I was working at a ski hill. And I met a man that also worked there. And slowly but surely, I fell in love.
Fast forward to the summer, he left to go work three hours away. We started dating in March, by June he was leaving and only returned at the end of August. I thought waiting for him was going to be so hard, I had no idea what waiting was. In the few months that preceded his leaving, we talked about traveling upon his return. We talked briefly about moving to a different city to pursue a job at a bigger, better ski hill in the west. I decide that was not a good plan for me. I told him I could not wait all summer for him to come home for a month to leave again for the winter. I had no idea just how much waiting I was actually willing to do for him. In the end we traveled and he stayed home. We moved in together.
He worked the entire winter in town. Odd jobs that he didn't like so much.
At some point, I can't remember when this all happened, papers started to get filled out to join the Navy. I know we must have talked about it, but we never sat down and decided together if it was a good plan for our life. I was simply fully on board with the idea. I encouraged him. I made sure he had his papers all done in time and I nagged him for news.
The summer came and he got his acceptance letter. He would officially join the military and be trained to become a medic. And I was proud of him. We soon learnt that he would have to go away to study. The selected town was Moncton. His initial training was to be 11 months. He would be 1174 kilometers away. 11hours and 45 minutes. In a different time zone. And I had no idea what waiting was.
He was enrolled at the end of August. He left 3 days later. He packed all of his things and we had a tearful goodbye. One of too many to count.
We tried to speak to each other everyday. I was afraid we would drift apart. He studied hard into long nights and made time to talk on the phone, via text message, by email, over Skype...
I moved, with the rest of his belongings, into our apartment two months after he left. We would have a place to call home when he would visit. I was the first to go see him. I flew out and spent a long weekend. He greeted me with flowers. Over the next few months, we started trying to have a baby. He visited when he could.
At Christmas time, he came home for about two weeks. He proposed to me. Over the next few months, we went back and forth visiting each other.
His 11 months of training ended in July. My 11 months of waiting ended. I went to his graduation. We drove home together and had three weeks to spend together before he would leave for Basic Training. We got married at the court house. And had another tearful goodbye.
His 4 months of training started, and my 4 months of waiting started. We spoke when we could, which was not nearly enough. I was the proudest woman that ever existed the day I saw my husband graduate from basic military training.
After his training he was put on waiting and he got to come home for 3 weeks for Christmas. He started his next training in January. In February I finally got pregnant! We celebrated our wedding on March 1st. He arrived home on February 28th and left on March 2nd to go back to training.
Since then he has been training and visiting as much as possible. Most weekends after the wedding we got to see each other.
And now, almost two years after he left, my husband is coming home... for good! For now... I now know what waiting is.
I am beyond excited. There are no words to describe the feeling. I am overjoyed to be able to finally share this pregnancy with him. I am fearful of the adjustment period. I am happy to finally have my partner back. But most of all I am proud of us, of myself. I am proud of us for sticking it out during the hard times, during the interrupted phone calls, during the weeks away in the field. I used to think I was a strong willed, independent woman who could accomplish what she set her mind to, without a man to guide her along. I now know that I am.
I have learnt about the struggles of being a military wife. And I am proud to know that I am one.
I didn't choose this life, I simply fell in love and I let this love guide me through it. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Welcome home my love! I have missed you more than I ever thought I could miss someone.
Now... would you please take the trash out?
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