Love

So, going off on a wild tangent, I have posted of a picture of my lovely wife and I. This was taken Christmas before last, about a month before heading for Iraq. I was home on Christmas exodus and we decided we needed to get our pictures taken. What is the definition of a newly wed? My wife and I must qualify, even though we have been married a year and a half, we have only seen each other about 45 days out of that. I believe the actual number is 41 days. This pains me, as I miss my wife terribly, but it also makes me realize that if she can put up with my crap from 8000 miles away and go through the worrying and fears that she has, nothing at this point in time can break our relationship. We have known each other since the summer between sophomore and junior year of high school. It was her freshman-sophomore summer, and we met at a JROTC summer camp. I recall making fun of her for her name being Beaver, and we hit it off, talked a few times when we got home, and decided to start dating. Our relationship has been full of ups and downs, from me not having a phone to call her, to her getting in trouble for talking to me too much. I recently had a conversation with my father-in-law while I was on leave. We talked for about two hours, and the thing that has stuck with me most about our conversation was that he said he was proud of me. Not for what I do, but what I have become. He told me I had transformed over the past four years from an immature teenager into a responsible young man. I figure he must have a very loose definition of responsible. Alas, I digress. I am amazed at how many people say I have changed. My good friend Debbie says I have transformed from an "awkward" teen into a "wonderful" young man. I may be using author's liberty when I use the phrase "wonderful," but I recall it being along those lines. I called Debbie at about 0700 CST on Christmas morning, and frankly, think I scared the crap out of her. She may or may not have started crying, depending on whom is telling the story. I made the comment that my wife could not cry, so, therefore, neither could she. I am, however, digressing again. I guess the moral of this post is that my wife is one of the strongest women that I have ever known, and I am blessed beyond all imagination to have such a wonderful woman in my life, and I wonder what ever I have done to deserve such a woman. I know that He created her for me, and I am eternally grateful for His blessings. In ending, I would just like to confess my love for my beautiful wife...