You have no clue how much I miss you. I cried myself to sleep the night I heard you were leaving and that I would not be able to be there for your departure.

You are my hero. You are the person I wear red, white, and blue for, the person I sing the national anthem for, the person I stand proudly for during the Pledge of Allegiance for.

How are you so amazing? Legitimately you deal with stuff on a daily basis by living in a combat zone, that most of us only see in action movies. The impossible is just a day on the job for you. In your 20 years of age, you have accomplished more than I probably will in forty.

Sitting here, looking back on the past year, nothing has been easy for either of us. Too many times I had wished there wasn't a drastic time difference so I could just call you and talk to you. I wish I could have been there by your side when you were homesick and needed a best friend. I had days where I knew you could have made me feel better in a matter of seconds, but instead, it was up to me to get out of bed and go about my day.

Despite the struggles, we have both grown in our time apart. I have grown so much thanks to you. You are my role model. You set such a strong example of how to live my life. No matter what is going on in your life, you continue to care for other people, yourself, and the world all at the same time.

You refuse to let anything in this world limit you.

In less than a month, I will give you the biggest hug imaginable. No doubt, we will cry, but this time it is tears of joy, happiness, and reunion. We will celebrate every holiday we missed over the past year during your deployment. I just want to sit for hours and share stories so that our time apart doesn't feel so dismantling anymore.

You are an adventure partner that I can't imagine living without and life is one huge adventure. Just because we won't always be together doesn't me living life with you is any less important.

I love so so much and I am always praying for you. Thank you for everything you have done for me. I genuinely would not be the person I am today without you.