My heart is still in Savannah

Savannah Georgia is such a gorgeous place, and right now I'd rather be there than anywhere - not because of the majestic trees or the fallish weather or the abundant wildlife, but because David is still in Savannah. He'll only be there for a short yet undisclosed amount of time (probably less than two weeks) and then he and his battle buddies will be shipped overseas. But for now, Savannah is where I'd love to be. The saying "home is where the heart is" rings so true to me. Home never feels like home unless I'm with David, and the strangest place on this planet would feel like home if I could be there with him. Savannah was home to me last week because I was able to spend 5 glorious days with David there. I won't bore you with the details, but here are the highlights.

• 11:00 p.m. Halloween night to 2:10 p.m. on November 5 - side by side, hand in hand, and loving it.
• Staying up late because we didn't want the day to end, then sleeping in just because it gave us more time to cuddle.
• Pillow talk.
• An in-room Jacuzzi bath-tub.

• Attending church together for the first time in a long time. David especially enjoyed the opportunity to take the sacrament again, the time to worship instead of playing warrior on a Sunday, and the feeling of fellowship as we were surrounded by other Saints.
• Touring the Savannah Wildlife Refuge while wishing we had binoculars and a bird guide.
• Playing in a beautiful meadow and climbing a timeless tree in the refuge.

• Attending the Atlanta Georgia temple on Tuesday, November 4. We enjoyed an hour of sealings and a semi-private endowment session. The only patrons during the 4:00 hour were David, myself, and another gentleman.
• Treating ourselves to a nice Italian dinner at Carrabas after attending the temple Tuesday night. David was actually impressed with the texture of their pasture, and David is very picky when it comes to pasta, so well done Carraba's!
• Cruising around in our rental "mid-life crisis" convertible. (The AVIS counter didn't have any Hyundia Accents - the car I had reserved - by the time I got there, so they upgraded us to a Chrysler Sebring convertible for free!) To bad it was overcast 75% of the time we were there. We felt kind of funny driving around in that car - we decided it looked like the kind of car a well-to-do couple in their 40s would purchase.

My trip to Savannah - no, that's wrong - my time with David, was the best medicine I could have asked for. In the few weeks previous to my trip I struggled with so many things. I had so many stresses and deadlines that were work related, I was physically exhausted from long days and short nights, I was emotionally exhausted from not having David around for 2 months, and even the tiniest responsibilities felt like huge weights that I could barely muster to carry. Saying goodbye to David on Wednesday was definitely difficult, but I was surprised at how rejuvinated I was on Thursday morning. I felt like a huge burden had been lifted from my shoulders and that I could finally stand up straight again. I actually ENJOYED teaching my classes on Thursday and Friday - and it showed!!! The janitor that cleans my room at the end of every day even commented "You seem to be in a happy mood." I haven't ENJOYED teaching since the 2nd week of school this year - and that's definitely not my normal condition. I loved teaching last year, and this year the stress of things has taken that joy away. I felt like myself again when I got back from Savannah, and I hope the feeling stays.