Blue skies and first kisses | Welcome Home, Marine! | Camp Pendleton Homecoming Photographer | San Diego Military Photographer | Alicia Q. Photography

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If there is a silver lining to the deployments military families endure, it’s the strange way it strengthens a marriage.  “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” right?  Right.  Oftentimes we take our partners for granted, but when they’re gone for 7 months we miss them, we miss their socks on the floor, we miss their boots at the door and we miss having their warm body next to us in bed.  Counting down to the day your husband comes home is agonizing, but the butterflies that come with the counting are amazing.  Military life is like none other in that it gives you more than just one “first kiss”, more than just one “first date”.  Holding each other close after spending so much time on your own is an unmatched comfort.

I could see Bailey was nervous when we met for her husband’s homecoming.  The buses were actually AHEAD of schedule and the Marines were on their way.  Her nervous stare turned to giddy smiles as we moved toward the sunshine to wait.  I remember thinking how classic Bailey looked standing there with her American flag, navy blue dress and long shiny hair.  She fixed her attention to the north, where eventually the white coaches appeared from a radiant blue horizon. She found her husband quickly once he filed off the bus and I snapped away.  I loved how Bailey’s husband smiled as he tightened his grip and tucked his face into her neck.  I could sense that feeling of comfort blanketing both of them.  I watched the pair from a distance, holding hands, smiling, embracing and looking at each other like they probably did on that first real date.  Homecomings are the prefect catalyst for falling in love all over again.

I’m happy to share their homecoming story with you here, enjoy 🙂