I promise you this

I keep glancing down at the silver ring on my left hand and smiling, ok so smiling is an understatement. I’m sort of grinning like an idiot. Since Wash has headed up to SMBC for the week, where he will have very little cell phone signal, we went out three times this week. Night one was Tuesday night, when we went to dinner at Chili’s and then bowling. Yes dear readers, bowling; Wash and I go bowling a lot, mainly because it is a lot of fun and because it’s good exercise. Well, we were getting in the car after dinner, and I reached across to open his door from the inside; he was standing at the back of the car, doing something I could not see, and when I asked he told me that I didn’t want to know. As it turns out he was attempting to get a letter rolled up and stuck through my promise ring; we’ve been writing letters for quite some time because its more personal than a text message or facebook piece of flair. The ring is beautiful, a small white gold band with a single small diamond, and I only take it off to do things that might do it damage or when I’m picking on him. Wash is proud of his choice as well, and he has every right to be. So what does the ring mean? Well it means a lot of things, really. It means I love him and he loves me. It means that I promise to be with him, and I promise to love him. It means that I give him my heart. It’s a symbol of committment, something that I was once scared of because of the previous heartbreak. I’m not scared of it anymore, thanks to Wash, who has been unbelievably patient with my weirdness.

Wednesday night there was a preacher who means a lot to Wash speaking at his church, and so I went with him to that. Going to church is a big deal for Wash, and by big deal I mean that it is an extremely  important part of his life. While I have never been super religious, I do believe in God and that Jesus was his Son, sent to die on the cross for our sins; I kept saying that I needed to go back to church, but for some reason I never got around to going. I used to go with my Nanny almost every Sunday, but as I got older I guess a little bit of my faith started to fade; then life got hectic and, like a typical human being, I failed to realize that I was losing faith at a time when I needed it most. Latel though, some of that faith is coming back, and I have Wash to thank for that.  To be honest, meeting Wash was like a message from God, reminding me that I need to have faith and I need to believe again. He is in a way, an answered prayer.

We figured that since we won’t be able to talk much next week, we out to do one more night out. So last night I tagged along with him when he went up to the Mountain to set his stuff up and lay claim to his bunk. The Mountain is one of the most beautiful places, and it had been a while since I’d been that far up there. Like an idiot I forgot to bring a jacket or wear something with sleeves because it is a bit chill up there. We were up there an hour or so, between the standing around talking and the waiting on Wash to fix his bunk up, and then we headed back to the Boro for dinner. I was craving Chinese, for some unknown reason, and so we went to one of those little buffet places. The food wasn’t terrible, but it’s not the best I’ve eaten. But then again I’m a huge food snob. I miss my Wash already.

Speaking of missing my Wash, in a few weeks I will be in Louisville, and Wash will remain in TN. I will miss him very much, especially since he will work a lot, and I will only be coming back to TN on weekends and holidays. It will be one of the first real tests of our relationship. Distance can be difficult, especially when it’s for long periods of time; it’s hard to maintain a healthy relationship when you are miles apart, and the moments when you can actually be together are few and far between. I make light of things, but it’s not something I look forward to at all. I’ve done the distance thing before, if you recall, and it was a bigger distance than what Wash and I face; Wash and I became rather spoiled over the last  8 months or so because we had several classes together and spent a lot of time with one another. That is something I will miss so very much. I’ve got just over 3 weeks before the move so we are going to make the most of them.

Quote of the Day: “So how does it happen, great love? Nobody knows… but what I can tell you is that it happens in the blink of an eye. One moment you’re enjoying your life, and the next you’re wondering how you ever lived without them.” Will Smitch as Hitch in Hitch