Ahoy there mateys!

Sayre and I survived his first "underway" this week! His ship took off very early Monday morning to spend the week on the high seas doing training maneuvers. Despite bad weather, rough seas, and a bit of sea sickness as a result, Sayre seemed to really enjoy his time out there! Even though he was only gone for a few short days, the idea of him being gone and how unpleasant that was going to be finally snuck up on me late Sunday night before he departed. I knew that it was only going to be for five days, and I was very well aware of the fact that I could handle it knowing that in the future he'll be gone for much longer, but still something just came over me in that moment and I lost it. I became consumed by this overwhelming realization of the future and what's to come for us when he does actually have to deploy for upwards of six months at a time. I wondered, "How will I cope with him being gone? What will I do when I can't talk to him for days, weeks, and months at a time? Will simple emails be enough?"

Fortunately, Sayre had a better grip on things than I did at that moment, and he was able to calm me down and remind me that we don't have to worry about his deployment for a very long time (Thank you, God!). Once Monday morning rolled around and he took off, I was much more relaxed. By Thursday I was actually really proud of myself for the things that I had accomplished while he was gone and happy about the time I had to get to know another officer's wife while our husbands were gone. It was even kind of fun at times anticipating the next email I'd receive from him on the ship :) It reminded me of our courtship (I know that makes me sound so old-fashioned ;) ) and the times we spent getting to know each other's hearts more deeply through written correspondance. Then to my great surprise and shock, shortly after I got home from visiting with that wife Thursday afternoon, Sayre showed up on our doorstep with beautiful tulips in hand! His ship had returned a day early because they couldn't complete any more of their training missions since the weather had gotten so bad (the entire crew got sea sick at one point or another... not fun). Although being apart from one another is never fun, I think that this underway was good for both of us. It made me realize that although the future will certainly not be easy, I'll be able to handle it and cherish the moments that I do have with him.