As you all know, Darcie is out of town for the weekend, and so, being the good husband that she frequently brags about, I decided to step up and help her out with some blog content.  Now, I hope you aren’t expecting any sort of literal genius – that’s my wife’s job.  I’m more logical than creative, which is just one of the million reasons we complement each other so well.  But, the last thing I want is for you – her loyal reader – to feel neglected while she is in California!

As I’ve considered what exactly to write about to another group of Mom’s, I realized that I would need to leverage the one thing that we all have in common – Darcie!  So, I figured what better way to fill space entertain you than to provide you with my top 5 list of milestones / events so far in our life together.

5. Getting out of the Army.

So, this might not seem like an item that would crack the top 5…but it is exceedingly deserving of this spot because of all the struggles Darcie and I faced in the Army.  I spent five years in the Army and this time included 5 different duty locations: Georgia, South Korea, California, Arizona, and Iraq.  Three of these places came in the two years that Darcie and I were either engaged or married!  Beyond that, Darcie and I are the farthest thing from a cultural fit in the Army!!  Just to provide a brief summary, while Darcie and I were married I was: sent to Iraq on my birthday with less than a month notice; was called countless times between the hours of 2AM and 4AM; was forced to spend weeks at a time away from my family while training; and left my house at 4:45 AM only to return at 6:00 PM (or later) each and every day.  Throughout all of this, Darcie was always there for me.  She provided me with strength, love, and support.  She had endured more than her share of hard times in her life, and during this period, she was forced to endure mine as well.  Through everything, she was a rock.  She put in extra hours while I worked late.  She changed her plans when I would have to be at work over weekends.  She did it all alone while I was in Iraq.  She even drove down and met me at the airport in El Paso when I came home from the desert.

The night I was officially released – we celebrated like rock stars!  We both felt like new people.  It opened up an amazing new chapter in our lives that is incomparable to anything I have ever experienced.  Further, it closed a chapter filled with struggle, strife, and hard times.  I was overjoyed in the knowledge that I could now do a better job of building the life she deserved – a life that included a husband and father.  Two and half years later, I feel like I have been successful in this endeavor and I can definitely assure you that the grass remains greener out of the Army!

4. Camping at San Simeon.

This was my first quasi-vacation with Darcie and the girls.  I don’t think this is something that I have ever told her, but Darcie impressed me like crazy on this trip and any part of me that wasn’t in love with her before that was hopelessly lost afterwards.  Up to this point, Darcie was always a princess.  She was always clean, tidy, and washed her hands so much that it was a wonder she had skin left.  But on this trip, all of that changed.  Darcie wore some grungy clothes that I was surprised she even owned.  She used a Coleman stove to cook food that not even Coleman knew was possible.  She went 3 days without showering.  She flew a kite.  She was dirty.  She played with fire.  She was graceful, beautiful, and breathtaking.  I will never forget the side of Darcie that I saw on that trip and I realized just how lucky I was to be with someone like her – this beautiful, complicated woman who is so much more than meets the eye!

OK…so as I seem to share Darcie’s propensity to ramble on (in a good way, of course) I’ve decided to stop here and save the rest for tomorrow’s blog.  Besides, delayed gratification is the best kind!