Happy Anniversary To Us

No this is not a recent picture and no I did not cut my hair. This was taken two years ago here at Olive Garden in Killeen, TX. If you are thinking I look tired, it's because I was. I had flown all night, leaving AK at 2 am and arriving in Texas as 2 pm and then driving three hours from Dallas to Killeen. Sure, it only takes two and a half hours to get from Dallas to here, but we got a little lost. And not on purpose either. I remember driving through a town called Waxahachie. Yup, I was in the south and wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into. After taking a few back country roads and being a little freaked out by the Texas Chainsaw Massacre looking houses, we arrived at our destination. And what a nice treat after such a long and grueling day- Olive Garden!
That being two years ago today, I look back and think "Wow!" It's so funny...before I even met Cameron, I had seen him on some girls myspace and I remember thinking he was just SO cute. I had just recently moved to Anchorage and saw he was 23 and lived in Eagle River. Like girls do, I was daydreaming and thought there is no way I will ever meet this guy and plus, even if I did, he probably wouldn't go for me- I thought I was just much too young for him, being 20. Our story is long and complicated but when I realized I would actually have a chance at meeting this guy (he was my new friends boyfriends best friend) I thought, "OH my god!"

A lot has happened within these past two years. Cameron was deployed for a year of it, with a trip home for 3 weeks half way through. This picture below was taken right before I took him to the airport to head back. We were in such a rush I brought nothing, besides him and his stuff. When we were checking him in the lady said I could walk with him through security and to the gate- I just needed my ID. Yeah, didn't have that. So I said my goodbyes at the security gate and off he went. I did see him plenty in the next 6 months though. On skype that is. We talked every day, every chance that we got whether it was just saying hi or bye. Time difference was a challenge. 12 hour differences. So when I was going to bed, Cameron was waking up and vice versa. But, somehow we made it work. Since him being gone happened at the beginning of our relationship, I feel like we really got to know one another. We couldn't just sit and watch a movie together, we were forced to talk. I mean, I guess we could of just stared at eachother over skype but what fun would that be?
We should have stock in Alaska Airlines by now with all the trips back and forth once Cameron returned home. One trip I took in particular was when I flew down March 2009 to welcome Cameron home from his tour in Iraq. His parents were unable to go down and I just couldn't leave the poor guy hangin with no one to welcome him home. I'm pretty sure his parents would have made it if I wasn't going to, but I wasn't really willing to find out. In case you don't know, the Army isn't really much into planning things and having a schedule. And if they do, its about 2-4 weeks off schedule. So planning a trip down to meet Cameron was a little tricky. I was going to have to get there before Cameron and some how make it from Austin, TX to Killeen by myself. I was not about to trust that Cameron would be home in time to pick me up, although I really hoped that was the case. So, after flying 12 hours and almost missing my flight in Chicago, I arrive in Austin at 2:30 am. It was pointless for me to get a hotel for 5 hours, since I would be needing to catch a shuttle to the train station at 7ish. So, there I sat and slept a little until 7 am. I think the train out of Austin left around 10, and there I was to board it. Had to get off in Temple and from there a shuttle from the train depot brought me to Killeen. No one but me was headed there (I understand why). After hearing my story, the lady offered to take me straight to my hotel, rather then letting me off and catching a cab. She said they would charge me an arm and a leg. I stayed at the same hotel that we stayed at when I first came down to Texas, so it was familiar which was really nice. I checked myself in and there I sat...waiting to hear when Cameron would be home. Luckily, he was on the last flight out of Kuwait before a big sand storm hit and grounded the planes. He would be home in about a day and a half. I would have had a pretty boring vacation in Texas by myself if he didn't make it home. His friend who got in one day before him was kind enough to make certain I made it on base to where Cameron would be released. I had got a flu bug the one day I was there by myself. Thank goodness I was feeling better by the next day because I had to get up at 5 am to go get Cameron. It was POURING rain that morning. I went downstairs to walk out the door and ran back to the room to change. Flip flops and a t-shirt were not going to work. They held the ceremony inside since it was raining, so there were no bleachers like outside. That meant when 400 soldiers walked into the room, all I could see was the first row of them. When they were released I ran through the crowd, looking and looking for him which was not easy as I am only 5'1. Finally, I spotted him out of the corner of my eye and ran and jumped up his arms and wrapped my legs around him. I was excited, ok!? We spent the next week going to bbqs his friends had, spending the night in San Antonio, going to eat at all my favorite places we don't have at home and spending all his hard earned money on new clothes for the two of us. The picture below is us at the Fort Hood main gate, sportin our Texas gear.
In between that, Cam came home to AK for a week or so, then in June I went down there again. Odd thing is, I really don't think we took any pictures during those trips. We're kind of bad at this whole picture taking thing. After visiting Texas in June and having the best time floating the river, soaking up the sun by the pool and eatin some good Texas bbq, I decided I wanted to move there. We thought that Cameron was getting out of the Army within 7 more months and that we could just wait it out till he was able to move back home with each of us flying back and forth a few more times. But that just wasn't going to cut it. If you know me, you know I come up with wild ideas and run with them. Hence moving to Anchorage, buying a new house.. and so and so on. Once my minds made up, its pretty much a go. Cameron was a little shocked by my choice, he didn't think I would actually do it. But I got my house rented, applied to school in TX and made plans to ship our cars to Seattle, us (Cam, Rett and I) meet there and drive our happy selves to Texas. July 20, that is just what we did. Cameron was happy to have the Silver Bullet (his truck) back in his life and I was happy to be out of Alaska enjoying some sunshine in July. I claimed Retta as my driving partner even though she sleeps the whole time. Cam and I spent a lot of the time talking on the phone since we were having to ride in separate trucks. After leaving Seattle at noon on a Monday, we made it to Texas on Wednesday night/Thursday morning at 3 am with Cam having to go to work at 5 am. We did stop in Colorado to see Rai and Thomas and had ourselves a delicious breakfast at Village Inn before hittin the road. We really wish we could have spent more time, but at noon Wednesday is when Cameron got the call saying they lost his paperwork for leave and he needed to be at work the next day. Pedal to the metal, that's how we roll! Cam and Retta can be seen below at our new home.

In the past couple months, we've had ourselves quite a good time enjoying life in Texas and seeing different things. We took another long road trip and headed to South Carolina for Labor Day to visit Cam's dad. We've driven to different places in Texas...Austin, Houston, Waco, Salado and lots of small lil towns that hardly even count as towns, one being Cameron, Texas. I love driving in the country and seeing the cows and farm houses with wishes I'll some day have 20 acres out here in the middle of nowhere...someday. And probably the biggest thing that has happened to us since me being here is finding out the news I was pregnant a month ago. Totally unplanned, but we are both excited! I feel like the picture below shows our Texan sides, sittin on a bale of hay wearin cowgirl boots. That was at the bar, a place I will no longer be frequenting....

And now this brings us to today, our two year anniversary. We decided to celebrate at the same place we did two years ago, Olive Garden! I wasn't going to complain about that choice. I definitely went overboard and ate way too much food, and even ordered dessert to go. I'm a sucker for chocolate cake lately, I just couldn't help myself! Not purposefully, I ordered the same thing I did two years ago, just with a different sauce. Portabello Ravioli, yes please! Obviously, I was a lot tanner two years ago. That is what I get for being pregnant- no tanning. And Cameron of course is wearing his signature white hat like always. Too bad there will be no Olive Garden in Alaska next year to celebrate three years. Perhaps a trip to the lower 48 will be in order... with a baby in tow!
♥Happy Two Year Anniversary To US ♥