Homecoming
Ben left for Afghanistan in March. Days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months. After countless phone calls and skype conversations he finally returned stateside.
As much as I hate deployments there is one thing that they give me that is rare to have as an adult. It's the feeling I get when I'm about to see him again after being separated for months. It's like the feeling you have on Christmas Eve as a child. Pure and authentic excitement. Elation. Joy. It causes a commotion in my stomach and stirs my soul. It's intoxicating.
He arrived back at Fort Lewis, Washington and I flew out to see him. After much discussion and thinking, we decided not to bring Violet out this time. It was asking a lot of her to fly eight hours there and eight hours back. Asking her to sit still and do nothing for that long is laughable. The other reason is because Ben and I needed time together, just the two of us. It was what was best for our whole family. It was what was best for Violet. (A thousands thank yous to my mother and mother-in-law for keeping Violet while I was away)
You see, I had devoted all of my energy prior to Ben deploying to being a good mom. And I was a good mom - nay, a great mom. But being a great mom made me a bad wife. I neglected my relationship with my husband for many months. I knew we needed this time together. We worked hard for it. We deserved it. And we owed it to ourselves and to Violet.
So our reunion took place by luggage carousel three in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. He always seems so tall when we've been apart for a while.
We stayed in a log cabin on post. It was tiny and adorable. It was on a lake dotted with ducks and flanked by golden trees and evergreens.
We spent a lot of time watching movies in bed and sleeping. Both of our internal clocks were messed up. When we weren't lounging we spent a lot of time driving around and exploring Washington.
We went to Snoqualmie waterfall about 30 miles east of Seattle. It's a 300 ft. waterfall and we started at the top. The hike down to the bottom was fun, but the hike back up kicked my stay-at-home-mom ass. It was worth it though. My favorite thing was the smell. Yankee Candle needs to step up their game.
We went to Pike Place Market and was able to explore more thoroughly than last time. We also went to the Seattle Aquarium and spent a great deal of time watching an octopus named Delilah eat squid.
Perhaps, the most exciting part of the trip were the raccoons that visited our cabin at night. We were laying in bed watching a movie when we heard a noise at the door. I flipped on the porch light expecting whatever it was to run away. I raised the blinds and there were three raccoons staring me in the face. They would stand up on their hind legs asking for food. Ben cracked the door and they would have definitely come inside (and ripped our faces off, according to Ben). I may have given them some bread, just maybe. On our last night in the cabin we came home after dark and they were waiting for us. We gave them our leftover Olive Garden and wished them good luck in life. Any future tenants of cabin J is going to wonder why it is plagued with raccoons.
We really love Washington. It feels like there's something wild and untamed in the air and it draws me in. We were assigned Fort Lewis once before but then the plans changed when Ben was picked up for flight school. So when a few years passed and we were given the Fort Lewis assignment again it felt like there was a reason. We were meant to live a part of our life there.
Ben will be coming back to Tennessee for a month-long stay over Christmas and New Years. The three of us will be moving back to Washington together at the first of the year. So, one of our goals on my little trip out to see him was to figure out what our living situation is going to be come January. We've always rented and have talked a lot about buying. It's something we've went back and forth on. We knew we'd be in Washington for at least 3-4 years and the time felt right to do something a little more stable and enduring. After looking at several houses we found one we couldn't stop thinking and talking about.
A few days passed and we found ourselves standing in the blinds section of a Home Depot accepting a counter-offer on that very house. We're slated to close in mid-December. It's a little scary but very exciting. It's scary for our families because buying a house feels like an extremely permanent thing to do. And like I've told them, whether we're buying, renting, or living in a cardboard box, we'll be there for the same amount of time no matter what. And in that time I'll be painting some damn walls.
Right now I'm just happy and relieved to be on the other side of this deployment. People are always saying things to me like, "I could never do it" or "That must be so hard, I can't imagine." It is hard, but you know, in my experience it's not something you come out on the other side of as weaker. It makes a stronger relationship.
If we can do that, then we can do anything.
As much as I hate deployments there is one thing that they give me that is rare to have as an adult. It's the feeling I get when I'm about to see him again after being separated for months. It's like the feeling you have on Christmas Eve as a child. Pure and authentic excitement. Elation. Joy. It causes a commotion in my stomach and stirs my soul. It's intoxicating.
He arrived back at Fort Lewis, Washington and I flew out to see him. After much discussion and thinking, we decided not to bring Violet out this time. It was asking a lot of her to fly eight hours there and eight hours back. Asking her to sit still and do nothing for that long is laughable. The other reason is because Ben and I needed time together, just the two of us. It was what was best for our whole family. It was what was best for Violet. (A thousands thank yous to my mother and mother-in-law for keeping Violet while I was away)
You see, I had devoted all of my energy prior to Ben deploying to being a good mom. And I was a good mom - nay, a great mom. But being a great mom made me a bad wife. I neglected my relationship with my husband for many months. I knew we needed this time together. We worked hard for it. We deserved it. And we owed it to ourselves and to Violet.
So our reunion took place by luggage carousel three in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. He always seems so tall when we've been apart for a while.
We stayed in a log cabin on post. It was tiny and adorable. It was on a lake dotted with ducks and flanked by golden trees and evergreens.
We spent a lot of time watching movies in bed and sleeping. Both of our internal clocks were messed up. When we weren't lounging we spent a lot of time driving around and exploring Washington.
We went to Snoqualmie waterfall about 30 miles east of Seattle. It's a 300 ft. waterfall and we started at the top. The hike down to the bottom was fun, but the hike back up kicked my stay-at-home-mom ass. It was worth it though. My favorite thing was the smell. Yankee Candle needs to step up their game.
We went to Pike Place Market and was able to explore more thoroughly than last time. We also went to the Seattle Aquarium and spent a great deal of time watching an octopus named Delilah eat squid.
Perhaps, the most exciting part of the trip were the raccoons that visited our cabin at night. We were laying in bed watching a movie when we heard a noise at the door. I flipped on the porch light expecting whatever it was to run away. I raised the blinds and there were three raccoons staring me in the face. They would stand up on their hind legs asking for food. Ben cracked the door and they would have definitely come inside (and ripped our faces off, according to Ben). I may have given them some bread, just maybe. On our last night in the cabin we came home after dark and they were waiting for us. We gave them our leftover Olive Garden and wished them good luck in life. Any future tenants of cabin J is going to wonder why it is plagued with raccoons.
We really love Washington. It feels like there's something wild and untamed in the air and it draws me in. We were assigned Fort Lewis once before but then the plans changed when Ben was picked up for flight school. So when a few years passed and we were given the Fort Lewis assignment again it felt like there was a reason. We were meant to live a part of our life there.
Ben will be coming back to Tennessee for a month-long stay over Christmas and New Years. The three of us will be moving back to Washington together at the first of the year. So, one of our goals on my little trip out to see him was to figure out what our living situation is going to be come January. We've always rented and have talked a lot about buying. It's something we've went back and forth on. We knew we'd be in Washington for at least 3-4 years and the time felt right to do something a little more stable and enduring. After looking at several houses we found one we couldn't stop thinking and talking about.
A few days passed and we found ourselves standing in the blinds section of a Home Depot accepting a counter-offer on that very house. We're slated to close in mid-December. It's a little scary but very exciting. It's scary for our families because buying a house feels like an extremely permanent thing to do. And like I've told them, whether we're buying, renting, or living in a cardboard box, we'll be there for the same amount of time no matter what. And in that time I'll be painting some damn walls.
Right now I'm just happy and relieved to be on the other side of this deployment. People are always saying things to me like, "I could never do it" or "That must be so hard, I can't imagine." It is hard, but you know, in my experience it's not something you come out on the other side of as weaker. It makes a stronger relationship.
If we can do that, then we can do anything.
iPhonography
Lovely post, Amanda. Since Kerry and I have never ever liked to spend the night apart, I get the hunger, the longing. Each day I happily anticipate his arrival from Huntsville and from work, even after 29 years together. Love is a many splendored thing.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed your photography. I have missed it.
Love, Emily