To some people, our blog title might seem a little ironic.
If you've kept up with our geotags for the three+ years of our courtship and marriage, you've noticed that Brady and I are rarely "together." You've probably seen a multicam-clad stud flying helicopters over the Hindu Kush, while his Birkenstock-loving bride EasyJets and night trains and hostels her way across Western Europe and Northern Africa. You've also likely read of our time as newlyweds, during which Brady's pre-deployment unit was incessantly involved with field training. During those days, my favourite GI learned how to become a better soldier while yours truly spent her solo time indulging in Audrey Hepburn movies and organic sprouted tofu. All this, of course, is after our already lengthy courtship that relied heavily upon Skype and frequent flyer miles to stay vibrant.
I had a lot of "Is this amazingness seriously happening to me right now?" moments while living in London. Like savouring a gelato cone on a stroll through the streets of Florence, or exchanging research findings with expert scholars in Japanese textiles. Those were experiences I had only dreamt of, and when they graced my path I felt extremely fortunate and happy. But during those otherwise incredibly fulfilling moments, I still found myself missing Brady. His absence seemed to be the only thing that kept me from feeling 100% complete.
And so while to some the architecture in Hawaii may not compare with the ruins of Rome, or Kahlua pork and poi with freshly-baked French baguettes, it was honestly the best holiday I had had all year. Because every gorgeous sunset, every exotic animal, every surfing wipeout, I got to share with my best friend.
Yes, our two-week second honeymoon/post-deployment treat to ourselves in Hawaii affirmed to us that Brady and I are simply better together.
And...being together in a tropical bliss didn't hurt. We both just unplugged. We had both been slaves to our emails and laptops for the previous nine months (I to dissertation research and Brady to the rigours of being S1), and we were just ready to adventure together and discover our love again. We were grateful to have some space and time alone to do this. Deployments change relationships - each partner is different - and we had some exploring and discovering to do to re-learn how to love each other again. Brady was suddenly infatuated with muscle cars and I had developed a [seemingly] overnight phobia of American conventional produce. But every effort was (and still is) all worth it. During the day we hiked along lush, emerald coastlines; learned to surf atop brilliant turquoise waters; and drove through thick, tree-topped roads that stretched and wound for miles and miles and miles. One day we got caught in the rain eight times. Another day we ate same day-caught mahi mahi. The next day we learned to make plumeria leis from scratch. (Did I mention all this was during a hurricane warning?) Life was fabulous and beautiful. And it still is.
