I had such a good night tonight catching up with Kristi, Stephen, and Lisa. Lisa has been a mentor to me since my freshman year at SLU. It’s crazy to think I’ve known her since 1995…15 years! Crazy! I met Stephen and Kristi both my senior year. Stephen was my big brother and unofficial boss my senior year, and both he and Kristi became roommates of mine. Kristi lived with me after college and Stephen lived with me during my two years at Claver House.
I love living in St. Louis and getting to be with my kindred spirits again. I love having friends who I don’t have to see or talk to regularly but with whom I can just pick up as if no time passed at all. I experienced this earlier this month with Frau (and Fr. Kevin and the Brights) and have experienced it again. I miss these people who have challenged me in so many ways to be a better person.
It’s weird, but I didn’t really meet too many people like that in Cheyenne or D.C. In Cheyenne, I guess Dori, Sher, Donna, and Teresa Ross were sort of like that. I could call Dori and pick up with her at any time and she’d help me out professionally in a heartbeat. And I guess that I sort of have that with Sharon and Ginger and a few others from Seton. Everything in Cheyenne and D.C. was a work friendship though. I haven’t had those good mentors and friends who I can go split a pitcher of margaritas with and eat Mexican and talk about everything from fighting poverty to playing Mass to riding bikes to family. And at the end of dinner and drinks, we still had so much to catch up on.
What’s so hard is that while I have that in St. Louis with so many people and I get to create stronger relationships with my family, a huge piece of my heart is torn. I love it. I am so happy and fulfilled. But a HUGE piece of my heart is missing…it’s in Iraq with Mark.
It’s so hard to believe that the only time we’ve both lived in St. Louis was the summer that we went from being 17 to 18 year olds—14 years ago we met. In a few years, we’ll have known each other for half of our lives. And while I am so happy in St. Louis, I have such a better social life, and I’m incredibly happy with my four part-time jobs, I can’t wait for 154 days till Mark is home on mid-tour leave. And it will be even better in 283 days when he’s home.
I guess being home in St. Louis has reminded me of how much I love Mark. I LOVE this place, and I was willing to give all of this up for him. He means that much to me. That’s pretty amazing. I’m so lucky to have someone in my life that is as amazing as him. I know this year is not going to be easy, but I know we’ll be stronger because of it in the end.
I’ve been thinking over and over lately how neither Mark or me has followed the traditional path. I graduated early from high school to go to college. He went to Wentworth before the Air Force Academy. We wouldn’t have met if I had followed the traditional path. I wouldn’t have gone on TEC and wouldn’t have ben in Godspell with him.
He ventured off as a casual lieutenant for a year before pilot training and ended up meeting so many good friends like the Naylors. I worked for four and lived in North St. Louis City for a year and then bought a house all by myself, content to work at Borgia for the rest of my life. We dated long distance for a year…and we were both older than many of our friends when we got married. And God knows that this fertility path we are taking is anything but the norm. (But as a side note…one doctor appointment this week, and then they’re repeating my HSG to make sure I don’t have any blockage from the ectopic pregnancy I had last summer. I’m hoping for a laproscopy, too, to make sure I don’t have endometreosis, and then after all of that, I can start trying for a baby again…but obviously not in the typical way since Mark is still in Iraq!)
God works in mysterious ways, and I continually feel blessed to have had crossed paths with so many amazing people. I just can’t wait to be in a place where I get to be with all of them. I know everything will work out for us. I just can’t wait for Mark to be home.
