With the Major's deployment, he makes lots of trips everywhere around the world(and can't tell me where he's going until he gets there or comes back) and this last trip just so happened to bring the Major to the States. His first stop was El Paso for a quick day and a half with the remainder of his trip flying him in to DC. With much surprise the Major asked me to come and spend a few days with him in DC. Cost to us, nothing thanks to frequent flyer miles :)
After changing a few appointments and getting the two teens ready for Mom to leave for a few days I began to get excited about my trip to spend a few days with the love of my life, the Major.
If you don't have a frequent flyer card I encourage you to get one, with our points on Delta, I didn't have to pay anything for my ticket and I had wonderful seats on all of my flights. It was a bit strange traveling alone, I'm not use to traveling alone, to say the least, flying alone either!
So on Friday night I reserved my seats on my flights and let the Major know that I would be able to join him in DC, even if I was only going to get to see him in the evenings. But that was good enough for the both of us, we've been missing each other desperately so it would be nice to see each other, even if it was only for alittle bit.
Saturday consisted of me getting everything ready around the house for me to leave, clothes washed for the teens, groceries bought, cleaning, getting notes and things ready for my Mom and of course, me packing!
Sunday morning came rather quickly and I found myself getting up and kissing the teens goodbye before 7 am. 7:15 and I had already loaded up my suitcase and was headed to the airport. By 8 am I was checked in at the airport, scanned through security and waiting at my gate for my flight to board and depart to Atlanta. By 11 I was in Atlanta and waiting for me 1 pm flight to DC. I had great flights and it was great weather. Of course my nose was planted in my Kindle reading the whole flight. Upon landing in DC my heart and stomach had butterflies in the anticipation that I would soon be seeing the Major in only a few short hours after his flight got in from Houston. Between our flights in and out of airports the Major and I kept texting each other. This was quit a previlige considering that we can not text when he is not in the States. Whenever I was landing at one airport he would be taking off and by the time I would be taking off at my next destination, he would be landing!
By 3 pm I had landed in DC and had found my way to the the baggage claim, grabbed my bag and went to find my shuttle to the Hotel. Another nice perk of my trip was that I didn't have to pay for a Hotel room because the Major already had one that was being taken care of by his work. After a half hour of waiting, my shuttle finally arrived and I was off to the Hotel. When I got to the Hotel, the staff new that I would be arriving before the Major(he called and let them know) and they let me go on up to the room. Having not eaten anything all day and knowing that it would be a few hours before the Major arrived, I ordered the best salad that I had ever eaten from Room Service! By the time I was finished and had freshened up it was a few hours later and when it was 6 pm, the Major came through the room door! It was such a warm and sweet feeling to see each other and to feel his hand grab my hand. A quick hello and he was back out the door by 6:10 to go to an hour meeting, then it would be time for us to finally spend some time together and go get some dinner together and talk. I think I talked his ear off every evening when he got in from work!
His days started before 6 am every morning and lasted til 6 or 7 in the evenings. I filled my days with riding the DC Metro and touring. The first thing on my agenda for Monday morning was taking the Metro to Arlington to find a dear friend of ours headstone and gravesite. This friend was killed in Afghanastain and I really wanted to go and see where he was laid to rest. I was able to find his gravesite and was very touched when I visited it, a few tears were shed and I stood there and prayed for his family, his wife and two daughters. I also prayed for our Country and our Government and for all men and women in our Military, including all spouses and children.
Next stop after Arlington, the National Gallery of Art! I love art and I spend well over 3-4 hours in the Museum! Finding my favorite art, and buying a cool book, 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die, even though I did pay $36.oo for it! Close to 5 and I made my way back to the Hotel to wait on the Major to get in from his day of work at the Pentagon. 6:30 and he arrives and it's dinner time, and just spend quality time together.
My second morning I found myself up, dressed and waiting on my breakfast to come that I ordered via Room Service. After taking my time and eating, I then made my way once again to the Metro to begin my venture for the day. What was going to be my adventure....the Ford's Theater. I have been by the Ford's Theater many times in my life, but I have never had the opportunity to go inside and actually see where Abraham Lincoln was shot. This is a great time of the year to tour DC, I found there was only myself and about 20 other people in the Theater at the time that I was there. It was also nice because I got to here the Park Ranger talk about the Theater and the day that led up to Lincoln being and shot. I was also able to go into the building in which he died. I really loved being able to see this, because now I can say that I have been to Kentucky where Lincoln was born and lived as a child and now where he was shot and died. Next venture of the day was going and just walking around the Lincoln Memorial and walking across the Potomac Bridge, which ended my day back at the Metro stop at Arlington and I found myself on the way back to the Hotel with hopes that the Major was going to be done early this evening. An early night rung true and it was nice being able to spend a few last hours together before we both had to fly out the next day.
Wednesday morning was another early morning for the Major which held for his last day at the Pentagon and an early 10 am flight for me to head back home. Good-byes were said and hugs and kisses were given on the Major's way out to work, and I let go of the hand that is my helpmate and best friend eagerly waiting till my hand would be held once again by his.
Wednesday afternoon and I had landed back at home and I hit the ground running making it back home by the time the teens were home from School. I was greeted with hugs and "hey Mamas", yep, I was back, back to holding down the fort at the Cottage while the Major was away, back to being the constant in the teens lives and back to putting spontaneous and self on the shelf..........until next time! :)
Everyone needs to have a little spontaeous, independant and self in your life. What have you done that's been spountaneous, when is the last time that you put yourself first for once in your life?
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