Going the "Long distance"

So they say absence makes the heart grow fonder....Well sadly I am getting a taste of that this week, as my husband has been out of town since Thursday. But it is so funny to me how truly right the statement is. Now, I love my husband immensly and love that because he is currently focusing solely on school, it allows him more time at home with his family. It is such a blessing to me, especially when I'm feeling very stressed or run down and he is able to take the reins. But lately I have found myself wanting a little more "alone" time, and often encourage Barry to go study at the library or something so that I don't have to worry about him. Now I think a large part of this is encouraged by the small space we are currently living in, leaving little room to "escape" from whatever else is going on. But even so, I have been feeling a bit guilty in this thought process I find myself in periodically.

In the last few days however, as Barry is in Utah and I have been staying with my parents in Augusta, I am realizing how lucky I am that we get to have the time together that we do. I know it won't always be like this, and I know that in the future there will be times that I will miss having him around so much. Makes me thing of another saying "you always want what you don't have!" haha It's funny, I waited 2 years for Barry to come home from his mission, and was fine, except for the token days that emotions got the better of me (Christmas, Valentines, etc...) But here we are 4 almost 5 days out, and I am finding myself feeling low without having his loving arms to wrap up in. It's funny how the mundane day to day activities and frustrations can make you lose sight of the important things if you let them. Knowing that my husband is having a hard time and I can't be there with him is hard, and it has helped me to remember why he is the most important thing to me and how lucky we are to have what we have.
I love being able to honestly say that my husband is my best friend. He knows me inside and out. He knows what my strengths are, and he also knows all my many many many faults and yet, still loves me in spite of them. It is such a comfort to know that no matter what I encounter out in the world or from anyone else in my life, he will always have my back, and I will always have his.
Not having him to climb into bed with at the end of each of these last few days has me feeling vulnerable, like a piece of my armor is gone. It is really quite amazing to me. There have been very few times that we have spent more than just a few nights at a time away from each other since we've been married, thankfully. But at the same time, I am grateful for this chance to step out of our everyday and re-examine our relationship so that we may see it in its' full light, and appreciate it for everything that it is.

With that being said, I'm very much ready for this moment to pass, as I have had enough of an opportunity to re-examine things and am ready to get back to our "normal" life and all it's querks. Sadly, I still have 2 or 3 more nights before I feel his arms again, as my stay in Augusta requires a few more days from me, and poor Barry is still working on getting himself home from a trip we both wish he'd never taken.