I woke up today with lots of mixed emotions. It’s my last morning waking up in my own bed for a while. It’s my last morning to snuggle with my puppy, and it’s my 22nd birthday.
About a week ago I bought my flight back to the field after being cleared by my doctor and feeling so much better! I feel blessed that I’ve been able to rest and recover and spend such a wonderful month with my family and my fiancé. I’ve been a functioning member of society for enough time that I am confident that I will finish strong alongside my team.
Leaving my home has always been a grand adventure that brings a bit of sadness with it. I have the most incredible family, which makes saying goodbye always tough. Steele turned 10 while I was home and Jonathan turned 24 (even though he lives in Kentucky, so we never did get to see him). Freddy turned 22 two weeks before me, and we celebrated our birthdays together. August has always been my favorite month to be in NY and I was grateful have flown home at such a nice time.
It hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows – I’ve had some tough days. The first three weeks of being home I was a mess, was in bed most of the day and struggling to figure out how to treat my pain and body aches. Essential oils came in handy and I’m even considering selling oils when I get back to the states. I caught up on 7 months of lost sleep and I got to visit with lots of old friends.
Now that a month has past, and I’ve begun to feel so much better, I’m confident in my decision to return. I’ve missed my squad, missed our lifestyle (some aspects of it) and I’ve missed doing something. Being home has been wonderful, but with no job and most friends out of town at college, I’ve grown restless and anxious to rejoin with my people to finish the race we set out for.
That’s just what I’m doing. Tonight at 6pm my parents are driving me down to JFK airport in the city and I will catch a 1 am flight to Cambodia, where my team will meet me in Phnom Penh. I can’t wait to see them, squeeze them, and continue this wild crazy race we began together.
It’s my Birthday, and I’ll fly if I want to!!
Below is a picture from Freddy’s Ring Weekend, a huge celebration at West Point where the cadet seniors receive their class rings! I was really grateful to get to share that with him, especially when we had initially thought I’d be missing this occasion.
