Happy Birthday, Turbo!

It's the husband's birthday today...and right now he's literally on the other side of the world. It's an understatement to say I miss him. How can I put into words how much I wish he was here or I was there? When my most important person isn't here, I can get through the tasks of my day, but I still feel a little lost.

These feet, that will stay in their favorite pair of hiking boots even during a nap, are right now on the other side of the world in the country of Egypt!

Of course I'm independent and can take care of myself and our home, but it is nice to share life's responsibilities with my best friend. It's also nice to share downtime...lately we've been able to get more of that together.

He sometimes hangs out in my office while I work or sew...just to be in the same room.

I like the sweet things he does for me even when he doesn't have to, makes me want to turn around and do the same. I noticed from the start of our relationship that the give and take balance between us was amazing...no other relationship I'd had prior had been that way - I guess that's why it worked out and we got married :-)

He fills up my car - even when I'm the driver.

Our house doesn't feel the same when he's not here. Even Figaro and Bambino are different when he's not here, it's like they know that our "pack" is missing it's leader. I've always been the one to nurture and cuddle them, but the husband is their authority figure as well as the one who plays and rough houses with them, they definately shine in a unique way when he gives them attention and plays with them.

I've never seen a cat trust someone as much as Fig trusts his dad.

Before he left, I was able to take him to a couple of his favorite local spots...Snow Goose Produce for the biggest ice cream cones you've ever seen, I literally scrape about half off of mine off each time and still it's a huge scoop. It's a fun place to visit, they are located off of a country road, right smack dab in the middle of a bunch of farm fields. It's pretty common to see heavy farm machinery drive by while we sit and enjoy our cones. As their name says, they also have wonderful produce...remember the picture of the big, ugly, sweet carrots? That was at Snow Goose. So I've always liked going there, but it wasn't until we discovered the ice cream that the husband has really enjoyed it like I do...we're both happy.

Because chocolate causes him migraines, he always ends up with some variation of vanilla with caramel, his favorite.

The other place I took him recently is our favorite burger spot, Fiamma, up in Bellingham. It's always a winner for us. It is on the way to/back from Mt. Baker, so I imagine when we go up there to snowboard this winter, we'll be stopping for dinner at Fiamma's pretty much every time.

A trip to Fiamma always makes for a great day!

It helps to think that he's doing things that he loves on his trip, things he wouldn't be able to do on his birthday if he were home...first meeting his oldest friend in Cairo, then the two of them travelling to the Red Sea to go diving. They were certified to dive together on a trip they took to Austrailia a few months before I met the husband. So, this is kind of a fun return for the husband to his "bachelor days", he's said a few times recently that it will be fun to do a "guys trip". He doesn't often get to do that sort of thing.

After that, they're traveling back to Cairo and meeting up with the rest of their Habitat for Humanity team for building. The husband is a builder by trade here, but he has never built a brick and mortar house, so I'm sure he is going to be learning some new masonry skills. I don't know how modernized the building methods are going to be, so it will be interesting to hear him share about his experiences. He has an amazing work ethic, so his team will benefit. I don't know too many other people who work as hard as he does.

Always one to stay busy, he uses his tractor to do work on our property and for other people.

Once the build is over I'll be flying into Cairo. We're going to have a few days there to see the pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza. I'm also excited to find some markets/bazaars to do some shopping. I'm horrible when it comes to bartering for a better price, but I've learned that it is expected there....so maybe this will be my chance to work on that. I definately want to find some Egyptian cotton to use in the quilt I want to make for our bed...a piece big enough to use as the backing would be great. Right now I'm trying to focus on life here, getting work and some sewing done, giving both pets lots of love, and even enjoying the things that are benefits to being home alone: eating strange combinations of food that only I find appetizing, spending too much time plucking my eyebrows, the floors staying clean for more than a day after I've mopped/vacuumed them, sleeping diagonally on the bed (or not!), watching shows on tv that I know would irritate him...you know, the stuff you don't realize is so great before you live in the same house as the love of your life!

So cheers to the husband on his 39th birthday spent on the African continent, and cheers to me being temporarily single in a round-a-bout kind of way.