MH in the flesh!

I have been a very, very bad blogger lately. I do apologize. However, I have a good reason for not posting. Well, I think it's a good reason at least.

I've just gotten home from vacation with MAJOR HOTSAUCE, who is currently the midst of a year-long deployment.

When we were reunited in Oxford a few weeks ago, it had been 247 days since we'd seen each other. That's just over 35 weeks, or almost 6,000 hours, apart. Take it from me, that's a long, long time.

I have a lot of feelings about the military, the sacrifices our soldiers and their families make, but I don't want to talk about the politics of it all.

I just want to say that there is nothing better in the world than hugging the person who love most after not seeing them for a long, long time. There is nothing better than kissing them for the first time in 6,000 hours, nothing more powerful than the feeling of their arms around you and their laughter in your ear. It's one of the sweetest moments in life. 

Tintern Abbey

MAJOR HOTSAUCE and I had a wonderful two weeks together. Over the past 35 weeks we'd been fortunate enough to talk almost every day, and yet as soon as we were together it was like we still had months of conversation to catch up on.

We traveled around the UK during our trip...saw the standing stones of Avebury, took a brewery tour, stayed a night in a castle. We drank a lot of beer and a lot of tea. Ate some scones, fish and chips, and sticky toffee pudding, MAJOR HOTSAUCE's new favorite dessert. We drove on the left side of the road. And my favorite part of the whole entire trip was just sitting beside each other on the couch, arms touching, watching a movie or talking about the day and adding to our collection of silly inside jokes.

It'll be another 11 or so weeks before I get to kiss my husband again and I am, literally, counting the days. Whatever you think of the military, whatever you think of our government...I would ask you to give the person you love most a hug today, if you can. I am proud of MAJOR HOTSAUCE and I support his career choice and respect the sacrifices he and his fellow soldiers make to keep me and this country safe. But I would still hug him RIGHT THIS SECOND if I could. 

Wouldn't YOU want to? :-)