On the Road Again

It's been a few hours since Mike headed out of town for Peoria for the season.  I've been way more emotional about it than necessary since it's only 3 hours away from home and I'm going to be there in a week.  I'm a big baby.  Plus, it's not helping that Bauer won't stop sitting in the window gazing down the road waiting for Mike to come home, complete with a big sigh before he gives up and takes a 15 minute nap before repeating the process.  I mean, look at this poor guy.....

I've gotta admit, I haven't exactly had it rough as far as pre-seasons have gone.  Either I've gone with Mike, or I've been able to spend the time apart from him with my family since up until this year he always played within a couple of hours of them.  That meant that Mike could always pop in for a night on an off day that broke up the time spent apart.

Some girls go months apart, and that sucks.  I did that one time when I was finishing up my senior year of college and Mike was playing his first year pro on the complete opposite side of the country.  I know how it feels, and I would never want to go through that again.  My heart goes out to them.

I am looking forward to this season, more than I expected to.  I think it's a combination of how much summer we got to enjoy at home and the fact that we're so close to home this year we know we'll probably be able to make it back at least once a month, even if it's for a night.  No long goodbyes to St. Louis friends and family this year.  The only negative is that this is the first year I won't be close to my family and friends back in NY, who I was always able to see fairly consistently the past five seasons.

I can honestly say that there is something about every place we've played that I'll miss and will forever remember.  It's tough to leave the teams, the girls, and the cities and move on year after year.  Some of these places and people I'll probably never see again, and that's sad, but is also the life.  It's a life I chose and choose to appreciate for all the experiences it has given me.

Now it's time for a new adventure in Peoria and I'm looking forward to it.  More new girls to meet, another rink to explore, and a new team to watch.  Not to mention that in my six years of living in St. Louis in the off-season, having a house here, and being a Missouri resident, I've never gotten to experience a mid-west fall, winter, or much of spring.  I'm kind of excited to see what it's like, even if it's taking me away from the apple cider donuts that are unmatched at the apple orchard I went to with my parents every year.

Now I just need these next 8 days to go by in a hurry.....