3 Days, 2 Hours, 9 Minutes, and 3 Seconds

This Sunday, November 4th, my sailor will be home!
This cruise has gone by so fast. I still can't come to grips with the fact that he will be here this week.
Ever since I moved to Virginia I have had a lot to do with the apartment. Painting, cleaning, rearranging... Being a perfectionist is quite a large flaw sometimes.
After tomorrow I will not do anything else around the place. I keep telling myself that once he's here I won't be stressing anymore. All of the hard work I put into the apartment will pay off, and I will lose interest in perfecting everything once he's home. Having him here is all that I could ask for.

My dad and step mom are the only ones traveling here for the homecoming. His mom and my mom couldn't make it, but at least we will be taking leave in December to see them. My dad and step mom will be here on Saturday. I can't wait to see them! Granted, it has only been a month since I moved, but being alone makes a person homesick. I told them they are not allowed to stay in our apartment on the night he comes home :) They wouldn't appreciate us too much.

HOMECOMING!! There is not a day better than this. At the homecoming last year I felt so proud to call the United States my home. There was such a strong wave of patriotism, and there was not a single person there in a bad mood. Everyone is there for one reason. Seeing fathers meeting their children for the first time will always leave a mark in your heart. There is nothing better than being surrounded by reconnecting love. After nearly 8 months of waiting, the servicemen and women will finally be home with their families. Everything will be complete, and the huge celebration makes the day a million times better. This homecoming is different though. The USS Enterprise is decommissioning after a long 51 years of being active. Veterans will attend this homecoming to witness the new sailors, the old ship, and all that has been accomplished since they were aboard. Just another reason why on Sunday I will be more proud of my man and our military than I have ever been before.

This is Zach after manning the rails before he was let off of the ship last year on July 15th, 2011. He's holding up a heart for me <3 What a cheeseball.

Our Home

After a few days of being here, I've gotten quite a bit of stuff done around the apartment. I'm just now getting to painting. He's going to hate me because I made the master bathroom a very neon purple, and I have a lot of bright colors and animal print in there. I think I deserve to have a room that expresses my personality :) I already have the color schemes for the rest of the apartment picked out, and I'm really excited to finish it. I will post the "after" pictures within a couple of weeks. This has been a very exciting time for us, even though he isn't home yet. Not too much longer, and then we'll be able to enjoy our home together.

Our Welcome Home gift from the office. We will definitely need it when Zach gets home, haha.

The beautiful kitchen. I'm so excited to cook dinner every night.  We will be eating very healthy.

The laundry room that I was REALLY excited about. They work perfectly.

The spare bedroom view from the hallway. It's a very decent size.

Spare bedroom view from the window.

Master bedroom view from the hallway. It's absolutely huge. This picture doesn't do it justice whatsoever.

This is our master bathroom and the closet in the master bedroom.

View from the end of the hallway. I wanted carpet, but I'm getting used to the hardwood. 

The bathroom that connects to the hallway. Not very big, but it's perfect.

A New, Thrilling Step

My Life in Michigan
I have only 3 short days living in the state I have always known as home. My mother gave birth to me in Michigan. Training wheels were stripped off of my bike in Michigan. I have lost family in this state, and I have gained family here. There have been many good and bad times here, but the moment that has had the biggest impact on my life was when I met the love of my life, and my only love, here in good ol' Michigan. This state, and the people in  it have made me into who I am today. Saying goodbye in 72 hours seems unreal. I have spent nearly two decades smelling the cool, crisp air of fall. I have seen snow fall like you wouldn't believe. I have sweat and complained in 80 degree weather in the summer. I have put up with miles and miles of the unavoidable road construction. Above all else, I have met people who have all had an impact in my life. The friends I have met here will always be in my heart. My very best friend is going on her own journey in a few months as well. The people I will miss the most are the ones who have been in my life since day one; my family. I have already said  goodbye to my mother. We both cried on each other's shoulders for what seemed like an  hour. We are best friends. She is the strongest woman I have ever met, and I have been afraid that she might fall weak once I go. She assures me she won't, but you can't predict things like that. My dad has concealed his empty-nest feelings as best as he can. I anticipate the big show when I give him the last hug before I sit in the car that will take me 13 hours away. Leaving all of this behind is just as exciting as it is saddening. Bittersweet is the perfect word to describe the move I am making to Virginia.

My Future in Virginia
Even though I'm leaving the only place I have known, I look forward to starting a new beginning in a new world. There is always a time in someone's life when they realize it's time to fly. I just cannot believe it's already that time for me. On Friday I take the biggest step forward that I have ever had to make. I will be living in an apartment in a strange place by myself until Zach comes home from his second deployment (which won't be too long, hooray!). There are many things I look forward to. Moving in with him will prove our compatibility. Of course I am confident that we are perfect for each other right now, but seeing him every day will allow me to learn everything about him. I may think I know now, but I do not. He will have many quirks about him that may get under my skin, but I'm not flawless either. We will argue over the pettiest things, but I will make sure to always tell him I love him before falling asleep. If we regrettably end up discovering we are better off as friends, I will never regret the time we had spent together. I am willing to consider every outcome of this move. On a positive note, what I look forward to most is becoming my own person. I will finally have complete freedom. This will give me more self-discipline than I have ever known. Studying, working, cleaning, and so many other things will be on my agenda, and it's up to me to make sure everything is accomplished. There will be many struggles, but I look forward to overcoming them with Zach.
No matter how strange it may seem to no longer live in a familiar place, I am overjoyed to begin my "adult" life with my love, my best friend.

This is the first picture we ever took together, well over three years ago. It's amazing to see how far we have come in such a short period of time.