Welcome Home, Marine! | Camp Pendleton Military Photographer | San Diego Military Homecoming Photographer | Alicia Q. Photography

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At this very moment, I’m sitting at my desk with a cell phone next to my keyboard and a snoring 3 year old in my bed.  This seems to be the routine since my husband deployed.  I struggle all day to keep my son from destroying the house too much, I find a few moments here and there to get some work done, I run errands, I cook and clean, and then I look at the clock and realize it’s nearing midnight.  That’s when I settle in at my desk to tackle my inbox, edit and prepare for upcoming sessions.  Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed I don’t know how I’ll get through the next day.  And then there are times like right now when I look at the images from a homecoming I’ve shot and I think to myself, “Wow. I have no room to complain.”

If taking care of one child and running a business is tough, I ought to try walking a day in the shoes of someone like Stephanie, who managed to maintain her home while taking care of two very young children while pregnant.  Looking at these photos again is a reminder of the strength and will of military wives.  Even though I am one myself, I’m still in awe of the ladies who handle deployments with courage and optimism and class.  Stephanie is one of those women I admire.  I wish I was as half put-together as she appeared to be as we waited for the buses to arrive.

Here is her family’s homecoming story as told through the images I captured that evening.  Enjoy!