Home Is Wherever I'm With You

Number one reason I have been slow on the blog? A tall, handsome man by the name of Micah Larimer. Micah and I dated for a year and a half during our high school days and had an absolute blast. Shortly after graduation he left to serve a full time mission for the LDS Church. During these two years he served the people of Riverside, CA (glamorous, I know), teaching them about our Church, helping people with needs around the house, and trying his best to help others. Throughout the two years we wrote almost every week. We had the opportunity to talk on the phone for a few minutes on Christmas and Mother's Day (these are the two days each year that missionaries are permitted to call home,) which were easily the highlights of our entire separation for me.
While I was constantly missing him for those two years, I tried my best not to sit around and pine. I worked hard, traveled around New Zealand and Asia for four months, went off to college, and spent almost four months in the Middle East. You could say I was actually fairly productive. Needless to say, despite my grand adventures, I would have given an arm and a leg to have my best friend back.
Well 98 Letters, 9 care packages, 102 weeks, and 4 phone conversations later, he was home. Our reunion was magical, if not a little awkward. I'm pretty sure he patted me on the shoulder once. But after about five minutes, we were back to normal. It was almost as if he had never left. The things that we loved about one another had only been magnified. The things that worried us were gone. I was just overjoyed to be in the same room as him!
The last month that he has been home has easily been my best. Everything seems to be going right. And even the struggles seem a lot more manageable with him on my team. We have been having so much fun being together again figuring out our life. Things could honestly not be better.

Weapons of Potato Destruction

There is something about firearms that just makes you feel powerful. 

No, that is not pointed at my head...
we laugh in the face of danger

And there is something about watching your man hold a firearm

that doubles his attractiveness. 

For Labor Day a group of us thought it would be great to celebrate by letting off some steam. We drove up the canyon and had a festive picnic involving salsa, sandwiches, and lemonade in the woods. Sufficiently full, we headed further up the canyon to a shooting range. And the thrill of danger began. I was a bit scared, but really it wasn't so bad. I only shot some smaller guns (I was told they were .22 caliber...whatever that means). I got my thrill with those, but chose to leave the bigger guns to the boys. It actually takes physical strength to shoot these things! Some of them are heavy and the kick back can be something fierce. 

Micah enjoyed shooting at potatoes, pop cans, and plates. But poor boy got a sunburn. Man, he's pale. It did feel a bit strange being a human rights activist and opposing violent conflict while shooting some guns, but I guess that's the beauty of choice and individuality, right?

And It Continues

Happy Day!

It's been a couple of crazy weeks, but I have not completely forgotten about Safe Harbor. So much has changed in the last few weeks, I don't even know where to begin. But I guess I'll start with the first big change. Micah, my best friend and high school boyfriend is home from his two year LDS mission! It has been unreal having him home. After two years of snail mail, four telephone conversations, a variety of care packages, and a few photo updates, he was completely and totally back in my life. So far it has been absolutely wonderful. It's all been very natural and normal, to be honest. We have both changed significantly in the last two years but not in way's that have troubled our relationship. We've enjoyed catching up and figuring it out. Who would've known it could be this easy? Now, we're back at school and enjoying this stage of life.
Classes are going great so far. Nothing too ominous or distressing. There will definitely be some stress and I'm sure I'll be cursing sociology when midterms roll around. For now, I'm feeling pretty excited about all the opportunities ahead.