Wow. Just when you think you've had a really emotional, deep experience...another one comes along and says 'BOOYA!! Take THAT!!' and kicks you in the gut. Meaning...the second deployment homecoming I photographed Monday night was even more intense than the first. I felt a lot more prepared (and a lot more nervous), anticipating what would happen since I'd already witnessed one. The entire evening started out with a twinge of stress and restlessness. The arrival time for Kristi and Lindsey's husbands was pushed back one then two hours. When it was time, Steph came to pick me up and called...and my phone did not ring! Because it is slowly dying a very slow and painful death. Poor phone. So we were all types of flustered by the time I got in the car. We all met near Kristi's house to caravan in a long line of cars out to base...like military gypsies. On our way, we started hearing this weird thumping noise coming from Steph's car. And the horrible realization dawned on both of us: she had a flat tired. Funnily enough, literally everyone driving thought we each had a flat tire...which turned out to just be a low flying helicopter. Tell about a HEART ATTACK moment. Who knew helicopters and flat tires sounded similar. Well they do. We arrived with plenty of time and were happy to find the skies clear of icy rain...however it was still windy (not AS bad) and extremely cold. I was bundled up like a big black snowman. The band didn't turn up for this return and the whole room seemed a little more tense to me than the last one. Finally, they announced it would be another 15 minutes and told us where the jet would be pulling up. Steph and I laughed stupidly as we realized this since we had been taking a bunch of photos of one of the planes already out there, thinking it was their plane just going through security and customs checks. Derrrr. Finally the plane revealed itself. They went through their customs/security check and they gave us the okay to get ourselves out there. It felt like a crowd of paparazzi, the way we ran ahead of our two girls who were meeting their husbands and flashed pictures in their faces. Just as it was about to get exciting, they told us to stop because they hadn't cleared out the dogs (for drug sniffing...or...something). Good call, man. Yeah, get some little kid or emotional military wive mauled right as she's about to meet her husband. Nice. So we waited and froze while they got the lead out of their pants. And then...it was OFFICIALLY TIME! I stealthily stalked my way through the group of people, hoping to catch a glimpse of the two guys I had never met that we were looking for. Not an easy task. And it kind of felt like herding through a stampede trying to keep from being stepped on...from behind. I felt like dropping to my belly and crawling on my elbows would have been an appropriate move but there was no time. And then we saw them. And my camera decided to take a nap. I don't believe I've talked to my camera more than I have last night. Mostly it wasn't swearing (but a tiny bit was)...but it finally kicked in and reminded me scoldingly...that I need a bigger flash that has its OWN batteries and doesn't depend on camera juice to recharge. But back to what really mattered: the reunion. Seeing Kristi and Matt meet eyes and run to each other was nothing short of a romance movie shot. Only...so much more real than any romance movie could ever depict. It was overwhelming to watch (the camera set back didn't help with feeling overwhelmed) and heartbreaking. Heartbreaking thinking I'm going through the same thing. Thinking I've been away from my husband for longer than any normal person ever has to in their entire marriage. And this will be a yearly occurrence. I'm not having a pity party. I knew what I was getting into when I signed the dotted line. But it's still such a heartbreaking story; separated love. Yet, it's so, so beautiful. No one can truly understand the excitement, the anticipation, the passion of meeting your husband after being separated for 7 months unless you've gone through it. Your wedding day is the ONLY event in your life that comes close in excitement levels. This reunion between Kristi and Matt was much more savored and I felt like I had ample time to get some good shots of their moment. In that moment, I literally felt like I was not on that runway at all. Nobody was. It was just them (and Lindsey and Dave but they weren't in my line of vision) in their moment. I don't know if I will ever witness anything more beautiful than a moment like that.
Wow. Just when you think you've had a really emotional, deep experience...another one comes along and says 'BOOYA!! Take THAT!!' and kicks you in the gut. 
Meaning...the second deployment homecoming I photographed Monday night was even more intense than the first. I felt a lot more prepared (and a lot more nervous), anticipating what would happen since I'd already witnessed one. The entire evening started out with a twinge of stress and restlessness. 
The arrival time for Kristi and Lindsey's husbands was pushed back one then two hours. When it was time, Steph came to pick me up and called...and my phone did not ring! Because it is slowly dying a very slow and painful death. Poor phone. 
So we were all types of flustered by the time I got in the car. We all met near Kristi's house to caravan in a long line of cars out to base...like military gypsies. On our way, we started hearing this weird thumping noise coming from Steph's car. And the horrible realization dawned on both of us: she had a flat tired. 
Funnily enough, literally everyone driving thought we each had a flat tire...which turned out to just be a low flying helicopter. Tell about a HEART ATTACK moment. Who knew helicopters and flat tires sounded similar. Well they do. We arrived with plenty of time and were happy to find the skies clear of icy rain...however it was still windy (not AS bad) and extremely cold. I was bundled up like a big black snowman.
The band didn't turn up for this return and the whole room seemed a little more tense to me than the last one. Finally, they announced it would be another 15 minutes and told us where the jet would be pulling up. 
Steph and I laughed stupidly as we realized this since we had been taking a bunch of photos of one of the planes already out there, thinking it was their plane just going through security and customs checks. Derrrr. 
Finally the plane revealed itself. They went through their customs/security check and they gave us the okay to get ourselves out there. 
It felt like a crowd of paparazzi, the way we ran ahead of our two girls who were meeting their husbands and flashed pictures in their faces. Just as it was about to get exciting, they told us to stop because they hadn't cleared out the dogs (for drug sniffing...or...something). Good call, man. Yeah, get some little kid or emotional military wive mauled right as she's about to meet her husband. Nice. 
So we waited and froze while they got the lead out of their pants. And then...it was OFFICIALLY TIME! I stealthily stalked my way through the group of people, hoping to catch a glimpse of the two guys I had never met that we were looking for. 
Not an easy task. And it kind of felt like herding through a stampede trying to keep from being stepped on...from behind. I felt like dropping to my belly and crawling on my elbows would have been an appropriate move but there was no time. And then we saw them. 
And my camera decided to take a nap. I don't believe I've talked to my camera more than I have last night. Mostly it wasn't swearing (but a tiny bit was)...but it finally kicked in and reminded me scoldingly...that I need a bigger flash that has its OWN batteries and doesn't depend on camera juice to recharge. But back to what really mattered: the reunion. 
Seeing Kristi and Matt meet eyes and run to each other was nothing short of a romance movie shot. Only...so much more real than any romance movie could ever depict. 
It was overwhelming to watch (the camera set back didn't help with feeling overwhelmed) and heartbreaking. Heartbreaking thinking I'm going through the same thing. Thinking I've been away from my husband for longer than any normal person ever has to in their entire marriage. And this will be a yearly occurrence. 
I'm not having a pity party. I knew what I was getting into when I signed the dotted line. But it's still such a heartbreaking story; separated love. Yet, it's so, so beautiful. 
No one can truly understand the excitement, the anticipation, the passion of meeting your husband after being separated for 7 months unless you've gone through it. 
Your wedding day is the ONLY event in your life that comes close in excitement levels. 
This reunion between Kristi and Matt was much more savored and I felt like I had ample time to get some good shots of their moment. 
In that moment, I literally felt like I was not on that runway at all. 
Nobody was. It was just them (and Lindsey and Dave but they weren't in my line of vision) in their moment. 
I don't know if I will ever witness anything more beautiful than a moment like that.
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