Our Memories in Marriage

How did the time fly so quickly? John's year long deployment ended when he came home July 31st. His parents and I were there to welcome him home and that evening John got to step into our new home for the first time. We moved into a duplex near base and have been enjoying getting to live together for the first time. The adjusting is going well and we are looking forward to his block leave!

This week I've had a couple of pleasant surprises arrive in my mailbox! First, on Thursday, I received a package from John, which included videos he made for me of himself talking and a beautiful glass rose crossing a heart.
Second, on Friday, was our wedding album! It took me six months to get back to the photographer about our "must have" photos for the album, but he is so patient and has amazingly fast turn around:

Hello everyone! The last year has been fraught with adventure, travel, and new beginnings. Thanks in large part to the love and care of my wife Xenia we were able to make it through the last year and are now married with many more years to enjoy life together.

I hope everyone made it through 2009 OK and wish you the best in 2010. I will be departing Iraq around mid-late July of this year and can't wait to see my lovely wife once more.

Here's to all the people that were able to make the last year enjoyable and worthwhile. God Bless.

-John

Well, it's the end of the year and I'm looking forward to the new one. Each month that passes brings me closer to seeing John again. It's been quite an interesting year! John moved to the West side of the country in January and we got to spend almost a weekend a month together for the first half of the year. We got married on June 13th and got to spend a week together in the Seattle area for our "mini-moon". The first week after the wedding was very humbling. Seeing John so devoted to taking care of me was awesome. I knew of course that he was willing to take care of me, but his enthusiasm made me feel so precious. Our honeymoon was also wonderful. It was strange to take a vacation without any of my family, but John is my family now. After being together for five years I get to say that.
Saying goodbye to John in August was very difficult. I was so used to getting to see him often that the first two weeks after he was gone were heart crushing. I made some goals to keep me busy until school started and once classes began at the end of August the time started to fly by. I had a big course-load, but I managed to get all A's again this semester. I spent the Holidays with my family, and I'm here at my brother's townhouse with his girlfriend and my sister to celebrate the New Year. I wish John could be here, because I know he would love all the games we are going to play tonight.
Last year John and I spent our first New Year's Eve together. We spent the evening having an Indiana Jones movie marathon. I hope that by the time we are ready to ring in the year 2011 that John and I can celebrate together again.

Merry Christmas to our friends and family! I have been thinking about John all day and wishing he could be here so we could spend our first Christmas as a married couple together. I miss him so much.


We took this last year when he was home for the holidays.

The first package I have received from John since this deployment started arrived at the end of last month! He's been getting a package from me at least once a month (the first two months he got a LOT).

He sent a disc with photos on it, many of them were like this:


I guess being deployed makes you go crazy...

I enjoy the other gifts he sent a lot more:


A robe with my initials embroidered on it...


And a beautiful leather diary.

We met at church camp, he joined the army, we got married, he was deployed for the second time, and now we have a blog. This is to let family and friends know how we are doing and what we are up to, enjoy!