Happy Fourth of July! I hope you had a great day today. I heard that you were going to be able to take it easy for the day, so I really hope that it was great. Super great. I had a relatively decent day. I was rudely awakened by my father, yelling at me that we were leaving in ten minutes to go to my Yiayia's house. I got up and showered and then we left. We had lunch over there, and I hung out for a while and read my book.

The book I'm reading right now? It's called Deadline, and it's about a senior in high school who is diagnosed with some disease that is going to kill him in one year unless treated. He opts not to tell anyone and goes about normal life making high-risk decisions, and he even joins the football team and ends up being a star. It's such a good book. I haven't been able to put it down except to write this letter to you!

I'm watching 21 right now, and I just got back from my neighbor's graduation party. A girl who I knew from band, a flute, no less, was there. She's going to Akron this year and will be in my section. I briefed her on marching band a college life, and she's really excited. We traded phone numbers and I told her I'd give her a ride back to Royalton whenever she wanted one. She was cool with that.

I'm really excited for school to start again. I'm more excited to see you, though. I was waiting all day for you to call... And I haven't yet gotten anything. You told me you were supposed to get an hour of phone time today, but I know not to get my hopes up. Though I had my phone by my side all day, I wasn't really expecting a phone call. You know I love you and I cant wait to hear from you, but I'm patient and I can wait.

Besides, as much as I'd like to hear your voice, I love getting letters from you, because those can last a lifetime, you know? I'll be able to keep your letters forever and ever. I can't wait until I get the next one. Hopefully I'll have one tomorrow! I love you so much, baby. Write me soon.

Love and miss you,

Nicole

I had an awesome day today. Of course, the beginning of it was rather boring. I spent most of it helping my dad get the internet back up after two days, and then I wrote letters to you and then I spent the rest of the day on the computer and reading, like usual. I sent you some pictures today! I sent you that first picture that I ever took of us, with me kissing your cheek and you making a silly face. My hair looks ridiculous and horrible in it, but I always thought that it was a cute picture. I also sent you the most recent picture that I took of me, with my hair in pigtails. You can't really see in the picture, but whatever. It's a recent photo, and I thought you would enjoy it.

I've also started dieting. It's not like, a serious diet. I'm just cutting about 500 to 800 calories out of my daily caloric intake, and I'm also exercising every day on top of it. My goal is to lose 2 pounds a week. Now, realistically, if that happens, I'll be 180 by mid-October. Which means, that I will for sure win our little contest. So look out, buddy. You may be down ten pounds already, but I'm coming up fast behind you! I started my diet at 211, so that'll be 30 pounds lost by October, which is awesome! Plus, I'll be able to go to the gym when I get back to school. Right now, I only have running/walking, and stretches and a few in-place exercises that I got out of a magazine that are for sure going to help me out. I'm excited!

So. Another piece of fun information for you: my family went to the Indians game tonight. They played the Athletics, and we won in extra innings, 5-4! They had an American-themed fireworks display afterwords, and it was breathtaking. I'd forgotten how much I love fireworks. I really hope that I'm going to go somewhere with my family tomorrow to see more. My brother and sister are leaving for camp tomorrow, so it would be just me and my parents, which is cool with me, I think.

I heard you got to see some fireworks tonight, too! That Facebook page that you told me about? It's got more than just pictures. It's a whole group that family and friends of the soldiers in your company join. So I joined it, and I've been taking part in discussions, and even reading up on some things that the 1LT and some other people are posting. It makes me really excited to finally understand what you're doing and what kind of things you're going through. They even have things posted teaching us about your language, and then the breakdown of ranks and classification and things like that. It's honestly really cool. And they have all the information about graduation and whatnot, and its really just a big support group. Not only for the soldiers, but the parents and friends are supporting one-another, especially when they go through dry spells, not hearing from any of their soldiers.

I feel good that I'm not the only one writing their soldier every single day. Haha. (:

I can't wait to see you again, babe. Just over one month, now. We're almost to the hump! I love you so, so much. Stay strong!

Love and miss you,

Nicole

Again, I didn't really do much of anything today. Since I've been home from Cedar Point, my days have been really lazy and worthless, because I don't do anything. And even when I've tried to go out and get a job, I don't. Yeah, I didn't get the job at Best Buy. They said if I didn't get a call by 7pm tonight, that I didn't get it and don't bother calling back. So I did just that. I waited for a call, didn't get one, and didn't bother to call them back. So now I'm looking for another job. I might go apply at the little family restaurant down the street from my house. I should probably get my experience in culinary started somehow, right? I can't go straight into that kind of work with just experience at Panera Bread. Haha.

So, you'll be really proud of me. I finished two books today. Not one. Two. Isn't that awesome? I finished the one I'd been reading, called The Sky is Everywhere about this girl dealing with the death of her older sister, and then a boy that she meets, but she also gets involved with her sister's boyfriend, and it's a really confusing plot if you didn't read the book, but it was really good. And then I also finished Fly on the Wall, which is a book that I've had started for like, four months, but I lost after I moved out of school, and I found it while I was cleaning. (I know, right, you can actually find things in a clean room? I never would have guessed!)

I'm now reading a book called Deadline. It's about a boy who is diagnosed with some disease and he only has a year to live, so he does all these crazy things. I'm only like a few pages into it, while he's at the doctor, so I don't know much yet. But I think I'm going to leave this letter here, at that last statement, and go read the book. Because it sounds really interesting, and I honestly don't have much else to say, except for that I love you, and I can't wait to hear from you again. Stay strong, baby.

Love and miss you,

Nicole

I didn't really do much of anything today. I did a lot of cleaning and a hell of a lot of laundry. I didn't realise that I had so many clothes! I think I may have done six loads, and my washing machine is really, really big. And I think I still have clothes on the floor in my room. The laundry just never, ever stops. It's pretty ridiculous.

My room doesn't really look any cleaner. I mean, at least you can see my floor, but there's still a lot of shit all over the place. Like books, and I just have no idea where to put half of the stuff I have sitting around here. I guess I could throw most of it away, but I'm a big huge packrat. I keep everything, no matter what it is. I still have boxes from the Christmas before last sitting around. I just recently threw away the huge back that had all of my presents in it from this past Christmas. I took all the stuff out of it and really, there wasn't anything worth keeping except for like, a skirt. My family gives a lot of useless gifts around Christmas. Like coupons and candy and just... Stupid things.

Anyway. I'm sure you really don't want to hear about Christmas, or anything like that. But I really don't know what else to talk about. I mean, I want to go see The Last Airbender with Nils, finally. I thought it was going to be the whole series crammed into one movie. No. It was just Book One. Where he gets discovered, and taken to the Northern Water Tribe to learn how to bed water. Then he conquers the Fire Nation there, and that's the end of the movie. So I really, really hope that the make the other movies, too. When he learns to bend earth and fire, and then I want to see Zuko and Azula in their big, epic battle at the end of the series. That's probably my favourite part.

I wish you would have been there with me. I know you wanted to see that movie. I might buy it for you when it comes out on DVD. Or Blu-Ray, if you have your Playstation 3 by then. That would be a sweet movie to watch on Blu-Ray. Nils and I didn't get to see it in 3D, though, which was probably good, because it was just as good of a movie in 2D. I didn't want to spend the extra four dollars on it anyway. Now Toy Story 3, on the other hand, was worth seeing in 3D.

Haha. Anyway. I think I'm going to go to bed, because it's getting kind of late. I love you!

Love and miss you,

Nicole

I went to Cedar Point with my family today. Except my sister didn't come, so it was a more relaxing trip than a bothersome one. We had a lot of fun. I even got my parents to go on Millenium Force, and my brother, too! We went on the Blue Streak, Iron Dragon, Wildcat, and Millie as a family. I got my brother to go on Maverick with me. He loved it. Maverick is probably my favourite coaster. I can't decide, actually. I think my list goes Raptor, Maverick, Millie, but I don't know.

I'm going with Nils and my sister to see The Last Airbender at midnight tomorrow night. My family is also going to Cedar Point tomorrow--without my sister. Which might end up in my favour, I'm not really sure yet. But I'm so excited! I know that you and I were planning on seeing that movie, but well, you sort of left me for the Army, remember? Haha.

I talked my dad and brother into going on the Millenium Force with me. I hope neither of them back out, because I really want to go on it. I've done all the roller coasters I did with you, twice, except for a few. I haven't done Dragster again, yet. Or Gemini. But I can't stop going on Raptor--that one is my favourite! I also love Maverick, and I do really like Millenium, too. I know that one's your favourite, so it's in my top five! Also in my top five? Blue Streak and Wicked Twister, I think. I haven't decided yet. My top three are set, though. (:

I miss you so much! I can't wait to see you again--and I hope you respond to my most recent written letter as soon as you can. I want to know the exact date you're done training so I can come down and see you. And make sure that your parents know, too, because I'm only allowed to go with them. I don't want to drive across four or five states and make my parents angry. Also, I don't want to do all that driving on my own, anyway. I almost went crazy having to drive merely an hour and a half from Cedar Point. Even the drive from Akron bothers me sometimes.

I'm just getting really excited to see you. One month, one week and six days, baby! I can't wait. I love you so, so much. I miss you more than you could imagine, but I'm surviving. Be proud of me.

Love and miss you, baby,

Nicole

I got two letters from you today! Not one, two! And one of them had two letters in it! You don't know how excited I was when I got two letters from you in the mail today. I love you so much, Julio. Why did I ever doubt you? I want to be with you forever and ever and ever and I never want to be apart from you ever again. When you get home, I don't ever want to leave your side, but I know we won't be able to spend all our time together. But at least let me spend the night a few times, and you come stay with me in my super-comfortable bed, in my new house. (:

I can't wait until you come home, Julio. I miss you so much. You're in my prayers every night, and you're in my heart and mind every second. Just over one month and a week until I get to see you, baby. I wish I was there with you right now, but I know I can't be. Let me know about when I can come down to see you, if I can earlier. You said something about four days before graduation... That would be so awesome if you'd let me come down then. We'd have so much fun! I love you so much. Write me soon!

Love and miss you,

Nicole