Homecoming!!!!

Good Morning and sorry I have been MIA,

I have quite a few things I would like to share but I'm going to try and break them up into separate posts.  First of all Matt is HOME!!!  That is why I haven't been posting like I should.  We have been busy catching up on special occasions we missed together and family time with our three pups.  Now that he has been home a week we are trying to get back into a normal routine.  However with our wedding 26 days away nothing is normal at this point.  There will be more on our wedding date soon, and the planning and all the lovely details in between.  But for now I'm going to try and focus on catching you up a bit.  Right now Matt is happily asleep cuddled by three loving pups, while he is trying to get back on a "days schedule" from working nights for almost 6 months, I figured I would take this time to write in cyber space.  That and a friendly nudge from my friend Amber who reminded me I've been slacking...who by the way should be starting up her own blog very shortly...and FYI I'm excited I have already stolen an inexpensive bathroom DIY from her, and added to Matt's honey do list!

He is HOME!!!

So ask anyone who spent any amount of time with me the week prior to Matts arrival, and they will tell you I was a crazy person.  Not in a babbling to myself kind of way (but when I do, don't judge I'm not crazy, I'm just consulting an expert!), but in an OCD marathon cleaning sort of way.  Anyone who has someone leave for an extended period of time, may understand the pressure to have everything perfect for a homecoming.  I spent 6 days cleaning my house...granted if you read any of my previous posts you know that up until that point my "give a damn" was busted, and for about a week I stopped my rigorous cleaning and took a "ME" break.  However that proved to back fire the day I got the news he would be coming home a few weeks early....nothing like that kind of news to whip your lazy butt into shape!

Being Silly His First Morning Home

Those 6 days are like a pure fog in my memory now, and now that it has passed I realized how silly that was....mostly because as you are cleaning and organizing (for the hundredth time during your TDY/Deployment) you forget that they have stuff to bring home.  I don't know if it is like this for everyone who goes on a TDY but for these dirt boys there is a whole truck load of stuff they are bringing home.  Coolers, bags, bags, more bags (seriously how many ugly green bags to they have), garbage bags full of stuff, storage bins full of food, coolers full of food, and tons of miscellaneous stuff.  While TDY they live in hotels and its almost like a mini apartment and they furnish is it with their own portable kitchen if possible.  I see now how deployments have one bonus, they leave with 3 bags, and they come home with 3 bags.  But the spare bedroom that I used to organize our wedding stuff, and the kitchen that was perfectly organized...was full of storage bins, bags, clothes....and then some. 

Headed to the beach for the first time since he has been home!

You also forget while you are meticulously cleaning the kitchen that in just a few short days the sink will be full to the max most nights with dishes.  I'm not sure how this happens exactly because when I was home alone I maybe used the same 6 dishes (including pots) the entire time he was gone.  Granted I was a fan of frozen whole wheat waffles and paper plates but who is counting.  Thankfully he has been doing the dishes since he is off for a little while. 

First Family Outing

Aside from the crazy lady cleaning, that I am still unsure how I was cleaning non stop for 6 days since now I could clean my entire house in an afternoon...(seriously what was I doing?)...I was soooo nervous for him to come home.  I scrubbed cabinets, baseboards, cut the grass, edged the driveway and along the road, planted flowers, replanted the flowers, organized my closet..again, washed all the dog beds, put my bedroom back to normal (bye bye girly bedroom), scrubbed floors, washed rugs, cleaned all the blinds in the house, washed windows, cleaned the inside of the refrigerator, cleaned the oven, rearranged my craft room (bc he goes in there soooo often...note the hint of sarcasm), rearranged the front porch.... and then some; rearranging everything I already rearranged before.  Basically as I look back I pretty much moved everything back to the way it was before he left (SMH).

Going out for my make up birthday dinner.  Turning 30 a second time isn't so bad!

My guess it was all the wedding plans, and pressure I was putting on myself for things to be perfect turned me into the crazy lady that I was.  But I was like a school girl, I had butterflies and everything.  It certainly didn't help that I was so worried that he was going to surprise me at work that day, and I left the house that morning with no makeup (I did bring a change of clothes).  Anyone who knows me knows I do not like surprise, I made sure everyone at work knew that if he showed up at work and tried to surprise me to send him home!  (thats right!)  Lol, I know it sounds bad, but when you have little control over anything as a Military Wife/sig. other, you want to have control over how you look after almost 6 months!  (Granted knowing the amazing ladies I work with that wouldn't have worked anyways)

Home for just a few minutes!

So the house was clean, the dogs didn't get a bath (and guess what the world didn't end because something on my list didn't get done), I got off work and got home in time to put make up on and change my clothes, and he came home and all was right with the world.  I wish I could describe what it was like to have his truck pull up in the driveway that night!  But the one thing that I think all Military Wives/SO can agree on is that saying hi and that first kiss is something you wish everyone could experience (not that we want you to go through the months alone, but there is something special about the reunion).  This time was just a little different, for days I felt like life was surreal, and I literally kept pinching him to see if he was real.  I forgot what it was like to come home to him, to see his truck in the driveway, to have someone home to fix things, to not say goodnight via text, to get up and go walk on the beach hand in hand, or do any kind of couples activity that you had previously done.  Oh but the best part was watching the dogs welcome him home, that always brings me to tears!  They go crazy seeing daddy for the first time, and then just love all over him!  That is the best!

That is a welcome home if I've ever seen one!

Silly lil girl!!

What is this crap!  Lol I don't get his attention!

 

 Like everything else in life the reunion is just phase 2 (prepping for homecoming to me is phase 1).  Phase 3 is readjusting!  Going from spending the last (however many months for you) months alone taking care of everything and holding tight to your routine can be a challenge, at it takes patience even for the strongest of couples.  We are in the readjusting phase and all I can do is laugh to myself at the process.  However, I think I'm going to be sweet and start making my man some breakfast so he can eat when he wakes up...then I can convince him to head to the beach with me ;-)  I will write about my Phase 3 later this week.

Family Trip to Arcadia Mills

Just a lil love!

My beach partner has returned

Being silly after working out

Hope you all have a great Tuesday, and thanks to whoever reads this!!

Coming soon is the as mentioned Phase 3 post, adventures with the pups, my non solo underwater adventures, my first whirlwind weekend with Matt home, my surprise Bridal Shower, and update on our crazy wedding.  I wasn't kidding when I say a lot has happened!