Means So Much

Hello again from my mom's living room in Stephenville, TX. I have to tell you, although this trip has been long and I definitely miss my bed and hubby, it will be very hard for me to leave. Because we have had such a long time here, we've spent a lot of time with people we normally have a short visit with. (Misti, I know I've made many a grammatical error in this post. Please forgive me!)

Case in point, the Karnes. Jen is one of my oldest friends and she's a "real" one. My Jasen and her Jason are equally fond of each other and I think are pretty good influences on each other, minus a bottle of wine here or there! Our kids, Braden, Landry, Grace, Davis, and Tripp play so well with each other, it's amazing. Usually when we come to TX, we see them once or twice, maybe for an extended afternoon or meal. I always leave TX feeling like we were short-changed as far as time with them. This time, although it's not enough, we spent quite a bit of time with the Karnes. Davis even had his first non-family sleep over at their house.

You know, I never thought I'd leave TX. My dad never thought I'd get more than 60 miles away from S'ville. Living this nomadic, Army life is still a surprise for me, even a shock to my system. You all know how much I love it and I don't think I'd trade it for the life I would have had if I had married someone who helped me stay around here. However, there are times like this prolonged visit, where I get a taste of what our life would be like: lots of visits with great- and grandparents, extended family reunions and weddings, spending time roaming around family land, visiting with old friends, etc. When people ask how long we've been in TX on this vacation, I want to smack them when they gasp. They just don't understand that #1 we haven't been home in over a year #2 even 5 weeks isn't enough to see all the people we want to see and #3 yes, we do have friends where we live, but they've known us for just a little while; our friends in TX are lifetime friends or family, which is a lifetime commitment!

Anyway, these long visits mean so much to me and the kids. Thanks for all of you who have hosted us for dinner, or let us spend the night, etc. I only wish we could have visited longer.

And Christine, I am sorry we didn't get together this time. I promise next time!