Parent's Weekend {round 1}

The USAFA Chapel
I spent this past weekend in Colorado with S and his family for our second Parent's Weekend! We had an absolute blast, as always. I thought that I'd share a little about our first Parent's Weekend last year so y'all can see how special this weekend is for us every year! 

Five days after we graduated high school, Steven left for Basic Cadet Training. My heart broke watching him drive away, knowing that I wasn't going to be able to see him until Labor Day, the longest we had ever gone without talking and seeing each other. The days dragged on and I was constantly missing him. We wrote dozens and dozens of letters back and forth to each other but my heart still wished we could be
                        together. 

Finally after what seemed like decades, I was boarding my plane to Colorado. To say I was ecstatic is a huuuge understatement. When I landed, I met up with his parents. We couldn't see S that night and being in the same state as him without being with him pretty much felt like torture. My excitement caused me to get probably 3 hours of sleep that night, but I could have cared less.

Steven's sister and I were sooo excited! 
Our first look! Love a man in uniform ;) 
The next morning we headed to base around 6:45 to meet up with Steven before his first class. We planned our meeting spot at the gorgeous chapel right above the Cadet Area. While waiting for him to arrive I could not stand still. I was nervous, excited, anxious and so so so happy that I was minutes away from seeing him. We finally saw him walking up to us and to be honest, emotions got the best of me and I don't really remember much after that. The next thing I knew I was in his arms trying not to cry. We kissed and my heart felt fuller than it had in months. Eventually we let go of each other so Steven could greet his parents too. 



After our sweet reunion, we were allowed to attend Steven's classes. It was so awesome being able to experience what a normal school day was like for him. There was a parade that the entire Cadet Wing marched in later that morning, and we ate lunch in Mitchell Hall just like he does everyday. That afternoon we met Steven's baseball team and coaches. After that, S was free to go for the weekend except that he had to be back for the football game the next morning. We went to see a movie and had a fun dinner out. We headed back to the hotel early and we lounged around, and talked about everything that we had missed in each other's lives the past few months. It was one of the most perfect days ever.




The Parent's Weekend parade
The next day we went to the Air Force football game all together. We tailgated before the game with Steven's squadron and his baseball team. I hadn't been to many college football games before this one, so I had a great time. After the game, we went to the visitor center to look at some of the USAFA merchandise. S bought me what is now my favorite sweatshirt. 

Squadrons on the field 
Wings of Blue performance which was so cool! 
The rest of the weekend we spent visiting with Steven, eating, and watching movies. We played mini golf and bought things that S needed for his room, but we basically just tried to soak up all the time that we got with him. Steven and I held hands, cuddled and kissed every second that we possibly could to make up for the time that we had lost. I was nervous before seeing him that he was going to be different and that it would change the way we worked. He was different, but nothing between us changed. He was more confident and mature, but he was the same sweet guy that I had fallen in love with. 

The USAFA Chapel

The terazzo 

When it finally came time to leave, saying goodbye was really hard. I felt like I was leaving a part of me in Colorado. But, being apart has strengthened our relationship in ways that I couldn't have even imagined. I'm still so proud and in love with that hunk! ;)