Monday, June 22, 2015

A year ago today...


In August of 2013, the love of my life, my best friend, my rock, my other half, deployed overseas. He came home safely on June 22, 2014.

Those 10 months (305 days, to be exact) were the most challenging months he and I have ever endured. Those 10 months were full of loneliness, intense longing, sadness, fear, anger, worry, and many sleepless nights.  They developed an intense attachment to my phone.  Phone calls were rare, so we relied heavily on emails and Facebook messages (THANK GOD for technology!) If a place didn’t have Wi-Fi or 4G, then forget it, I wasn’t going.  I became that girl.  I didn’t care, though. I never wanted to miss a message, an email, or a call from my love. I never wanted him to send a Facebook message and to not get one in return from me.  Communicating with J became my priority. 

It is important for me to note, though, that his deployment did not stop me from living.  Yes, I was sad.  Yes, I missed him more than I thought humanly possible.  But I refused to sit around and mope for those 10 months.  Don’t get me wrong, days where I sat around all day and drank wine did happen. Weeks occurred where I cried myself to sleep every single night.  But overall, I lived. I did my best to make the most out of this experience and to try and make the best of it for J.  I decorated and sent elaborate care packages (I may have gone overboard), I sent him recorded videos of myself telling him I loved him.  I even sent selfies. 
Today marks one year since my love returned home safely! To this day, his homecoming remains as one of the best days of my life! Today, J and I were able to reflect back on that day and what it was like for the both of us.  We both can't believe a year has passed already! His homecoming feels like a lifetime ago, but at the same time, it also feels like yesterday.
Today, I am beyond grateful that my love is home with me and that we are starting this new journey together.  But I am also grateful for his deployment--we are the couple we are because of that experience. 
Here are a few pictures from J's homecoming! Enjoy!
 
Seeing the bus turn the corner!

 
Waiting for them to depart!

 
Nothing compares to this hug.




 
Our first kiss after 305 days!




We always ended our emails by saying, "I'll be seeing you soon", so I incorporated
that into his homecoming sign.
 

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