Phanatic just puts a smile on my face!  Crazy Thing!

All in all, I promise to be better at blogging!  Please feel free to leave any and all comments!