Heeeee'ssss baaacckkkk

Yesterday couldn't have gone any better. 

I slept like a rock the night before-even through a huge thunderstorm (thank you tylenol pm) All morning I was cool as a cucumber. I woke up and thought, "before I get in this bed again, I will see Ryan!" It was such a fun feeling.

It wasn't until I got in the shower around 3pm to get ready that I started freaking. It was strange.

Excitement mixed with anxiety mixed with pure terror, haha. Good combo. We piled in the car around 4:30 to head to the airport....I just really couldn't believe what was happening. 

When his plane finally made it to the gate all I could think of was "where's the toilet, I'm going to barf"

Here's the waiting crew! 

Our first sight of him...doing missionary work to the very last minute. My mom was the first to spot him. She pulled me up to the window and said "Whitney! There he is!" My heart dropped right to the floor and then it came up through my head, and then dropped down to the floor again. 

He hugged his family first as I stood in the background just watching...he made his way over to me, wrapped me in his big monkey arms, and I was home. 

This is where I said to him, "you're huge!" and he said, "What do you mean? My guns?" 

HAHA. 

After he hugged me, he mingled with everyone there. It was hard to know what to do from there...I wanted to go up and talk to him but didn't know how to...weird feeling. I separated myself (secretly hoping he would come over and talk to me, but really just needed a distraction) so I started playing with my niece at the baggage claim and after maybe 30 seconds I felt those big monkey arms again. Worked like a charm.

The rest of the night was a blur. 

It involved:

-getting released

-holding hands

-a smooch or two (after the first one he ran back to his room and grabbed some breath spray a member had given him. He sprayed it in his mouth like a regular macdaddy and said, "Lets try this again" HAHA...I was dying) 

-dinner at Long Horn where we sat as close as physically possible and held hands under the table

Everything felt so natural. I never felt awkward. The only awkward part was that I couldn't stop staring at him. And now I never want to leave his side. I'm like an annoying, lost puppy who is hungry and the only form of nutrition I need is lots and lots of kisses. 

***

I know this post is gushy. 

It may be TMI. 

But holy cow. 

2 of the hardest years of my life ended yesterday. 

A day full of pure bliss took it's place. 

I can't say for sure what the future holds, but I don't care. 

I feel so grateful to my Heavenly Father for leading us to this point. 

Blessings truly come when you come to know Him and when you do things His way. 

Blessings in the form of so much happiness that you lie awake in bed until 4 am...like I am doing right now.