Hey! It’s Jamie, and here goes my attempt at a blogpost about the greatest two weeks of our marriage…R and R.
I left Afghanistan December 8th for the first time since April that didn’t involve surgery in Germany. Leading up to the 8th my mind became focused on getting home and actually being a husband for a change. Well the day I left began the long journey home that saw 5 airports and 3 different planes to take me from Kandahar, Afghanistan to Kuwait City, Kuwait to Leipzig, Germany to Atlanta, Georgia to Nashville, TN. Needless to say I was pretty much smoked by the time I landed in Nashville; both from the flights and also because of the anticipation of seeing Erica again.
When my plane landed I fought back the urge to barrel through about 5 other guys in front of me in order to get to my wife. Despite the small wait, the look on Erica’s face and the embrace she met me with were well worth it.
After our reunion at the airport Erica got to witness another reunion, the one between myself and our 3 year old “Chug” Teddy. Since I had only spent two weeks with him back in April I was banking on that he might remember my smell. Sure enough he warmed up to me again in know time and the Teddy/Jamie Team once again was together!
Overall, the first couple of days at home were the greatest and laziest days that I have spent in a while. The first two nights represented just how “old” Erica and I can be because we were out by about 8:30pm. On the other hand, the morning was a different story – I was up by about 5:30am while Erica snoozed away and Teddy looked at me like I was crazy. By far the greatest surprise of my first few days home was the massage that Erica had scheduled for me at Bella Med Spa in Clarksville! She knows how to make me happy and gives me the greatest surprises. I think I’ll keep her…
Of course the first week went by way too fast…as it always seems to when you’re absolutely having a blast. The end of the first week was especially great as we hosted the Olsen family over at our house for Christmas. If anybody knows my in-laws then they definitely know that they are the greatest family anyone can marry into. Ron, Nancy and David were a welcomed site since our last goodbye was on the night I left for Afghanistan. I’m always up for hosting or visiting them so I definitely can’t wait to see them again.
After the Olsen clan left, Erica and I went off the map for a few days and went to the most amazing cabin in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I can’t tell you how amazing it was to just have the two of us (and Teddy, duh) up in the woods and enjoying actually being together for a change. In Gatlinburg we enjoyec the Ripley’s Aquarium, the Skylift (what a view!), Dixie Stampede (Erica is still mad about the magic trick) and the coolest Titanic museum ever. Sadly, we had to drive back to Clarksville that Thursday, but we were excited to receive the DeSpain family for the first ever Christmas in our new house. It was so great to see Mom, Brendon and Dad (especially since I hadn’t seen Dad since our wedding last January).
Those couple of days saw the best Birthday and Christmas that I’ve ever had. On a side note Erica got me a brand new heavy bag to punch on in the garage which further shows she knows me better than I know myself! On Monday we said goodbye to the other half of the family and got ready to send me back to Afghaniland, as Erica calls it.
So, we finally arrive to Tuesday with the hardest goodbye yet. Even though I know its only a few short weeks until I get to see Erica again, it was honestly so hard to say goodbye to her. On a funny note, Teddy wasn’t too sad to see me go as he bounded out of the airport at Erica’s heels ready to hop back into the car!
Well, I hope you enjoyed my post and that it gave you a little look into the greatest two weeks of this little DeSpain family thus far. Hope to see y’all back in the States soon. -Jamie
Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to three little girls (ages 7, 4, and 1) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo