The engagement. In some ways, it was a beautiful time in our relationship as we stepped closer each day to becoming husband and wife. In other ways, I shudder to think of that time in our lives because that was also the most difficult time we experienced. We were not only engaged and in a whole new stage, but I also had to leave at the end of the summer to finish up one last semester of school.

The morning we had to say goodbye to each other is one of the hardest days I can remember. Yes, I realize I am overly dramatic about this because we were not in any kind of hardship at the time, and (heroic) men and women say goodbye to (future) spouses for much longer when they are deployed or even if they travel further for college or work. But for us, it was incredibly difficult. I still can't think about that morning we had to say goodbye without feeling emotional. After a lot of tears and trying to figure out a way to do things different, I drove 5 hours back to Virginia Tech to end my college career…