Goodbye Tucson!

My time in Tucson is drawing to a close. I will be entering Phase Four of my mini-vacation/work trip. First was Minnesota, then Colorado Springs, then Tucson. I'm sad to say goodbye to my friends and my house (once again), but it's time to move on with all this. Next stop is Texas to see more friends and finally my in-laws before going back to Korea. I'm so thankful for all the people who opened up their houses and hearts to me. I feel truly blessed to be friends with such amazing people. I'm off to go play a soccer game with newly painted toenails... P.S. I promise to be funnier in the future, but nostalgia is taking over for now. Word.

Tucson, Arizona--Week One

I've been enjoying my time in Tucson this past week. I met my best friends' baby, Tess. She is beautiful and makes me want to have my own! I picked grapefruits with my friend, Jeannette, at her grandmother's house. I went on a 4 mile walk and a 6 mile run OUTSIDE in 80 degree, sunny weather.

My stay here, however, hasn't been without a little hardship. Apparently, a pipe burst in our evaporative cooler (kind of like an a/c, but cheaper) when we were gone. We received a $600 water bill and some water damage over our office. The rental agency who is supposed to be watching our house never told us, so water poured into our yard and house for days. I'm angry, but i'm not sure really what to do about it with us living across the world. Our neighbors across the street saw the water and turned the water off themselves after frantically calling the management agency. Argh!

Despite all this, my visit here really has been great. I read two books The Boleyn Inheritance by Phillipa Gregory (i'm a sucker for historical fiction) and The Bee Season by Myla Goldberg. I plan on picking up the Count of Monte Cristo this week to read. I'm saving my David Sedaris book for the plane ride back to Korea. I'm training for a 10K on March 14th, so i'm trying to run as much as possible. My friends are really the highlight and the reason i'm here. My friend Becky opened up her house to me unflinchingly. Marieke is so great to talk to about...everything. Jeannette and my F-dub crew are so fun to hang out with!

I miss living here. Grant and I put down roots here that I want to return to someday...Air Force willing.

Neither Here nor There

I've been traveling. On February 5th I took a 16 hour plane trip to Minneapolis. Then I went on a cross-country road trip by myself. People keep telling me they are amazed I would drive across country by myself. I don't think it's amazing when it's purely out of necessity. It's necessary for me to drive to Colorado Springs to be with friends who understand how much the Air Force has to both offer and take away. It is necessary for me to travel to Tucson to see my best friend's new baby and be with friends who are not part of the Air Force at all. It is necessary to go to Houston to feel safe with my in-laws and store things (only things, I know) who have no home anywhere. My address is nothing really, neither here nor there.

Here in Tucson, I feel like myself only with a part of my heart missing--most obviously, my husband. Tucson is where we met and lived our lives together. Now we live them apart, literally across the world from one another. What would it be like to have a normal life again? A normal marriage? A road trip bisecting the country without necessity hanging over my head?