The hubby left on the 17th of this month. To go to Afghanistan. For a year. Or more.               

While we are accustom with his comings and goings (which is a fancy way of saying  ‘we deal with it ‘) , it doesn’t get any easier as we get older.

In fact, it just becomes harder. I really miss him. Really.

As I told Rick years ago when we started this mad-cap adventure of ours called marriage…”I didn’t think I’d like you this much!”   - which adds to making it that much harder to say good-bye each time he goes. I like him. Really, I do! Yes, I love this man with all my heart and soul…but I will honestly say at first I was a tad cautious on the “like” part. I’m not much of a “liker” – I either love you or I tolerate you. Ask anyone who knows me well. But he has grown on me….I truly like him as well as being completely in love with  him.

So here we are – again – counting the days until he returns. I am only at Day 11 with only 354 more to go. But who’s counting? Oh yeah, I am. Again.

I have learned that the best way for me to make the “time fly” is to keep busy….doing all those things that I never seem to get around to doing while he’s home…not that he’s in the way or keeps me from doing things, but because I’d rather be with him – doing things – because I like him.

Being the great list maker that I am, here’s my list of things to do/get done while he’s gone….and hopefully by the time Day 355 rolls around, each item will be crossed off!

To-Do List for 2009:

1. Unpack all the moving boxes  (we just moved on the 5th!)

2. Organize the house

3. Purge/remove all junk! (garage sale, ebay, craigslist)

4. Start new job And wow, what a job!! Loving every minute of it!

5. Find a new church

6. Complete remodel on the condo

7. Exercise!

8. Lose 5lbs, 10lbs, 15lbs, 20lbs, dare we go for 25lbs? (note: this is always on the list of “to-do’s” while he’s away – and somehow these never get crossed off…)

9. Visit Liz & Matt in Vermont (when it is not blizzard weather)

10. Visit Robin in Hawaii (which also means get a tan and completing something from #8 )

11. Pay off all our credit cards (notice this is after the trips!)

12. Scrapbook – another one I dream about…

13. Catalog all our books (ok, this is for when I am really bored…)

14. Read all the books on my “to-read” list

15. Plan Rick’s 50th birthday bash!

A grand list for starters. But for today, I am just going to sit here and miss him.

Because I love and like him so very much.

Rick and Carla - Thanksgiving 2008

Counting the days and making it count, honey….I miss you!