Visiting Asa in Missouri

So, this happened last weekend, but as you can see there was a lot to write about! It took me a while to have the time to sit down and write it! So, here it is, finally!

Thursday (2/4/10)
Today we left Nacogdoches around 1:30 pm and started driving to Tulsa, OK. Luckily Marley fell asleep right away and took a good two hour nap. It was nice to be able to make some progress before we had to really start entertaining her. She woke up for an hour or so and then went back to sleep again. We had to make one stop at a random McDonalds in Oklahoma, but luckily not for long.

When we finally got to Tulsa, we still had a little over an hour before we had to pick up my Mimi at the airport. So, we stopped for some Italian food and to stretch our legs. We got so excited to see snow in the parking lot! We even stopped to let Marley touch it! I'm sure people were looking out the restaurant windows at us like we were crazy people for thinking that block of snow on the side of the parking lot was worth looking at. But, hey, we're from Texas! That doesn't normally happen here!

After our not-so-great dinner, we drove to the airport and found Mimi! She was a much needed new face for Marley! We checked into our hotel and I got Marley ready for bed. Silly me thought that since it was 9:30 at night, she would be ready for bed. So my mom and Mimi left to go eat at Denny's so that I could put her to sleep.

But when they got back she was wide awake, asking for Mimi. I fought her about it as long as I could, but after an hour and a half, I had to decide it wasn't worth it! So, we played around in the hotel room until about midnight, when Marley was finally tired enough to go to sleep!


Friday (2/5/10)
We woke up early, packed our bags, and headed to (our evidently new favorite restaurant) Denny's. After a quick breakfast, we hit the road, with about 4 and a half hours of driving ahead of us. My Mimi did a fanastic job of keeping Marley happy. It was so great for Marley to have someone that would entertain her any way she wanted. Mimi would keep playing the same game over and over and over again, as long as Marley was happy. I am so glad she has someone to do that with her, because it makes her ecstatic.

After a few stops for various reasons, we were finally within an hour of our hotel. About that time, my mom got exhausted and asked me to drive the rest of the way. I got in the driver's seat and at that very moment, it started to snow. I have never driven in snow period, but I have never even stood in snow that was coming down as quickly as this. I was very nervous, but I am proud to say that I got us there safely. And the practice will serve me well later!

Fort Leonard Wood is right outside of a town called St. Robert. But we chose to stay in a hotel about 25 miles away in Rolla. So, we passed FLW and drove right to our hotel. Asa had told me that he might get out on his pass that evening, so we wanted to get everything settled before we came to get him. We had plenty of time, so after we checked into the hotel, we went to lunch at a cute little restaurant they have there, called Panera Bread. It was Marley's first experience with walking in snow and actually being able to see it fall. She thought it was pretty funny, especially to see it sitting in our hair and on our clothes.

I kept my phone out the entire afternoon and evening, waiting for Asa's call. But at a certain point I decided that he wasn't calling. I still kept a little glimmer of hope, but in the back of my mind I knew he wasn't calling. We spent time walking around Walmart and eating dinner at a great little Mexican food place. Then we went to the hotel and watched the snow out our window. I tried everything I could to figure out where he was. I wrote an email to a girl whose husband is with Asa, I called his voice-mail a few times. I knew he didn't have his phone, but for some reason it made me feel better. But no call. I was starting to get really scared he wouldn't call at all.

Saturday (2/6/10)
I robably woke up every two hours all night and checked my phone. Did I accidentally leave it on silent? Did it shut off for some reason? Did he email me for some reason? It was stressful, but at the same time I was thinking that I better get used to it. All morning and afternoon on Friday, we had been telling Marley "You get to see Daddy tonight!" I saw how that ended the day before, so I didn't day it today. I didn't want to get her hopes up.

We had a great breakfast in the hotel, and then tried to decide how we should spend our day. It was frustrating to feel like we couldn't do anything in case Asa wanted to do it when he got out, but at the same time we wondered if we would be waiting all day what were we supposed to do? I decided that we should drive the 25 miles to St. Robert so that if he did call, at least we would be right there to get him quickly.

So, we drove to St. Robert. Marley fell asleep during the drive, which was much needed. We took the scenic route and drove through a few roads in St. Robert. It is definitely not the cutest little town in the world, especially during the winter. We looked at all the hotel options for St. Robert, but decided we had picked out the best hotel for the money. Then I decided we should just go ahead and check out Fort Leonard Wood. I have a military ID, so it wouldn't be a big deal to get on base.

And I was right, the guy at the gate didn't even look in the car to see if the picture on the card matched, he just let us through. We drove down the main road and looked at my first Army base. It was huge! I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting it to be that big. As we drove, I tried to figure out what we were going to do if he didn't call at all. I tried to think of all the options for why they could have had their pass taken away, and I wondered if there were other people already out.

And then he called!

"Where are you?????"

Later, he told me that I sounded a little mean, but I was really just wanting to know right away if he was getting his pass or not! I didn't want to mess around with greetings! He was at a pay phone, and decided to tkae a taxi to meet us where we were. I sat in the car in the Burger King parking lot with butterflies in my stomach. I have lost 12 pounds since he left, so I was really excited to see his reaction to that and nervous that he would look different too! Marley was still asleep, and we talked about how wonderful it would be for Asa to wake her up!

We didn't see him at first when he got out of the cab behind us. Mimi saw him first and I jumped out of the car when she saw him! It was so great to have my arms around him! He had on his Class A's and he looked fantastic! He looked so much older and responsible and in charge! He hugged my mom and Mimi, and then got to be the one to wake Marley up!

She was a little confused at first. I mean, she really sleeping really hard! But as soon as she figured out who had her, she was so excited! It was great to watch her face light up when she realized it. We put his stuff in the car and then headed to Walmart. Marley just kept staring at him next to her, like she didn't believe he was there. She would say "Dada" like she wasn't quite sure if it was for real or not. It was so adorable and it made Asa happy to see that she obviously missed him.

One of the first things on Asa's list was that he wanted to buy junk food. So, we went to Walmart and he and Marley and I walked around while he picked out junk food. It was fun to be in the store with him again, like we were shopping just like everyone else. We saw lots of people that he knew from training, and I got to meet a few of his close friends.

One of the things Asa had to get done while he was on pass was to get his hair cut. So, he signed up to have his hair cut while we waited by the door. But Marley didn't want to let him out of her sight. So, as soon as the hairdresser took him away, she started to cry and scream for her Daddy. So, I had to bring her over there and we had to stand and watch him get his hair cut. She just continuously said "Dada" the whole rest of the day. She wanted us to make sure he stayed with her. (Which broke my heart, because I knew she would completely break down when he had to leave the next day.)

We went to lunch at Applebee's with some of Asa's friends and their girlfriends. I loved getting to meet his friends and see that Asa had people to talk to. It put a huge smile on my face to hear how much Asa had been talking about us to his friends. They already knew all of the signs Marley knows and other tricks she can do. It is one thing for Asa to say he is proud of her, but when I know he is telling his friends about her, it means much more.

After lunch we headed back to the hotel. Asa and Marley and I spent some time hanging out in our hotel room. Asa got to finally use the computer, and we just got to act like a normal family lunging around. But a hotel room can only occupy your time for so long, so we got all dressed up and went to play in the snow behind the hotel. It was untouched snow, perfect for us to make our mark. Asa held Marley most of the time since the snow was so thick, and they even threw a snowball at the Mimis' window. She thought that was hilarious. Unfortunately, the wind blowing made it really too cold for us to be outside.

When we got back in , the Mimis volunteered to watch Marley so Asa and I could have some time alone. We decided to drive through Rolla and check out the town beyond the Walmart. They had a wonderful park, a little dog park, a college, and a cute little downtown. We enjoyed just driving around together, planning our lives, checking out our possible future town. but by the time we got back, it was already time to get ready for dinner. Time was going by so quickly!

We all got ready to go to dinner and Asa took some time to call all of his family members. I got out my new dress and even though it was freezing cold outside, I was determined to wear it. We had heard from the hotel staff that there was a really great steakhouse a few miles away, so we headed there. We had to wait for about 20 minutes, but the meal was worth it! The steaks were fantastic! Asa decided during dinner that that is where he wants to go for his graduation dinner when everyone is there. The steaks were perfectly cooked, they definitely knew what they were doing.

On the way back to the hotel, we practically had to beg Marley to stay awake. But as soon as we got the hotel room, she was wide awake and ready to party. She had so much fun playing with Asa on the bed. She rolled around with him, they counted her toes, they danced to our song, they laughed and laughed and laughed. Looking back, that was the best part of the weekend for me. I loved seeing them together and it makes me so happy to know how much they loved that time together. Asa gave Marley her bath and I thought surely she would be exhausted enough to go to sleep. But when I tried to put her to sleep, she popped up every 3 minutes, looking for Asa! "Dada?" It wasn't until Asa came and laid down with us, that she finally calmed down enough to go to sleep.

Sunday (2/7/10)
I tried not to think about Asa leaving in a few hours, but it was hard not to concentrate on. Asa and I woke up a little bit earlier than Marley, because we didn't want to waste our time sleeping. We talked about as many things as we could fit into the 30 minutes before Marley woke up, and then all took showers and packed our bags. The three of us went down to the continental breakfast and had a small meal. We needed to dropping Asa off at the base at noon, so we got out of the hotel by 10.

We went back to Panera bread and had brunch together. It was so nice all weekend to get to walk in to different places with Asa next to me in his uniform. They were required to wear them all weekend, but I didn't mind! After breakfast we took pictures outside and then got in the car and drove back to St. Robert. The whole drive went by a lot faster than I wanted it to, and Marley fell asleep as soon as we got on the highway. We both agreed that it was best for her to go to sleep, because that would make saying goodbye much easier. She would have been distraught to say goodbye to him. But it also made me sad she would not be able to kiss him goodbye.

We pulled into the parking lot of the USO and got all of his belongings out. We all hugged him and told him we loved him. And then he was gone again.


It wasn't as hard to say goodbye as I thought it would be. This is the last leg of this part of the journey. So, with the sadness of saying goodbye also comes excitement that it will be over soon. Before Christmas, we were apart for four weeks. For New Years to now, we were apart 5 weeks. And this time we will be apart for six weeks. So, this is the longest section, but hopefully it will go by the fastest! I know I say this every time I mention him, but I am just so proud of Asa. He is changing so much, but it is all is a good way. He is so much more happy about life, he feels like he has a purpose, and he treasures Marley and I more than ever. I cannot wait to go to his graduation and have him get in the car with us and come home! I can't wait to make him dinner like a normal family! It's the little things like that I really miss... but it will be over soon, and this section of training is when he can really communicate with us more. He can still write letters, but he gets Sundays completely off to call us and use the computers in the USO. So, hopefully a lot more news will be coming our way!