finally. ♥

213 days after charlie left for war in afghanistan, he was finally back on american soil and i was finally back in his arms.

words can't possibly ever express the amount of joy, excitement & nervousness i was feeling the days leading up to his homecoming. [not to mention all the butterflies in my stomach! haven't had that feeling in a while.. :)] i can't imagine how anxious charlie was feeling!

my parents, charlie's 2nd mama, a few of our friends and i came to welcome our hero home. 

since he was supposed to be arriving around 12:30am, and we wanted to be there a couple hours early, we arrived at camp pendleton around 10:30pm. 

and of course, with the craziness of over 1,000 family and friends waiting for the 308 marines coming home, the time got pushed back a wee bit...

to 3am.

but man, he is SO worth the wait. :)

i can't describe how amazing it feels to have my husband safely home. 

all my [and all of our friend's and family's] prayers and faith worked. 

and i am SO thankful.

i just keep thanking our heavenly father every time i look at him. 

we've been enjoying each other's company to the max!

lots of cuddles

lots of laughs

& lots of loving has been happening the past two days. 

we just can't get enough! 

charlie and i are looking forward to finally starting our life.
outside the marine corps.
:)

 my amazing friend teleatha and i cuddling in the cold waiting for our husbands.
i can't imagine what i would have done during this deployment if it wasn't for her!
sad we'll be living on opposite ends of the country in a couple months.. :(

 the freedom riders [marine veterans] escorted our men from the air force base they landed on all the way home. patriotic doesn't even begin to describe the vibe they brought to the atmosphere.

our giant neon arrow signs that made our husbands find us worked like a charm!

[don't mind my horrid hair. the salty ocean air cramped my style. big time.]

this is the few seconds that i was looking for charlie through the crowd. luckily he knew where i was the whole time and found me in no time!

my expression when i laid eyes on my husband after a long 7 months..

our first kiss since last summer. ♥

didn't want to let go. it's safe to say separation anxiety was in full effect. haha!

♥

[looking for his gear.]

photography by Jenna of Operation Cherish Photography. 

when we got to our hotel room, charlie was welcomed with this..

welcome home gifts!

one last deployment package filled with presents. :)

and some of these! chocolate covered strawberries with some filled with cheesecake filling. 

he was a happy boy.

YAY!