30 Day Challenge- Day 16 Our 4 Day Pass

From what I have heard, our 4 day pass was not normal. The families were told at Yellow Ribbon 1&2 that once the men reached Ft. Bliss for MOB station, we would not be able to see them again.  Some families were really upset of course. I guess normally everyone gets a 4 day pass and know about it in advance to plan, the guys can go home or the wives and girlfriends can go there. That is NOT how ours went.
M called me one day and asked how easy it was for me to get time off. I thought this questions was weird at the time, but blew it off. (I later found out he was trying to surprise me for his 4 day pass)
It was a Thursday night, I had just gotten done with a professional development class and was eating dinner with a friend. M called and we talked on my way to pick up Little L from his parents house. He asked me if I wanted to see him again before he left. Ummmm YES!!! He told me they were thinking of giving the guys their 4 day pass, but it wasn't for sure yet. I was told not to get my hopes up, but he would call back later with the news. So, I went home and got ready for work the next day. M called back at 10:00 that night. He told me they were getting their 4 day pass and that if I wanted to, I could come out to Texas and visit him. My mind just went blank. I was so excited, but I have never planned a trip and then left the following day. My trips are always planned in advance. Thankfully M realized I was shutting down and told me what I needed to do. He asked me to find the cheapest flight I could with times that would work. He then called his parents to see if they could watch Little L for the weekend. We decided it was better to not take him because it would only confuse him more. Plus we wanted some alone time together. I found a flight, then called in for a substitute for Friday afternoon. The plan was I would go into work that morning, pick Little L up from daycare, meet my MIL at our house and she would take me and Little L to the airport. We made it there in plenty of time and I was able to play with Little L for awhile. I swear the boy didn't care that I was leaving. He was more interested in the fountain inside the airport. :) I flew from Sarasota to Atlanta, then Atlanta to Ft. Bliss. The airport near Ft. Bliss is SMALL. When I finally made it there, I got my rental car and was told I needed to pick M up, of course was his unit staying at Ft. Bliss? Nope they were at one of the camps about a half hour away. I had to navigate those crazy roads at night, and make sure I didn't end up in Mexico, but I finally found him (thank goodness for GPS). Oh my goodness!!!! It was GREAT to see him!!!!
We drove back and found a hotel. The next morning we were able to have breakfast, we ended up going to Freedom Crossing. Oh my goodness!!!! Is that place pretty nice. Compared to the one at Ft. Leonardwood it was amazing! We had lunch there, walked around. Then went back to the room for a nap. I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to take a nap whenever you want. It's amazing!!!! We decided to meet up with one other Lieutenant and his wife and another Lieutenant. It was fun hanging out with some other people. We had dinner, then walked around Wal-Mart. Exciting huh?
On my last day there (those 4 day passes always go too quickly) we went and saw a movie, then we found a REALLY good Steakhouse. I cannot remember the name, but we decided to share a steak and thank goodness we did. It came out and was HUGE!!!! It was one of the BEST steaks I've ever had. I really enjoyed going out to dinner with him and have a nice meal.
The day I left we had breakfast and hung out until it was time to take M back to Freedom Crossing where he would catch a bus to go back to the camp they were staying at. I swear those last few hours flew by. I couldn't believe I was having to say "see you later" again.
I am soooo thankful I went out to visit him. It was an amazing weekend. Even though we didn't do anything spectacular, it was great just being together. Getting some alone time was great. It reminded me how much I truly do love him (not that I ever really forget) :) I am sorry Little L wasn't able to come, but I was glad we could afford for me to go out there. A lot of the soldiers weren't able to have family come see them because of the short notice. I think it was worth the money. Having that extra time was an unexpected gift.