I Guess If I Have to Play Catch-Up...This is a Good Place to Start!

My family has gotten the BIGGEST kick out of the fact that I counted down the days until Steven came home by how many garbage days were left! I guess it is a memorable occasion that happens every week (either that or we lead a BORING life?? Maybe it is because it became MY responsibility to keep track of it while Handsome was gone?) Oh well, for whatever reason...garbage day was a day of celebration at our house...because it was ONE week closer until the "Daddy-Dude" came home! FINALLY...it was the LAST garbage day before he came home! I don't think I even had to remind them *grin*

I guess I wasn't much better! I also got very emotional when I realized the milk expired AFTER my husband was home! I stood in the aisle at Walmart with tears in my eyes and had to take a picture of the milk cartons LOL! I guess in a military community, people get used to it--since no one even paid much attention to the looney lady in the milk aisle!

It was FINALLY THE DAY!! They were supposed to come in a day earlier--but their flight got bumped. It is amazing how agaonizing an extra 24 hours are! The day just absolutely WENT SOOOOOO SLOW! No homeschool was accomplished...no cleaning...no reading...just a bonkers mommy day! *grin* We finally started getting ready for the BIG event after lunch! When Steven went to Desert Shield/Storm, I was only 19 and had gone home to Idaho for the deployment. Kimmy and I weren't at the base to welcome him home so we wanted to go "all-out gaudy" for him! We spent the afternoon decorating!

I had ordered a "Welcome Home" banner. It was quite the feat getting it hung--I should have let Stevie hang it I guess--since he is taller than me--but staple guns and teenagers just sounded like a recipe for the emergency room LOL!

Missy decided to do a HUGE sidewalk mural as a welcome home! She spent lots and lots of time making it look "just right"!

I decided we would hang yellow ribbons all over. I thought about letting the kids tie them on the tops of the trampoline poles...but once again...emergency room would really detract from the welcome home ceremony *grin* We also ran out of ribbon so that idea got shot down!

Steven has always laughed about all the car windows being decorated at the base...so we made sure his car was just as gaudy as everyone else! We COVERED the car with ribbons, pictures, and more! Everyone got to take a window and decorate however they wanted. (Crayola has the BEST window markers!!)

Kimmy did the whole back window. It said "Welcome from the Zoo Crew" and had a picture signifying each of us...Handsome was the gorilla, Missy the giraffe, Stevie the tiger, Kimmy the wolf and I was the red panda. It looked AWESOME!

Missy made lots of flowers, army men (with "impossible to draw" hair) and hearts galore! The car REALLY stood out! (which is good...since it is a boring white van LOL)

We got to the gym early to find a seat (since my foot doesn't like just standing). The kids took lots of books to read...though everyone was so excited, I don't think they read much! The USO had goodies and drinks available and mostly we just "people watched". It was amazing to see what some people would choose to wear (????) We were boring...just dressed up cute! I was getting worried Kimmy wouldn't get to see her dad come in...they were running late and she had a class she HAD to be at for a test. Luckily she got to be there for the excitement, but then gave him a hug and ran LOL!

After MANY "get your hopes up" false alarms...the DJ would get the crowd worked up with "Let's get ready to rumble..." or other wowsa songs, the smoke started and in through it ran THE SOLDIERS! It was so exciting...trying to figure out which of these identical trees was yours! The screaming and yelling was almost deafening! We yelled out "HANDSOME" because we knew he would know who that was if he could hear us LOL!

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity...but in all actuality was probably only a minute or so...I found him. The look on his face when he turned and saw us was priceless and one I will treasure always! My handsome had come home safe and sound!

I wish I had a picture of Kimmy with her dad too...but she literally hugged and ran! Her teacher had told her she could be late for the test...and she was! I am amazed she got such a high score after all the excitement we had! It was a music appreciation class with slooooow music to identify and other such "dull" questions *grin* How she kept her mind on it, I don't know! Missy and Stevie were soooooo excited to see their dad!

It's always amazing to me, when Handsome comes home after being gone for so long, it feels like he has never been gone. We got into the car, and even after having been alone for so long and being in charge of everything, we just reverted right back to how things were before. It felt nice to be the passenger in the car and to let him drive. It felt right to have him home (after a startling moment or two waking up in the night to someone else in my bed LOL) and I am grateful that we are a family together once again. It has been a super long year and not the easiest one. Here's hoping the next one will be filled with joy, fun and togetherness!