Half Way Through!

Well, tomorrow will have been four weeks to the day since Jordan left for the desert. Then (if all goes as planned) in just four more weeks + two days, he will be home!! I have gone through many phases since he left. When I dropped him off at the squadron, I of course shed a few tears. After I drove away, I felt relieved that the "goodbye" part was finally over. I had been dreading that moment for, oh, say the last few months (ok, years). The next day was the beginning of a three-day weekend for me. I'll just say this--I've never looked forward to a Monday so much in my entire life! After about a week, I began to realize that I needed to start making plans to make the time pass more quickly. The second week, I had a dinner date with Leslie (my English 'mum'), went out for my first british hen night, and went to lunch with a friend. Oh, and my mom came to visit!!

Since my mom has been here, things have been great! Before Jordan left, I never realized how lucky I am to have someone to sit down to dinner with each and every night. We have been doing our normal mother-daughter things, which is just what I needed. We cook dinner together every night, have breakfast together every morning, and most days I come home for lunch. While I am at work, my mom has been spoiling the Cooper Dog by taking him on multiple walks each day, and staying busy with the many projects that she brought along with her (knitting, sewing, card-making, etc.). We have been making good use of the apple trees in our back yard by making apple pie, apple sauce, and hopefully at some point we'll get around to making some apple butter.

Last weekend, we were invited to go to Leslie's son's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding in a really old church in Moulton, a village nearby. We had a wonderful time! And this weekend... I am taking some time off from work on Friday, and we are going up to Edinburgh for a long weekend! We will ride the train from Cambridge, and should get there in about five hours. I found a cozy little bed and breakfast to stay at near the city centre, and we have plans to tour the castle. I have heard wonderful things about the city, and can't wait to see it for myself!

I know you would probably like an update on how Jordan's doing. I have been fortunate enough to hear from him several times a week. He and his crew shaved their heads the first night that they got there...manly bonding, I suppose. He posted some pictures on facebook if you'd like to take a look: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2060594&id=25202851&l=22e6e0fc3c

Lately, he has been flying an eight-day on, one day off schedule. It sounds like one day off is just enough before he gets really bored. When it is all said and done, it sounds like his typical days are about 12 hours long. I can tell that his confidence in his flying abilitiy has gone up a lot, and I couldn't be more proud of him.

I better get to bed. I just wanted to give a quick update on what we've been up to lately! Please let me know if you would like to send Jordan any letters or care packages. I would be happy to give you his address!