The last two days have been spent driving to Trenton, ON and then Montreal, QC to visit several different units that work for my new boss, and although it has been a LOT of time spent in the car (I feel worse for the guy driving!) it has been more than educational. But we've logged 12 hours in the car (I'm typing this as we drive home!) in just 48 hours so we're all feeling a little tired. But most of all, these times are valued because we got to bond as a team; the driver, the Commander, the Chief Petty Officer and I. We share stories and learn a little more about each others lives and it's always nice to learn about the lives people lead outside of the military. So although I was focused on the visits and arrangement of schedules, I couldn't help but notice how many trees were changing colours as we drove from Trenton to Montreal. How is this happening???!! Isn't it only the middle of August! It seems so unfair. I am a firm believer that Canadians really know how to appreciate their summers because they are so fleeting, followed by months of bone-chilling winters. So when faced with the inevitable signs of fall, it feels hard to believe we've come full circle, back to another 6 months of sliding across roads in a foot of snow and ice. Although, like a true Canadian, I LOVE winter! But with the change of season comes the reminder that Ben will be home soon. In fact, he will be here Friday for his 2.5 week vacation. It's funny because it feels we spend our entire relationship travelling towards each other. On a plane...in a car...on a ferry. And here we are, both making our way back home. I feel so many emotions as his return date gets closer; nervous, excited, happy. But at the same times, I have all these fears. What if we don't click in the same way? What if we fight? What if we feel like we hardly know each other when we've only spent 8 weeks together in the last year and a half? Most of all, what if I don't know how to say goodbye again when he leaves me to go back to Afghanistan for another 3 or 4 months? But I try to remind myself that if you love each other enough, you can make it work, even when you're separated by half of the world. Then I move on to more important questions. WHAT am I going to wear to pick him up at the airport? Yes, that's right. I'm still a woman, after all.