five minutes away.

where to begin... I have had a pretty great day. I am trying to teach myself not to worry as much because I know that worrying gets me no where. I heard once "When I don't have anything to worry about, I worry about that" so true! I'm trying to realize that NO MATTER WHAT, everything is going to be okay. I know I need to chill out, but being the independent person that I am, I want to have a hand on things & know what's going on. Instead, I shouldn't try to rush everything and be so demanding. It's hard, but i'm working on it.

So, after school Daddy & I went to see:

 

and i wasn't expecting it to be epic, but let me tell you, it was! I LOVED it. It didn't seem to be 2 hours and 45 minutes long at all. I would definitely go see it again. Also, I enjoyed having Daddy's presence. We always have something to laugh & joke about.

after the movie we ate at Mi Hacienda, and the live band was playing. That was an experience in itself. 

also, i now own: 

 and even though i saw it in theaters, I cannot wait to watch it again! I saw it twice, actually. It ended the same way both times ;-)

..what good movies have you seen this past year? Those are just two of the good ones i've seen. I'll name a few more:

- It's Complicated

- Dear John

- New Moon (did you know this isn't on the top 50 of '09?..wonder why! Ha!)

- Up

- Sherlock Holmes

- Paranormal Activity

- The Blind Side

- I Love You, Man

- The Hangover

What can I say? I really do love movies. I saw "Brothers", but we won't talk about that. That's another post for another day. 

On our way home, I put my iPod on shuffle. The first thing that came on was this song. If you chose to watch it, you'll see why it means a lot to me. :-) 

 I discovered that song during this summer while lcplcbb was at basic. All of the emotions I felt during that time started to rush back. The way that I felt when I had mail, the ache I had to talk to him when something went wrong, the worry I felt hoping that he was okay, the moments I had when I couldn't have been more proud (still have those quite frequently) to be able to call him my friend, all the way 'til the morning I left for Parris Island. 

 I worked on countless blogs in the hotel room, but I backspaced most or saved them to drafts. the truth is, I was really in awe. I was in awe of the entire situation! I was so thrilled that I was able to be there to experience something so special. I was shocked that I was five minutes away from my very best friend, and I couldn't believe that it had already been three months! I was nervous that he would be mad I showed up since he hates surprises, but I thought surely he'd be okay with it.

 I remember all the benedryll I had to take in order to sleep. I believe I took it for at least two weeks! 

 Daddy & I ate at a restaurant on the bay the night we got there, and looking out over the bay you can see the Island. The weather was calm & peaceful, and I immediately thought of a Nicholas Sparks book. All of them are based in the Carolina's, and from reading about their setting -- it was exactly what I had imagined. 

 The sun was trying to push through the clouds that had just produced a summer storm. The breeze was light and cool. The waves hit against the rocks calmly like a child knocking on a door while crabs scurried around in the sand close to the waters edge. Laughs from people inside the restaurant echoed out to the pier, and the talk outside was kept to a minimum as if everyone were there listening to the boats as they clanked against the wooden marina. I stood there, taking it all in, but really focusing in on the Island that looked as if someone had taken a dark green marker and drawn a line to separate the sky from the water; it seemed so far away, yet it was right there. I thought about lcplcbb & what all he had probably been through in the last three months, and I couldn't help but compare the two atmospheres. Here I was, no more than five minutes away, and life was good. The people around me seemed to not have a single clue about what went on on that island, and although I was in a place with so much serenity, I wanted to be five minutes away visiting with my best friend. Through my eyes, the people there didn't take heed to the fact that boys were turning into men over there. They were transforming into people that God has chosen to protect our country in what could very well be life threatening situations. They are hand-picked. They are the few, the proud. I was almost offended that people weren't speaking thoughts about swimming across the bay to the Island - that's surely what was going through my mind. I just had to keep telling myself "tomorrow", but even as we ate & conversated, my thoughts drifted five minutes away.

 The next morning, I was up before the sun. We made our way to the Island, and the sun made it's way into the sky. We drove over a marsh, and soon enough I saw the sign to the base. No more than five minutes into the base there is a banner that states "We Make Marines". This was it; I was such a proud friend that day, and that's what I remember. That moment. Seeing that sign, knowing that I knew someone SO well, but I was fixing to get to know the "new" them. It was an exciting feeling. It has been a journey. 

happiness:

- "i think you could pull that off"

- daddy day.

- new shirts.

- early valentines.

- future talk.