Chapter Two - Homecoming

On Sunday, I got the official word that Greg would be arriving in 29 Palms at 5:00 AM on Monday morning. This of course got delayed (see a pattern?), and when I got a text from Greg saying they had landed at March Air Base in California at 7:45 AM, I figured it would probably be closer to noon. It was pouring rain and so windy when I woke up on Monday morning, and my first thought was "what a fitting end to this homecoming tale - the day he gets home is one of the 5 rainy days all year." But, the storm passed and the weather cleared, and by 9 that morning it was sunny and warm - a perfect day.

The whole feeling of Monday was so surreal. I was so anxious and nervous and excited all at the same time. It was weird hearing Greg's ringtone on my cellphone after seven months of not hearing it, and it was weird getting text messages from him after seven months of only texting my girl friends. It was also weird trying to put together a stellar outfit/shower/blowdry my hair while balancing Caroline's schedule and Rocky's schedule. I figured it out, though, and before I knew it it was time to go to base.

I had the best group of friends/photographers who showed up at Homecoming for me. My friends Valerie, Michelle, and Jessica (all 3/4 wives--they have 2 more weeks of waiting) and Crissy (my neighbor) all came to be there to talk to during the inevitable waiting game, and to take pics. It was a fitting end to a deployment, during which they were my 29 Palms support group. They were joking that they had no idea what Greg looked like, which reminded me that when their husbands come home, I'll won't either (it's always funny to think that our husbands all know each other and we all know each other but we don't know each other's husbands and vice versa).

Once I got to base the anxiety and nervousness really hit. All of a sudden standing with my friends who I had seen and gone through a lot with in the past 7 months seemed like a potentially more comfortable scenario than being with my husband, who I hadn't seen even a picture of since September. It was just a really weird, surreal feeling. We all waited for about an hour, while the guys arrived on base, went to the armory to turn in their weapons, got back on the bus, and came to the field where we were all standing. Finally, the white school buses pulled up. Other Marines who had stayed behind lined up and saluted everyone as they got out of the bus, and one by one guys came down the line and found their families for a hug. Greg was on the second bus, so it was awhile until I found him, which meant I waited for about 2 minutes, watching everyone come out in the same uniform and wondering if they were Greg.

Finally, I saw him. He came down the line and everyone else was a blur. I wasn't even paying attention to any other Marine or any other family or my friends or even Caroline (who was being held for the initial hug by Crissy). The funny thing is, that's how everyone else is - it's just a massive field with lots of people who are tuning out their surroundings. Greg couldn't see us for awhile, and I didn't know whether to shout his name or run up to him (both my plans in my head for 7 months) - in the moment I was just totally paralyzed. So I just silently wove in and out of Marines hugging their wives until I got to Greg, threw my arms around him, and just buried my face in his uniform and gave him the biggest hug ever. He looked great - exactly the same, albeit a little tan/worn from the Afghanistan sun and stress. Even though I hadn't been on the verge of tears all morning, I heard myself heaving and crying as my head was still down. And the first thing he said to me was, "Don't cry, Weezy, this is a happy day." And in that moment, all of my nervousness and anxiety just flew away, because I knew it was the same old Greg.

After a minute of hugging I noticed that Greg was looking over my shoulder, and realized that he was looking for Caroline. So, the introduction to his daughter began. It was just as I had hoped it would be - Caroline had just eaten so she was in a good mood, and smiled at Greg immediately. He picked her up so delicately and just held her, hoping he was doing it right (he was). Then we took a family picture, and slowly the rest of the world began to come back into focus. In a matter of minutes, we were the only people left on the field, because everyone had already left to get their bags and go home. We did the same, hopped in the Tahoe, and began the drive back to Yucca, asking questions and still in disbelief that the first deployment is officially under our belts, and that we don't have to start thinking about the next one for another two months.

Greg had the rest of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off. I forgot how fast time can go by. It FLEW. We did a whole bunch of nothing - went down to Palm Springs for lunch, bought new running shoes, went to Home Depot, took Caroline and Rocky for a jog, made good dinners and watched movies. Pretty much the same stuff I would do by myself but it was of course much more fun with Greg. Having the time to step back, breathe, and think about how we are finally back together has actually been completely exhausting, especially because neither of us got much sleep when he was stuck in Kyrgyzstan. There are also lots of emotions running high - Greg has been thrown into a world of diapers, remembering about 10 things to put in the car even if it's for a quick trip, and feedings every 3-4 hours. I have been all of a sudden out of my daily routine, and even if it's something as little as not watching my nightly tv shows, it's enough to make a day feel a bit strange. But these are all such little adjustments that we are already getting over (every night when we have passed out at 9 PM Greg comments that "we are such parents now"). I'm excited for this weekend. We are getting a sitter to come tomorrow night so we can go to P.F. Chang's on our first date as parents, and are really looking forward to it.

So there's the update! I will post pics next. Thank you all for your support and friendship during the whole deployment - I hope I can do the same for you some day!