7 More Nights.

"We made it."

Oh, how I am longing to say these words as I wrap her in a hug. Salt Lake City International Airport sounds like the most romantic place on this planet at this point.  There's nothing I want more than to have her run off of her plane and jump into my arms.  And now, I only have to wait 7 days until that's a reality.

Seven days.

It's closer than I ever thought we'd be and, honestly, I didn't think I would make it this far.  I thought I could have tricked her into coming home before it got to this point.  But now that we're here, I'm so incredibly proud of her.  She has been working 40+ hours a week for 4 months and surviving the Disney College Program.  She has enjoyed it, made new friends, made memories that will hopefully last forever, blah blah blah stuff I tell myself to make this okay, etc.  But I really am excited for her.  She has been wanting to do this for a long time and she finally made it a reality.  

Yes, I've been lonely.

I've been sad.

I've been scared.

I've been a million things since she has been gone, but that doesn't matter now.

We made it.

I find myself in better spirits lately, the last few days, and I think it's because my heart can feel hers getting closer.  I am starting to realize that it is over, for the most part, and we're in the final stretch.  I have made it through 120 days apart and I only have 7 left.  I can do this. 

I need to thank Whit, though, for being so awesome while she's been gone.  I didn't expect much from her when she left because I knew it was going to be so hard for her to work and try and balance me.  I was ready to take a back seat to everything there and thankfully, I haven't felt that way once.  She has been incredibly caring and always been here for me to talk to about anything that's going on in my life.  If I needed her to distract me from something, she'd call me.  She Skype'd with me on nights I was lonely, called me every day, sent me beautiful pictures, did everything in her power to make me feel comfortable and loved.  She has been a million times better than I ever deserved and I can't wait to repay it.  

(She even got me the coolest present for christmas! A new slackline for us to use together in the spring and summer!)

Anyway, I really don't deserve her and I'm blown away by how great she has been to me while she's been gone.  It gets me really excited for the time we have ahead of us and how much love we're going to be able to show for one another. 

She truly brings a rainbow of color into my world of gray.

So now, when things get hard in the future, when we start to get on each others' nerves, when she gets sick of my puns and I get sick of being the one to always have to walk Sawyer (which won't really happen. He's my best friend.), we can look back on this time and realize that time apart is never better than time together.  We had enough time apart to last an eternity and I hope I never have to go through that again.

Just a little update on how things are going here with Sawyer and I:  I got home tonight and heated up a roll with peanut butter and honey on it, went to the bathroom, and came back to the bedroom, only to see sawyer licking his lips and trying to get the peanut butter out of his mouth.  He has also found out how to open his kennel with his paws, so now I have to tie the door shut with something as well as close the latches.  He has recently acquired a taste for anything that's not his toys.  Mainly shoes, jackets, blankets, a ball-point pen that he broke and got ink on 4 of my blankets and the mattress (sorry Whit.....) Basically anything that will make me mad when I get off work at midnight.  We walk every day except in the most extreme of St. George colds, he has really gotten good at speaking and rolling over, he loves to chase a baseball at the park, loves to run in the sand volleyball courts, pretty much never leaves my side.  This little pup has been the best friend I could have ever asked for during all this.  He knows exactly when I need him and helps me so much.  He is the perfect 3rd member to our little family.  

I'll leave you with a quote by Beth Davis: 

"And in her smile, I see something more beautiful than the stars."