Once Upon a Time...: He's Home!

After I dropped my mom off at the airport, I went and started to get ready for Jake to come home. I went to target and got a few items, then I went and organized my luggage and stuff. I'm not going to lie, I also relaxed and watched TV ha ha.

On Tuesday the 20th, I woke up to my friend texting me asking if I would be ok with coming and helping them move since they were leaving the next day and needed to get the house ready for an inspection. I didn't have much to do that day anyway so I said yes. First I went and checked into the hotel room that Jake and I are staying in for the time being. It's on Andrews and it's pretty ok. Then I went and help Jamie and Evan pack. It was nice hanging out with them all day and it made the time go by really quickly. She has the cutest kids ever so it was also fun hanging out and playing with them one last time. Around 4:00 PM I left because I still had to get the room ready for Jake to come home to. I didn't want him coming home to a mess and I wanted to have it organized. I got back to Andrews around 5:00 (gotta love DC traffic), and started unpacking my car fully. I had A LOT of stuff and I was alone so I probably looked like a damsel in distress because all of a sudden 10 pilots came out from the lobby and told me to step aside and they unloaded my car then stood by my stuff while I parked my car then helped me to my room then uploaded the luggage rack thing and took it back for me. I LOVE the military and how nice people are. The main guy that told the others to help me kept saying that if I was his wife and no one helped me, he would be ticked. I'm glad to know there are good men out there other than my husband, because Jake would have done the same thing if it was another woman. It took me 4 1/2 hours to unload and put everything together. I was STARVING by this time and went to the little shop they have here in the hotel and made me some microwave dinner and then waited to fall asleep so I could wake up and see my husband.

On Wednesday the 21st I woke up at 7:30 and went to get in the shower only to find out that the hot water in the hotel had been shut off over the night and some rooms were still experiencing problems. I was pretty upset and because I had really no time to really complain I took an freezing ice cold shower. Hello, I live in America I should never have to take a cold shower. (Yes, I am one of those people that act like that lol). After my cold shower I started to get ready and when I was done with my hair and make up the maintenance guy shows up and guess what! He turns on the faucet and BAM warm water. I was so mad. Ha ha. I finished getting ready and then went to our Storage Unit to empty a couple things from my car that I didn't want in the room because it was home decor stuff. By this time it was 10:00 and I needed to get to the airport because Jake was scheduled to fly in at 12:00.

I got the the airport and went and asked around where I should go. I probably looked like a chicken with it's head cut off because I had no idea where I was. I finally found the location and they told me that his plane had been delayed. They said there was 3 planes coming in that day and the first was at 2:00 then next was at 4:00 and then the last was after midnight. You can expect how I felt when I heard that it could be midnight! I stayed positive though and said ok, I will just chill out and relax if it's all day.

When I made it down to the doors where he would be coming through, I was the only one there except an older man. He asked if I was there for the homecoming and I said yep! And he proceeded to tell me how he had been there since 4 that morning, but the plane was delayed so he had been waiting all day. He said he was part of an organization that puts on homecomings in 3 different airports around the country. Baltimore being one of them. He said that later on they would have a bunch of people show up and hang signs up and put together goody bags for the troops full of candy and stuff. It was really nice talking to him. I also got to meet one of the other guys girlfriend that left with Jake. She was really nice and we had a good little chat. She was really nervous, but I was just excited and an emotional wreck haha. Around 1:00 we started to hang up the posters with the organization and help the biker gang that showed up to welcome them home with the goody bags. At about 1:45 we got word that the plane had landed! I was freaking out. The organization had the families of the troops stand in front of a glass barrier. I was lucky enough to meet a nice lady that said she would take pictures for me, and her daughter took pictures from my phone. As I was standing there I got many comments on how I was dressed. I was in a dress with nylons and my 6 inch heels. Everyone else was in jeans and a t-shirt. I don't know what the shock was, but I dress classy every day of my life so I felt very normal in what I had on, but I was apparently dressed really nice. So nice, that a TV crew from the local news came and asked me for an interview. Saying that because I looked nice I should be on tv. Whatever. So as I gave the interview I started crying and being a big baby because I was so excited to see Jake, but exhausted from being away from him. Then the troops started to come out!
For the first 45 minutes the only troops coming through the door was army. Apparently there was 297 troops on the plane! We clapped for each one, but every time a troop rounded the corner my heart sank because it wasn't who I wanted.
THEN I looked down at the ground then looked back up and saw his wonderful face pushing a cart full of HUGE bags! I screamed, like literally screamed out loud, and ran up to him. It took him a second to get his surroundings, but as soon as he saw me we were in each others arms kissing and hugging and blocking the way for anyone else trying to get through the door. We were in each others arms kissing for what felt like 30 minutes. I was so happy, he was so happy, and we started laughing. We walked down the way that the organization had put up for people to shake his hands and thank him and I started crying. The news crew came over again (I wanted to be like, really go away and let me be with him by ourselves!), and interviewed Jake. After about 5 minutes of hugging and kissing and not letting go of each other it was time to go.
That night we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and it felt so nice to go on a date with my husband and have him by my side.

It was seriously the perfect day and moment. All that waiting was worth it because the reunion is amazing. I don't think anyone can really understand how much they love someone until they have to live without them. I know there are more deployments in our future, but we know we can succeed them because so far we have been through so much and came out so much stronger.

I am so proud of Jake and him doing his job in Afghanistan. He was awarded huge awards while over there, and he is the hardest worker and best worker I know in his career field. It's been amazing having him home.

To be continued for after he got home and the last week :)