Hello and Goodbye

Woke to a crisp, cool autumn day in Indianapolis.  It was a busy weekend here, beginning with the start of the Monumental Marathon right outside our hotel!   No, I did not run but you could see it all from our hotel window so that was kind of fun.  Brad’s sister Lisa and her new husband, Brandon, joined us for the trip north to Butler University and Jeff’s football game against the Jacksonville Dolphins.   The boys played great – even leading 10-7 at half time but it was not meant to be and we ended up losing 24-16.  Not too  bad against a team with only one defeat so far this season and the boys gave it everything they had.

Then it was off to dinner with Lisa, Brandon, Jeff and Michelle.   It’s always nice to get to spend time with family and this time we got to add two more to the mix.

After that it was back to the hotel.  Poor Brad woke so early this morning that he is fading fast and I must admit to being not too far behind him.  But fortunately for us we get an extra hour of sleep since we set the clocks back tonight!      

I guess there are no real profound thoughts or revelations for today – it was just a nice day spent in the autumn air and that’s enough.  Not every day can be earth shattering and in some ways it was kind of nice to have a light, fun day.   It was wonderful to see Brad, but in the honesty that I have been writing with and will continue to write with, it was also rather emotional.  More so than I thought it would be.  (I think he was prepared for it but I was not!).  Seems it didn't take much to make me cry last night.   I realize how much I count on him to be the calm, level, stable one in our relationship and while I have done just fine on this trip, having him here allowed me to drop my guard for a while I guess.  I guess that is what makes our relationship work - he grounds me and I help him color outside the lines from time to time.   I would like to think that we would both be boring without the other!  And even though I only got to see him for about 36 hours, it's enough to get me through another week.

I am not looking forward to dropping Brad off at the airport, but I know it will only be another 5 days until I see him again and then I get him for the whole trip home.   It’s kind of hard to believe that one week from right now I will be on the journey back home.  It’s gone fast and I just hope this next week provides as many memories as the last two have.   

Tomorrow I am off to the St. Louis area, a few nights with a friend, lunch with another high school friend and one more unknown volunteer adventure on Monday.  From there it’s a trip to Lincoln, NE via Kansas City and then on to Des Moines for the finale.

Feeling a bit tired and melancholy as I write this, the song I chose for today is "If There Was No You" sung by Brandi Carlile.  I love her voice and the lyrics of the song were apparently pulled directly from my heart to be sent to Brad!   Not sure how they do that, but they manage to pull that off from time to time.   So if they are near, pull your special someone up close to the computer and listen to the song together.  I think you might find it speaks to you as well, as I realize I don't have a monopoly on love!

Goodnight Indy.....................