One Year Ago... yesterday!!

One year ago yesterday Ken left for bootcamp. I can't believe it has been a year since we started this military life together. It definitely has been an adventure. I was scrapbooking in his Navy scrapbook sunday and it hit me that one year has already past. While I was scrapbooking, I was reading some of the letters we wrote to each other. We have definitely grown in this past year and some other changes have occured, including; our cross country move, paying off some of our debt, the conception of our little man, and so much more. Thought it would be interesting to do a time line of his bootcamp story.

Jan 13th -Ken left for Bootcamp
Jan 15th-I received my first phone call was 4 min and 33 seconds long, I cherished every second.
Jan 16th- Received a box with all of his belongings. When I opened it I was secretly hoping he was in the bottom of the box. I absorbed his smell in everything and slept with his shirt until March.
Jan 22nd-My first letter!!! The most beautiful thing in the world to me was his handwriting, I read it over and over again.
Feb 1st-Moved out of our first married apartment together and in with my dad, was hard leaving the first place we lived together as husband and wife.

I received 4 more phone calls before graduation. I was so fortunate to never have missed his call, he always called at the most perfect times. I was always so anxious about missing his call, I didn't have service where I nannied. His last phone call was while we were driving to Chicago we pulled over right before we started going over the Wyoming mountains to eat, he called right before we pulled out of the parking lot. Five minutes after I got off the phone and we started driving again, I lost service. His timing was always perfect.

Mar 8th-Kens 21st birthday.... sad day, because he wasn't home and I wasn't able to talk to him.
Mar 9th- My 21st birthday, not as sad because we (My sister, nephew Adam and I) drove to Idaho... this started our drive to Chicago for his graduation on the 13th. I thought of being able to drive to see him as the best birthday present ever.
Mar 10th- After picking up my mom in Idaho we continued our drive to Chicago. My mom had to sedate me while she drove (at night with sleep medicine), I guess all my excitement and anxiety was making me a very controlling back seat driver.
Mar 13th- I scanned the rows and rows of sailors, they all looked the same. My sister pointed him out with the view on the camcorder... then it died.. DAMN. At least I had spotted him and now could watch him. After the ceremony waves of people flooded onto the floor and being so short I couldn't see anything. After searching and searching I see my sister and hear the sweetest voice ever... my hubby's, he was bending down to pick up my nephew ("Hi bud, where's Aunt shell?") Then I ran over to him and hugged him like I have never hugged anyone before. Of course I cried... who wouldn't. It seemed like ages!!