Tomorrow marks one month since Lane left “for real.” He was away for training for a few weeks before Thanksgiving, then a few weeks between Thanksgiving – Christmas, but he actually left Texas on Jan. 10. Most days are full of their own adventures and routines that I don’t have time to mope around and pine over him, but when the house is quiet and I can’t sleep, then I really miss him more than ever.

I’m very excited that I get to go visit him for a few days next week before they leave the country. He’s getting an off-post pass, which means he can leave the base to go around town. I’m flying up on Wednesday and coming home Sunday. (Y’all please pray for my mom & MIL who are tag-teaming with the boys in my absence!) It will be nice to spend time with his side of the family in the Seattle area. His eldest auntie is 97!!

What will be extra icing on the cake is our trip to Forks and Port Angeles. Yes, I admit that I hopped onto the Twilight bandwagon. Granted, it isn’t the most well-written literature I’ve ever read, but the story is intriguing and the characters are relatable (Is that even a word? It is now.) to me. We’re going to stay at a B&B in Forks on Friday night, explore the area – maybe First Beach and La Push – on Saturday, then an early dinner at the restaurant where Bella & Edward’s first date was filmed – the Bella Italia – in Port Angeles before driving back to Seattle that evening. I told the girls in the office that I would resist the urge to point at people in the restaurant, labeling: “money, sex, money, sex, sex, money, cat …”

I also promised the boys that I would take some good snapshots of Lane that we can print for their “Army dolls,” which are plush camo people with a clear sleeve to insert a photo on the face. They each received a doll when we went to the family briefing shindig in California. This way, they can snuggle with their soldier whenever they miss Lane.