Unforgettable

I never thought I'd be the girl waiting in an airport for her airman/soldier to return home. It's an experience I will never forget. I'd waited 6 months for the day to come that Sean would be home. And as that day got here, I was able to calm my nerves, which I wasn't expecting. I remember waiting to hear that he had landed safely in the United States...and I think was in shock a little when I received the first text message...I hadn't had one from him since August 5th. And then finally the day arrived. I had taken the day off, so I slept in. Then I did some chores and got a pedicure. By the time I was done, it was almost time to start getting ready...and that's when the nerves hit. Holy shit, he's almost here! I got ready (even wore my hair down), and then, as I drove away from my apartment, my hands started shaking and I was nervous. Thankfully Amanda called while I was driving over to discuss photo options, and it sort of took my mind off things. But as I pulled into the airport parking lot, I felt like I was going to puke. Amanda pulled into the parking lot shortly after I arrived and we walked in together. And as I walked in, I realized that in a few minutes, I would finally be in Sean's arms again...the moment I'd waited for for 6 long months.

Amanda had it set up that she would be taking pictures of Sean as he was walking towards baggage claim...and I had to wait...without looking at the screen. As I stood there waiting, with my back to the stairs, I thought I was going to die...it was the longest wait of my life. Then I heard Amanda say "turn around" and I could see his feet at the top of the stairs. And at that moment I knew...he was home. As he walked down the stairs toward me, I could see the tears in his eyes...and that he was skinnier. He finally reached the bottom of the stairs and the whole world disappeared...it was just me and Sean, in that long awaited embrace. I couldn't believe he was there, in my arms. He cried, I didn't. And we didn't want to let go. It was a feeling I will never be able to put into words...the feeling of knowing that he was home, that he was safe, and that he was mine.

I had watched a few other couples reunite, and I heard them all say the same thing: "are you real?"..."is it really you?" And then I remember thinking to myself "is he real?"..."is it really him?" I had become one of the people I had seen while I was waiting for him...the person who waits for their soldier/airman to return home. It was one of the proudest moments of my life...to be the loving girlfriend who waited for her airman to come home...to see him come home from war. If you've seen the pictures, that's the only way to see exactly how we feel about each other, and to know exactly what we were thinking. A picture paints a thousand words...and that's the only way I'll ever be able to describe it.