A Year Ago Today…

I remember the drive to the airport like it was yesterday, because it was the night after a big barbecue at M’s parents house and we may have been a little hungover…or tired, I mean. 🙂 I barely slept the night before, and then woke up around 6am to get one last workout before leaving on our adventure. Since we flew out of an airport 4 hours from home (it was worth it…Virgin Atlantic is the best airline, ever, in case you wondered), we had quite a drive…and plenty of time for me to get anxious about flying, about leaving my family for an extended period of time, and about visiting multiple foreign countries. I never really told anyone this, and I’m not sure they noticed, but as my family left us at the terminal, I actually teared up briefly. It was a combination of emotions, excitement for what was ahead with someone I love deeply, but also a little bit of sadness at leaving behind the parents who I’ve never really spent that much time away from and have always been there for me. I knew they were a “phone call away” but they were definitely NOT going to be a short drive away. 

At our gate, I caught a glimpse of our plane that we’d be flying across the Atlantic on, and I felt a wave of excitement…I couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. It was crazy to think that we were really at the start of this incredible journey, and as we stepped on the plane for our overnight flight to London, I knew there was no turning back. From that point on, we were going to be world travelers. 

At the end of a surprisingly short, pleasant flight to London, we were welcomed into the UK with our first cup of British tea before we landed. It’s so difficult for me to describe the feeling we had as we were making our descent into Heathrow, but it was an excitement that I’ve never felt before. I was nearly overcome with emotion that we made it, we were officially at the start of our backpacking trip, and we were on this journey together. I knew that I loved M way before this trip…but what I didn’t realize is just how much more I could love him as we went on this adventure together. A lot of family and friends thought we’d end up driving each other crazy after being together 24/7 for so long, but I have to say, we both gained so much from this trip. We had to be each other’s support system. We had to share responsibilities. We had to learn to resolve conflict…because yes, there were a few trying times. 🙂 Most of all, we became closer than ever before. In fact, we learned to love each other even more that we both thought possible. Like I said, I KNEW I loved him, but taking this trip together completely reinforced it. We shared a once-in-a-lifetime experience that not many people can say they’ve had. We refer to a memory of our trip almost daily. I could go on forever about what a wonderful time we had, and I could relive all of our stories like they happened yesterday…but luckily for you, I have blog posts from last year that you can read to learn all of those things. 🙂

As I sit here today, I just can’t help but think about the most amazing adventure I’ve ever had, with the person who I love with all of my heart. However, the shiny ring on my left hand reminds me that we’re just getting started…we haven’t even began the real adventure yet. <3