My paper

Well, everyone has been in the dumps lately so I am here to say CHEER UP!!!! Our guys are coming home sooner than any of us could think. Time may seem like it is moving slowly now but compare it to how fast this year has gone. WE CAN DO THIS LADIES!!!!
I have been incredibly busy as usual. I have a sociology exam tomorrow, a chemistry exam on Saturday, and my first paper is due in my english class on Tuesday. This paper is very very special to me, I have worked really hard on it and I am proud of it. We had to do a personal narrative and I had no idea what to do mine about. I had ideas but nothing I felt I could work with. When one day my friend Julie, suggested I do mine on the day Danny left for Iraq. Now, at first I thought well that would be boring because he was in Texas when he left and I was here in Missouri, (I wanted to go say goodbye but he said not to go down there because it would be too hard, believe me I didn't chose to be away for that day). Anyway, then I thought I could do it on the day he left to go BACK to Iraq. So here it is in it's entirety....

The two weeks that I spent with my fiancé were wonderful, filled with Cardinal’s games, St. Louis Symphony concerts, trips to the zoo and countless family dinners. Throughout these fun times however, a constant sorrow lingered inside me, pulling at my heart, reminding me that Danny’s time home was not permanent. I could sense that the end was coming, creeping closer and closer. Clocks mocked me, constantly reminding me that my time with him was coming to an end and that he would soon be leaving me again. Until finally, the day that I dreaded the most had reached me. Danny had to return to Iraq.
The day he left I didn’t leave his house until two o’clock in the morning. Though my heart screamed at me to stay longer, my head knew we both needed rest. I was going to return to his house at five so we could talk and spend more time together before leaving for Lambert Airport with his parents at six. I went home, fell into my big, pine bed, snuggled into my navy blue comforter, and shut my eyes. After a few hours of sleep, I slipped into my favorite pair of blue jeans and a comfy orange shirt. I threw my hair into a pony tail, too tired to style it, and left for Danny’s house. The whole way there I tried to fight the thoughts that this would be the last time I was going to see him for seven more months.
When I arrived, Danny was sleeping on the couch. As I saw him lay there in his uniform of tans and browns, tears came to my eyes. I realized that he was really leaving. I couldn’t deny it. I could no longer pretend that he would stay with me forever. Not wanting to wake him, I sat on the couch and watched him sleep. He was so peaceful. It was hard to think that the peace that he had at that moment was not going to return to him for seven months. As I ran my hands through his short, light brown, Army regulation hair, I started to quietly weep. I then looked at the clock, which to me had become the ultimate depiction of evil, and realized it was time to go. I wiped off my tears, took a deep breath, leaned over and kissed him. “Danny, it is time to get up,” I whispered into his ear. He opened his blue eyes and smiled at me. I am going to miss that smile so much, I thought to myself. He then got up and started to get the rest of his uniform together. Watching him lace up his tan boots and put on his camouflage blouse brought both pride and sorrow to my heart. I felt so proud to be the fiancée of a soldier serving our country, but I was sorry to see him get ready to go. Once he was fully dressed he grabbed his tall cylinder shaped draw string bag, which was once dark green, but now much lighter due to the dirt and dust that covered it. His parents and I grabbed the other bags and we all headed toward the door.
Danny and I fell asleep on the way to the airport. It was so comforting to sleep on his shoulders one last time. The ride to the airport was certainly easier because I wasn’t awake to watch the signs on the highway, telling me that I am getting closer and closer to the place where I must actually let him go. When we finally arrived at the airport, Danny and I slowly and sadly stepped out of the car.
We entered the airport and walked through the empty silent terminals to the stairs leading to the baggage check-in. The airport seemed so lifeless. The cold, hard tiles and dim lights made it feel like such a heartless place, which in my mind, it truly was. This place would be taking my fiancé away from me.
After checking in his bags, we walked to his departing gate. We had about twenty minutes before he needed to leave. I kept putting off saying goodbye. Instead I just held his hard, callused hand, and walked around with him. We looked at the shops around the terminal and talked. We talked about what we had done those past two weeks, how well we slept, and how tired we both were. Then it came time to say goodbye. He gave his mom and dad a hug. His dad kept a smile on his face as his mom was trying to hide her tears. “Be careful Son. We will pray for you every night. We love you.” “I will,” he replied. Now it was my turn. We kissed and then held each other in an embrace that seemed to last forever but still ended too soon. “Be careful Danny. Use your head, and come home soon. I love you very much, and I am going to miss you even more,” I said while fighting tears. He held onto me, looked me in the eyes, and said, “I want you to take care of yourself. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I am always careful. I love you too honey and I think about you all the time.” I could hardly see due to the burning tears in my eyes, but I managed to hold them in. I didn’t want Danny to see me cry.
He walked through the roped off lines and into the security check-in. I stood at the gate, surrounded by others but still I felt completely alone. I watched him as he placed his bags in bins and unlaced his heavy boots to be checked by security. He was told he could proceed, and I continued to watch him as he walked through his gate. When he was finally out of sight, I turned to his parents, with tears rolling down my face, and let out a deep sigh. They gave me a hug and we all walked back to the car.
Danny is still in Iraq but he is coming home in a few months. This whole experience has made me realize that I am stronger than I thought I was or could be. This deployment is almost over and I have continued to battle my enemies of loneliness and depression. Danny’s absence does upset me, but I do not dwell on it. Rather than sit in sorrow or self pity I have chosen to keep my mind occupied with school and work. I believe that you can either let circumstances get you down or you can choose to rise above them. I chose to rise above them.