On June 13th, AJ graduated at MCRD in San Diego, CA. I was lucky enough to join him there and celebrate with him, his family, and some close friends. Since he has been home on boot leave, I have been bombarded with seemingly endless questions about our relationship. (Though he has been hounded with more questions than I, so I guess I shouldn't complain).
"How has he changed?"
"What was it like to see him after so long?"
"How is your relationship now that he is back?"
"What are your plans for the future?"
Those were the most popular, and I have several, well-rehearsed answers for all of them. To most people who have been following AJ though his journey to become a Marine, those are just the answers they expect. Sometimes they even answer them for me; "Bet it was good to hug him again, huh?"
They aren't wrong. Family Day was amazing; hugging someone after so long is probably one of the most fulfilling things I have ever experienced. Granted I was functioning on about four hours of sleep and hadn't eaten in twenty-eight hours, so it could have been that I just needed the physical support! But as you can see, we were both pretty happy to have that hug.
As for the rest of the questions;
AJ has changed, he now stands a little taller and walks a little quicker. He holds himself like a Marine should. He is now a proud man, and I am a proud girlfriend. But he still makes the same jokes, laughs the same way, and is still that same sarcastic person who left three months ago.
As you can tell from the photos, it was pretty great seeing him again. Words really don't cover it. I can tell you that the day after graduation I spent about an hour and a half bawling in the bathroom of my hotel room out of exhaustion, frustration, and relief. He was home, for just a bit, and that was the best feeling.
As far as our relationship goes, it's personal. People keep asking which is why I am addressing it, but I will definitely say that God is who we are trusting right now. We will be apart again until December, so we have to figure out how our lives work with one another and where God is leading us to go.
And that covers what my plans are. My plans are to trust God with the relationship that he has given me with an amazing man who is doing what the Lord has called him to do. I can't tell you I am going to be engaged by such and such a date. I can't even tell you where I am going to be six months from now, let alone where we are going to be. I am relinquishing control to God and trusting that his will for my life, and my relationship, is better than any plan I could dream up on my own.
They aren't wrong. Family Day was amazing; hugging someone after so long is probably one of the most fulfilling things I have ever experienced. Granted I was functioning on about four hours of sleep and hadn't eaten in twenty-eight hours, so it could have been that I just needed the physical support! But as you can see, we were both pretty happy to have that hug.
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| Photo Credit; Erika Joy |
As for the rest of the questions;
AJ has changed, he now stands a little taller and walks a little quicker. He holds himself like a Marine should. He is now a proud man, and I am a proud girlfriend. But he still makes the same jokes, laughs the same way, and is still that same sarcastic person who left three months ago.
As you can tell from the photos, it was pretty great seeing him again. Words really don't cover it. I can tell you that the day after graduation I spent about an hour and a half bawling in the bathroom of my hotel room out of exhaustion, frustration, and relief. He was home, for just a bit, and that was the best feeling.
As far as our relationship goes, it's personal. People keep asking which is why I am addressing it, but I will definitely say that God is who we are trusting right now. We will be apart again until December, so we have to figure out how our lives work with one another and where God is leading us to go.
And that covers what my plans are. My plans are to trust God with the relationship that he has given me with an amazing man who is doing what the Lord has called him to do. I can't tell you I am going to be engaged by such and such a date. I can't even tell you where I am going to be six months from now, let alone where we are going to be. I am relinquishing control to God and trusting that his will for my life, and my relationship, is better than any plan I could dream up on my own.
AJ goes back for MCT tomorrow, meaning there will be yet another, probably tearful, goodbye that I am not looking forward to. Trusting God and learning that I have to accept helplessness is not easy for me (or him), but I know, one day, I will look back and be proud of the choices I have made to let God lead and follow Him.
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| My handsome Marine. |
