Friendships

Yesterday was quite of an emotional roller coaster for me. Through my time in the Air Force I met some amazing people. Amazing doesn't quite sum it up, but it's the best I can come up with for now. My journey of course started in Basic Training, but my journey with military friendships started there as well. In my flight, there was this small annoying girl. I couldn't stand her. She seemed spoiled and I honestly wondered what in the heck she was doing there. Throughout our 6 weeks, we stayed cordial, but that's it. I was not there to make friends, I was there to get the hell out of there. Period. At the end of those 6 weeks, they put us on buses and planes and sent us to our Technical Schools. That small annoying girl was on MY bus. The road trip from San Antonio to Wichita Falls is not short. Believe it or not, that small annoying girl was actually pretty damn cool. We spent every day together in my 3 1/2 months at Tech School. We've stayed in touch since I left. I'd do anything I could in my power for that girl, I hope you know it Cassandra! xoxo

At that same time in Tech School, we had 1-2 roomates in our room. My roomate had just left, and I had the room to myself! Finally, some peace and quiet to study. Haha joke was on me. I left for class one morning and came back that afternoon to a room FULL of crap. Everywhere. I hadn't even moved over to the single bed, I was still on the bottom of the bunk bed in the room. Wash-outs from another Tech School had arrived and I was not happy. Top it off...they were friends. Long story short, one of them became my best friend there. We got along so well it was almost scary, and in true Tech School fashion, spent every weekend partying and living it up.

I don't have a single Tech School memory with out one of these beautiful women in it. We were lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving together in 2009, and I truly hope it doesn't take us nine years to get together again.

After a year and a half in the Air Force, and directly after 9/11 I received notice I would be going to Kuwait. Both of my parents were upset with the idea, and I was nervous. But to be honest, I was ready to go. It wasn't even a tough deployment. Not saying it was easy over there by any means...but it was in a sense. I guess you'd have to have been there to understand. It was at this time in my "career" I met my third friend for life thanks to the Air Force. Crystal had been there a week or two longer than I, but we hit it off pretty early on. She was a blast. Man do I miss her!! She left a week before I did, but we stayed in touch. It's not easy to stay in touch with military friends, schedules, states or continents away..but we do it. She even came to my first wedding. I am blessed and honored to call her a friend. She has made so many difficult times fun. I will always love her for that. ~AYA~ ;-)

I didn't make another friend that impacted my life so greatly until my move to South Carolina in 2004. I don't know how I survived that first year in SC, so many things happened it's amazing. Three weeks after arriving at my new base, my sister called to tell me my father was in the hospital, that it wasn't good, and she didn't know what to do. He didn't want her or his girlfriend to tell me, but Laura knew she had to. I was on a plane a little over 24 hours later. My father passed away two days later and I thank God every day that my sister picked up that phone and called me when she did. Not a day goes by that I don't miss him so much it hurts. Some days are good days, and let me tell you lately there are a lot of bad days. It's been almost eight years... I cannot believe it. My first marriage was on the rocks, my father had passed away, I was across the country from my family and any friends I had left. I was alone, had a 1 year old son, and hated everything and anything to do with SC.

My mom moved out to SC in the Spring of 2005. Shortly after that she met a woman and her daughter at the mall. The mall. She declared I "had" to meet them, and that I would just love them. My first thought was "Oh sweet Lord...really!?" I had no desire to meet these people any more than I wanted to stay in South Carolina. But I did. And you know what? That woman and her daughter are a second family to me. If not for them, my mom, and my sister I don't know how I would have survived out there. Linda and her daughter Christy are two of the best people I know. Christy helped me understand that it was ok to not like where I was, but that I could fix it. Six years later and we text almost daily. I love that girl and her beautiful twins. I miss them even more.

My friendships I've made throughout the last 11 1/2 years are nothing short of amazing. There are many people I call friends thanks to that time. These four ladies are sisters I didn't know I had. When one of them hurt, I hurt. And yesterday two of them were hurt in separate "incidents". Incidents is a horrible word, but they were life altering incidents. I want to run to both of them and hug them and cry with them. I want to be there for them like I know they would be for me. I cried more yesterday than I have in a long time. One lost a niece to a horrendous act of violence. One lost her father. I cannot write this without tears. I am heartbroken for them. I hurt for them. And I just wish I could do something, for them.

XOXO to my favorite friendships~