R&R

Ok, so I never did get around to talking about how our R&R went, beyond saying "It was great. We had fun." I'll try to kinda summarize how it went. (This is more for myself than for anyone else!)
Well, the day Tony was supposed to fly in, he was going to land in Atlanta in the morning and not be able to leave until sometime around 3 in the afternoon. He was going to try to get an earlier flight into Savannah though, so that on his first day in the states he wouldn't be stuck waiting in the airport all day. Well, the moment he landed in Atlanta and made it through customs (with his illegal Cuban cigars!!) he ran to the Delta people and got an earlier flight to Savannah. My friend Shannon had called me around 9 and woke me up already, so I was in the shower when he called to tell me the good news, but being the experienced Army wife that I am, I had both the cordless phone and cell phone in the bathroom just in case, so I wouldn't miss any important phone calls! Naturally, Tony called me while I was in the shower with shampoo in my hair and everything, so I turned off the water and stood there freezing and dripping wet in the bathroom while he told me the good news that I could pick him up at the airport in a little more than an hour. So, of course I rushed to get ready, put up yellow ribbons in the yard (Only 6 months after he's been gone already), jumped in my absolute least favorite red truck, picked up some flowers, and rushed to the airport. I must have had a million different emotions going at once. I was happy (duh), nervous, giddy, worried, scared, and excited. I got a call from Tony saying that his plane was being delayed because of some technical problem that he explained but I totally didn't understand. When I got to the airport to check in and get my gate pass so I could get pass the security thing, the guy at the desk told me they might be another 2 hours late. FUN! So, I took my gate pass and my flowers, went through all of the security stuff, and sat there for about 2 hours waiting for his flight to come in. That's not completely true. I didn't really sit there the whole time. I did a LOT of pacing, and I stood in line for half an hour at a Burger King stand. I wish I could describe that time of waiting. I wanted to see him so badly that I could burst. For the months that he had been gone, I kind of put the coming reunion out of my mind, because thinking about it only makes it seem that much farther away. The idea that your husband whom you haven't seen for months actually coming home takes on sort of a fairty tale quality, and you half way believe that it's never going to happen. Time will not pass and you will be stuck in the first few months of deployment forever. Sitting there in that airport with other Army wives and children, waiting for this moment you never believed would come, you finally start to believe that maybe there will be an end to this imminent separation. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. When I saw the plane landing, I knew it was going to be a teary hello, though I tried to hold back my tears until he got off the plane. I didn't want his first glimpse of me to be my face all red and blotchy with my nose running. But, I couldn't help crying when I saw that first soldier get off the plane and realized that he wasn't mine. There were about 12 of us all crowded around waiting for our soldiers to get off. It was so dissapointing to see a bunch of civilians pouring off the plane before we saw any sign of those DCU's. If i were a civilian on a plane with a bunch of soldiers going home to see their families, I would let them off first! Well, finally, I saw him walking toward me looking about 10 shades darker, a foot taller, and a year older with his moustache, walking towards me. The water works exploded and I ran to him, threw myself into his arms, squeezed him tight, and kissed him good! I don't think we said much of anyting at first, and as we walked out of that airport, all I could do was keep looking at his face and poking him to see of he was real. It was a good day. I can't wait for the next homecoming.

Ok, so I guess I lied. I only wrote about one part of the R&R, but I think that is enough today. I have so much on my mind, like wondering when they are coming home and when I will hear from him again, and worrying about Kari and Lucas. I hope they are safe and that everything goes well. I'm so proud of my sister and I can't wait to meet my nephew. Why does everything important in life take so much time?