All I Want for Christmas

Before you read any further, I need you to listen to Mariah Carey’s, “All I Want for Christmas is You” to set the mood, so to speak.

Now that you may or may not be doing a little dance, you may proceed!

I don’t want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don’t care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree

I just want my soldier home
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you!

I could go on, but I think you get the idea…

One year ago, I sent the love of my life off on a plane to Korea for a year long hardship tour. At the time, we had been together for about two years, and I had no idea what the year would entail. It was my soldier’s first post, and while we had been dating long distance for more than a year, it was our first time being an ocean apart.

Almost 12 months later, I am happy to report that we made it! (You can see how I survived here, here, and here.)

My soldier is flying back to the States in six days (!!), and I could not be more ecstatic to have him back on American soil.

Like I said, the year has been a wild one for both my soldier and me—a trip to Korea and a new job for me, and an acceptance to flight school and a first PCS for my man. There have been hundreds of emails, many 4 a.m. alarms to combat the 17-hour time difference to say a quick hello, a few trips across the ocean, and a lot of learning about each other—and it’s finally all coming to an end!

Well…sort of.

While I am more than ecstatic that I will be receiving the best Christmas present I could ever ask for, after the holidays my soldier and I won’t actually be together. It’s a bit like giving me a puppy for Christmas, then telling me it has to live on the other side of the country. (Yes, I just compared my boyfriend to a puppy. But if you know me, you know I really love puppies.)

Starting in January, my soldier will be attending flight school in Alabama, and I will go back to my job in San Francisco, and so begins part three of dating long distance. Only this time, we are in different time zones, not in different countries!

That said, I’m sure 2014 will be just as much an adventure as 2013 was. There will be more visits, more emails, more early wake-ups for quick hellos, but even though we will be back at the distance thing, at least he’ll be home, which is all I want for Christmas! (Santa, thank you in advance!)

This holiday season, I hope you all are surrounded with loved ones, and if your service member is away, I hope he/she comes home soon—and safely!

Happy holidays to you and yours!