Hi Friends. Remember me?

You must hate me.

I promised you more blog posts and here I am, back again after WEEKS of nothing. Nada. Zip. ZERO.

But hate me or love me, here I am.

I DO love to write. I love to type, which is technically what I'm doing. Writing actually gives me a hand cramp. I've always been one of those writers that hold my pen extremely tight, like I'm afraid the pen will wiggle out of my clenched fingertips and run away. I also tend to focus too much on my handwriting. Thank goodness for technology. Or maybe I'm just a fair-weather writer and would have thrown in my feather quill if I had to write my tales by candlelight, ink smudges covering my hands, face, clothes, furniture. You get the idea.

So what have I been up to? Let's see...a half marathon, a hip injury, lots of work, lots of family time, and a two-day getaway to see my man in beautiful Salmon, Idaho.

Before you pat me on the back for the half marathon, let me first say that I did not properly train for this run and I severely suffered the consequences. I did finish the run and am proud of myself, and the rest of my family, for signing up, but I do NOT recommend running anything you are not prepared for. I also did not listen to my body and stop when I should have. I pushed myself through the pain, which in this case was not the good kind of pain, and thus came my hip injury. Luckily, I have healed quickly and am looking forward to running again soon, but I was so disappointed when only three miles in, my left hip was in so much pain that the next TEN miles were not as I had planned. AKA...PAINFUL!

A BIG thanks to Jenna, my very good friend and soon to be sister-in-law for being my running partner, walking partner, and encouragement to carry on. I owe you a big one sister for sticking out a rough, but sometimes fun, 13 miles! How about another half marathon (that we both properly train for) in the future?

 Jenna and I, pre half marathon. So cold and so unaware of what we were in for!

Still alive, still standing--well, barely--and still smiling! Maybe it's because of the medal around my neck.
They gave medals to everyone that finished. But who cares? 

So the half marathon was a great experience overall, even though it was quite painful at times, and I got to have a weekend away with my family and see more family that I had not seen in quite some time. 

The following week, Craig got his two days off and with hardly any thought as to what I was throwing into my bag, I was on my way to meet him in Salmon, Idaho. If you look at a map, Moscow and Salmon look relatively close. But upon further inspection, you might notice a national forest in between them, thus making the quickest route a six and a half-seven hour drive. I went through Missoula to get there. Which wasn't at all bad because I was able to stop and say hello to my good friend, Keeley, who lives there. 

Shortly after saying hello, giving her a hug, and scarfing some fried pickles and hot wings...classy choice before reuniting with my boyfriend, I was back in my car and speeding down the road. Lucky for me, the speed limit for most of the way was 75.

Two hours later, my hands tired from gripping the steering wheel, my giddy-ness nearly getting the best of me, I was in Salmon. And he was there waiting for me. I didn't even care that he was dirty and wearing my less-than favorite item of clothing, his sleeveless hooded sweatshirt. Which, in all honesty, is really starting to grow on me. To me, he was the sun in the sky, the air in my lungs. I was SO happy to see him. 

We had a great time in Salmon. We went hiking, sat by the river during a very warm and sunny day, wandered through downtown, and went shooting, which was in preparation for my first hunt in Idaho, with him. Won't that be an interesting blog post!

On our first hike in Salmon. It was SO beautiful there. 

After two days, it was time to say goodbye. It was horrible. I, of course, bawled my eyes out and he did his best to hold me together. And maybe hold it together himself. On the drive home, it rained. How fitting. I was not a happy traveler. Especially when I drank way too much water and coffee and had a heck of a time finding a bathroom while going over the pass. Even though I hated leaving him, I was definitely happy to finally get home after a very long seven hour trip back. And the next day, I woke up and realized that we were over a 1/4 of the way done. And now, as I write this, we are nearing the half-way point. Which just so happens to be on the 4th of July. And before I know it, he'll be home. 

I've learned many things so far this summer, one of them being that relationships grow even when you are far apart and unable to communicate on a regular basis. I love him more and more everyday and I know that his love for me continues to grow as well. I also have a new appreciation for our 'normal' lives, which include seeing him on a regular basis and doing the regular, every-day things together. When you're in love and excited about your future, it's easy to get wrapped up in all of your plans. This time apart has taught me to value what we have now, not what we don't have yet or what is yet to happen. I've learned to take a step back and value every moment we're given, even if for now it's merely a quick five minute phone call or a text at 5am. I love those gifts and they keep me going, no matter if they are hours, days, or weeks in-between. Although, thank goodness I haven't had to go weeks without hearing from him so far. 

Today I have 51 days to go. I remember when it was 80 or 70 something and I kept telling myself it would fly by but secretly I was wondering how in the world am I going to get through this? When you look at a mountain from the bottom, staring straight up, it does look frighteningly overwhelming. But when you take a step back, it doesn't look so bad. And when you start to climb, eventually, you get to the top. 

So that's basically the pep talk I give myself everyday. And every day is closer to the day he comes home.

Halle-freakin-lujah.