welcome home!

you've gotten your mail stop date. you've been debating about what to wear. you've ordered your welcome home banner. you've cleaned the house fifteen times and stocked the fridge with all of his favorites. you've waited what seems like your whole life to see that white bus pull back into the parking lot. or you've waited for that ship to dock finally again at home. or you've waited for him to walk off that plane again. welcome home! job well done! we've missed you!

i got a text message from a friend that she would 'have her midnight kiss this year.' that's all i needed to know. they were coming home! when i talked to hubby, he confirmed that he would home in the next few weeks, but it would be a while before he knew for sure. i already had our homecoming banner and yellow ribbons up (we moved into a new house while hubby was deployed, so i hung yellow ribbons so he could 'follow them home.') and the house was almost feeling like home. however, it was christmas and lil man and i had traveled home to spend the holiday with family. so there i was, panicking a little because i might have to fly back early. who would pick us up? would i even be able to get a flight back in time? well, it all worked out.

a few weeks later i got the call, 'hunny, i'm at the airport, i'll see you in an hour. i can't wait to eat dinner as a family again.' i looked my best, put on lil man's homecoming shirt and headed to the gym to sit with all the other anxious families. it had been 7 months since my hubby had held our 15 month old son. how would the two of them react to each other? we sat nervously in the bleachers for what seemed like forever. then the slide show started; they showed them getting of the plane. we searched and searched for hubby but some how we missed him, but i knew he was in that group. then the doors opened and the goosebumps started along with the tears. again we searched the faces and finally, THERE HE IS! i don't think i've ever shouted that loud in my life. after the 'job well done! welcome home! dismissed!' we waited (i'm 5' even and hubby is 6'3" so it's easier for him to get to us). he made his way through the crowds. that first hug made the last 14 months of waiting and praying worth it. lil man didn't know what to think: how did he get out of the computer and off the tv and out of the pictures?

after gathering hubby's bags we headed home, had dinner and started living our 'happily ever after.'
aaron's wifey
2 deployments
army