This has been quite the week. I think I'm over the hump of missing you so acutely. I do, however, miss the daily 'good morning' texts and pictures you used to send me. I wouldn't mind if they made a reappearance!

I have officially covered my first games as an independent certified athletic trainer. It's crazy to think that I've covered hundreds of events in the past four years, but now I'm completely, totally, legally IN CHARGE. I like that when I say ' my athletes', they really are MY athletes. Nobody else can claim them. And, for the most part, they like me and trust me! I have such a huge love for this career, even when I'm beat down, exhausted from a near 90 day work stretch, frustrated as all hell because my athlete isn't improving. I still want to get up and get to work the next day.

I'm reminded how silly and small we are by things like the national anthem before our games. I'm a softy by nature... I cried at every national anthem for a month when my cousin deployed to Afghanistan. I crowd at his wedding, when they did the Army arch of swords. I cry from laughing too hard at my cousin's little boys. And I definitely teared up tonight during the anthem, when I thought about how lucky I am to be in the best job in the world, doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing, with a great boyfriend who's sweet and caring and protecting our nation thousands of miles from home.