Some day are better than others...

This week has been extra hard not having Billy around. The last time I felt these strong emotions was when he left on his first trip with the detail. He's been gone 5 days and there is still 8 more days to go. But that doesn't mean he'll stay home for long. There will be more and more trips to follow. Within the last 10 months, he's visited 17 countries. He'll end up visiting several more before this post ends; 14 months from now. For some reason that seems like an eternity.

I know there are hungry children, people being mistreated, horrible accidents, illnesses, poverty, etc... And in the grand scheme of things, my issues are trivial. But when you truly love someone and enjoy their company and presence it does have an emotional effect when they're not around. I keep myself busy by working, volunteering, exercising, hanging out with friends, taking Dante to the dog park, but there is still a void that lingers when my husband is not around.

A couple years ago, I never imagined we'd be apart from each other so much. It's not fun and it's not always easy. At times there are feelings of resentment, loneliness and sadness. Granted I have been on trips with him so we can spend time together, but my mind plays tricks on me once in a while. It's sometimes hard to detach myself from the equation and not take it personally, but deep down I know the true answers. I know Billy honestly loves me with all his heart and is devoted to me. Plus, I agreed to this assignment because I truly love him and want him to accomplish and fulfill all his dreams. If the roles were reversed I know he would do the same for me. In the meantime, I will embrace these days and acknowledge my feelings, but also remind myself that my husband is one of the good ones and he's definitely worth the sacrifice.

Vacation in the LowCountry

After Jamaica, we literally were home for 2 days before going on another trip. This time, it wasn't work related. Billy, actually took some time off so we could go visit family and friends in the LowCountry (Beaufort, SC). It felt nice waking up on the morning of the 3rd of July, packing up the car, Dante hoping in the back seat, and us hitting the road. No work, airports or itineraries. Just the open road with no schedule to follow. That's exactly how we like our vacations.

The drive was smooth and soon enough we were in our ol' stomping grounds. Funny thing about small towns, they rarely ever change. Guess that's what makes them special. Living in DC is just like any major city. There's always endless construction and traffic is always being rerouted, which in turn causes horrendous traffic jams. But not in Beaufort, the only congestion is when the Woods Bridge swings open for about 5 mins to let a beautiful sail boat go by. The cars back up about a 1/2 mile, and if it's a beautiful day people get out of their car to soak in the fresh air. Yup, that's Beaufort for you. Truly the simple life.

This trip was extra special because we decided to stay at Billy's moms house. We were able to spend a lot of quality time with her. During the day while she was at work we would visit with friends, go to a favorite restaurant or coffee shop, but most evenings we were at home hanging out with her. Billy's sister Jennifer also took some time off while we were there, so we were fortunate to hang out with her and our nephew Gavin quite a bit.

Our trip to the LowCountry was low key and fabulous. We visited with our closest friends, ate at our favorite restaurants. Watched fireworks from Parris Island and The Sands in Port Royal. We went with family to Savannah, had pizza at our favorite place "Vinny Van GoGo's" and made sure to eat pecan pralines at Savannah Sweets. And Billy's blackberry was turned off the entire time. Now that's what I call a true vacation.