Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I had the BEST weekend ever last weekend!!! I got to go to Virginia to visit Josh. :) Reunion Time!! It's the first time I've seen him in about 7 weeks; the first time since I've moved to North Carolina and since he started OCS. He gets part of Saturday and Sunday off and can leave the base during that time and Virginia is only a 4 hour drive away so luckily I was able to go visit him.

7 weeks might not seem too long, but you have to take into account the fact that we had no communication for about 3 weeks and even now we can only talk once a week. So it seems like its been forever!! Before I saw him I got so nervous and I had butterflies in my stomach. I know it sounds dorky, but it honestly felt like I was going on our first date or something. I was just so excited and nervous and happy. But it was SOOO good to see him! His hair is super short, but he still looks so cute.

So happy to see each other!!
I think Josh may have been half asleep in this pic (he was so exhausted!)

Josh is doing so great, and staying positive like he always does. He told me that during this past week they had to wade/swim through freezing cold water during one of their obstacle courses and about 5 guys had to go to the hospital because of hypothermia!! They were literally breaking into the ice before they got into the water!! These guys are so tough! They also have to do 6 mile, 9 mile and 12 mile hikes coming up! But he is almost done. He graduates on March 26th; time has really flown by, even though it also feels like it's been forever.

Wearing Josh's Marine sweatshirt.
The "C" stand for "C Company" and "3" for "3rd Platoon"

On Saturday night we went to dinner with a bunch of his OCS buddies. Of the 5 guys there, 3 of them are prior enlisted guys and they were a lot older than Josh and I. One was 37 years old and 2 had been to Iraq. I find it really admirable that they went back to get their degree and then went to OCS so they could be officers. They said it was really hard to go to OCS because in a way it was like taking a step back and learning everything over again. But they have been a big help and support for Josh because they know so much already. Also, one of the guys' wives is pregnant with their first child. When I asked him when she is due he told me that she is going to have the baby when they graduate from OCS, so he won't be able to be there for the birth. The next time he sees his wife he'll have a new baby girl. He said it was really hard to be at OCS when he just wanted to be with his wife, but she sends him all the sonograms and always keeps him updated. But still this has to be so hard and it just broke my heart when I heard that... but that's the life of a Marine and a Marine's wife.

Look how happy he is to relax and have communication with the outside world! :)

On Sunday Josh just slept and watched TV and I helped him study for his exams. He sure deserves a break and I could tell he was exhausted. They only get about 4 hours of sleep a night and they are constantly doing physically demanding things all day. I can't even imagine. Of course the weekend went by much too fast, but I had the best time and it was so good to see him. I'm actually going to drive up there again this weekend because I don't have class next week (thank goodness for Spring break!). I can't wait to see him again!