Back in Iowa

  The last weekend that we shared together was so fun, and beautiful.  We enjoyed several beaches and hours of talking about our future and our feelings on the up coming separation.  We had many laughs, many tears (from me...) and made some last beautiful memories as a family. 
  I was expecting our final good-bye to be painful and filled with tears and sobbing, but it was quiet and some what...normal. Of course I was still sad, and it was hard to hug him for the last time...again, and let him go as I watched him walk away, but it wasn't the first time I had to let go, and I might have become some what "used" to it.  Even now, a week and a half later, I don't think it has totally sunk in, yet.  I was seeing him every day for 6 weeks, and now, I'm alone again.
  The next morning, after the van was packed and we all (me, the kids, and G's cousin and wife) had gone to the bathroom, we slowly drove away....away from the apartment I lived in for 4 weeks, away from the familiar roads, away from G's squadron, away from the parks the kids and I spent hours at, away from the safe, gated Navy base, away from the beautiful beach where the sand and the waves and the smell were my familiar friends and companions, away from the city that became my own, away from the friends I made....and away from my Best Friend, my companion, my beautiful husband.  That was the point where every mile we drove, was 1 more mile in between us.  I worked so hard to get to California, to be together as a family, to be side by side with my Best Friend, and now, mile by mile, I was being slowly ripped away.

   The trip back to Iowa was slow, hot, and beautiful.  We were able to stop at the Grand Canyon the second day.  It was Breath Taking!!  It was soooo unimaginably huge, and beautiful!  What an honor it was to experience one of the most fascinating places on earth.  It was very humbling.  The God that perfectly created that Canyon, so grand and breath taking, also created me, so frail and weak and sinful.  "How Great Thou Art, How Great Thou Art!"  The only thing that was missing, was that G was not standing there with me, holding my hand, and smiling at God's majesty with me.  Hopefully some day we can go back there together. 
   That night, we made it to Alamosa, CO and stayed with some of G's family that lives there.  That really was fun to spend time with them, and have a larger break from driving.  A day and a half later, through many crackers, candy, potty breaks, movies, naps, and laughs, we finally arrived at home.  

Me & my Hunny on our last night.  We're at the beach...yeah, too dark to see that :)

One of the Beautiful beaches we spent time at.

I took casserole along again.  I had to warm it up at a gas station in the big cups, and I provided my own drink....while we ate in front of Arby's :)

4 corners!  It was neat to see...but super HOT!!

Beauty in Southern Colorado.

Beauty in Arizona.

Grand Canyon!!

Another casserole for our meal.  I'm standing in front of Taco Bell where we ate, but I had to walk to the Mobil Gas station to warm the food up.  A guy working in the gas station was friendly, but kept ending his sentences with, "Bummer, Dude!" :) This was in Needles, CA which is right at the border before Arizona.