HOLA from 35,000 feet in the air! My guess is that I’m probably somewhere over Texas right now as I make my way home from an awesome trip to Reno. SUPER excited that this is the LAST Rachel’s Challenge trip that I’ll fly home to nobody. Really, really can’t wait to come home to my husband.
It hit me around noon that today holds significance for Jamie and me; We met four years ago today, February 1st, 2008.
My blind date with him for West Point’s sophomore ball (Yearling Winter Weekend) had been set up about a month before, and throughout the month of January he called me every other day. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed talking with him and getting to know him. The night before I left to fly up to Newburgh, NY with my sister I was an absolutely wreck! I’ll never forget hanging out at my friend Amy’s apartment that night before, listening to some fabulously sappy Dave Barnes music and giggling with nerves.
When our plane took off from Birmingham, all my sister and I could do was LAUGH that this was REALLY happening; I was really on my way. To New York. To meet her boyfriend’s (now husband’s) best friend. The flight attendent noticed us laughing and asked us if this was the first time we’d ever flown before, and we just looked up at her and quickly answered “oh no!”.
When the plane touched down, I thought I was going to lose it. I can still remember those butterflies. Amy probably remembers me texting her about how I was scared to get off of the plane. Looking back, I’m not really sure why I was so nervous. Maybe because I had a feeling that I was going to really like this guy, and that scared me for sure!
I’ll never forget standing in front of my sister on the escalator as we made our way down to the baggage claim, where Jamie had texted me and said that he’d be standing. This sounds ridiculously cheesy, but when I saw him I immediately thought that he was the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen. Of course I’d facebook stalked him a ridiculous amount beforehand, but for some reason he looked nothing like the pictures I’d seen.
The rest of the weekend was fabulous. We stayed up talking to 4 a.m., and within 24 hours we knew this wasn’t just a weekend thing. Before I left Sunday morning we made plans to see each other just two weeks later.
The day we met seems like yesterday, but at the same time feels like I’ve never lived without him.
I had no idea on the day that I met him that four years later I’d have an equal amount of butterflies as I prepare to welcome him home from his first tour of duty in Afghanistan.
Homecoming is going to be the best day of my life.
