Hmmm...where shall I begin. Since I, Melissa, am writing this I will be nice and sweet...no mean things said. Just kidding, in the almost two years that I have known Eric I can honestly say that besides his stubbornness he really is an awesome person.
To make a long story short, Eric and I met on December 30th at our friends, Megan and Josh Philpott's. We kind of just chatted briefly that night, I proceeded to ask him to my apartment the following night for a New Year's Eve party with friends and that was pretty much the beginning. We closed out 2006 and rang in 2007 with friends that night, talked into the morning hours about each other and spent that next week going to the movies, hanging out and just getting to know one another. I knew after meeting Eric that he was a solider in the U.S. Army, stationed in Ft. Stewart, GA and that he would soon deploy in late January to Iraq for a second tour. We made a promise to keep in contact through email and to be open minded on the future.
Throughout Eric's deployment from January to August 2007 we emailed each other daily, surprisingly for me I got phone calls from him once a week if possible, and pictures of his duty stations as they changed. In late August 2007 Eric came home on 18 day leave and that is when we made if official to be called "boyfriend/girlfriend". We spent almost every day together getting to know each others' family and going on vacation to Panama City. Eric returned to Iraq in September 2007 to complete his 15 month tour and sadly with tears in my eyes I promised to be here when he got home.
The last leg of his tour was probably the hardest and longest months to have to wait for him to come home but thankfully we could continue our talks through email and phone. After a lonesome holiday season, gifts to and from overseas, family gatherings and much more it was time for his return. On April 1st, 2008 Eric returned home safely to Ft. Stewart where his family and I were waiting for him!! Since then, we have grown SO much closer and appreciate all the time we spend together being that for now we still live 5 hours apart.
Eric will complete his 5 year enlistment in July with the Army and will begin non-military flight school soon after our wedding....he wants to fulfill his dream of becoming a helicopter pilot.
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