an update.

Life is starting to feel normal again.

For the past couple of weeks, we've been adjusting out of the "Eric's away" routine and back into our regular routine. It feels absolutely wonderful. Our regular routine really isn't very complicated, it mostly just consists of movie nights, Thai food, family time with the Rubergs and McOmies, and at least 1 or 2 happy hours a week with friends. 

We've been able to get some really fun times in lately. Our first weekend together (after much prodding from Eric) I joined the famously outdoorsy McOmie men for my first hunting experience. It wasn't super strenuous, much to my delight. It was an early departure time of 6am, so I just parked myself in the backseat with my cozy sweater and pillow, expecting to take a few naps over what I thought would be several hours of driving around the hunting property. 

Within 30 minutes, Eric's now expert-sniper eyes spotted a few elk. We were instantly trailing them, and minutes after, Eric sprung out of the pickup with his rifle ready. Faster than I could blink, the hunt was over.

The experience was definitely eye-opening! On one hand, it's somewhat unsettling to see such a beautiful animal die. On the other hand, food. An ethical, healthy way to feed multiple people for a year straight. Winning. So, after the following weekend of Grant (Eric's dad) filling his own elk tag, we now are looking at over 700 pounds of elk meat. Feel free to submit your request for donations. There will be plenty to give away!

In the more recent past, we've had an excellent time with friends and family. Plenty of fun nights in, and a few late nights out. I'm having such a good time, that the countdown usually dominating my mind has been quieted. As of now, we're down to less than 2 months until Eric leaves. Every now and then, I'm reminded of that piece of information and the knot in my stomach returns. However, actually having Eric here distracts me from the fact that I'll be without him sooner than I care to acknowledge. I'm still concentrating on the present, because it's a wonderful one, indeed.