While he was there he was fourteen hours ahead of us which made communicating pretty difficult. When he was up we were sleeping and vice versa and the in between times he was either working or on a plane. That fact made it the longest and loneliest week. We always have a hard time being apart but not being able to talk as much as we wanted to made it a pretty rough week for the both of us. He was homesick and even though I was home, so was I! It is very true when they say home is where the heart is.
He did have the opportunity to experience a new place and a new culture and opportunities like that rarely come around and for that he was excited and I was excited for him. He saw a beautiful garden, happened upon a cultural parade and witnessed a different way of living. He was limited since he does not speak Japanese or Korean and he was working a majority of the time but he was still able to experience some of the culture which was pretty exciting.
When Dustin is gone I am always reminded how awesome my family, friends and church family are. They are always looking out for the boys and I, inviting us over and checking in to see if we need anything. I joked with Dustin that if it snowed while he was gone I would have twenty people in our driveway shoveling snow, we had that many offers. And going to church is less stressful because there is always someone willing to sit with me if my parents can’t and help me cart the boys in and out. We could not be more blessed with a bigger or better support system.
The evenings and weekends are always the hardest but because of all the awesome people in our lives the boys and I were able to keep ourselves busy with family and friends.
The evenings were spent with friends but the Saturdays we spent at my parent's house. The boys had fun hanging out and playing with their Grandparents, Uncles and Aunt. They get so spoiled when we are there but they love every minute of it and honestly, it was a nice break for me.
Dustin was gone on Valentine’s Day so Everett, Reid and I celebrated the day with my family.
My mom has always made Valentine’s Day special and since we couldn’t be with Dustin I was glad that I was able to go “home” for the holiday.
Not to mention she made spaghetti which, Dustin isn’t a fan of, but is a favorite of Everett and I. We actually had it twice while he was away! One of the very few perks while Dustin is away is eating meals he does not like and being able to be more lenient with the housework.
And when we weren’t hanging with family and friends we were keeping each other entertained at home.
After the longest week ever it was finally time for Dustin to come home. He was scheduled to come home at 11:30 Sunday night but the flight taking him into the United States was delayed and he missed his connecting flights. He found another flight which would get him home at 10:30 on Monday morning but an hour into the flight a gentleman passed out and landed on a Flight Attendant breaking her leg. A crazy situation that caused the pilot to have to turn around and head back. He missed his connecting flights again and had to find yet another flight. Finally, after fifty-nine hours of various flights, delays and layovers Dustin landed at BWI at 4 PM on Monday. The boys and I very excitedly drove the hour and half to pick him up and bring him home. It was supposed to snow so we left a little early and were at the airport for about an hour before we saw Dustin.
Despite the wait the boys did great! It is always at airports and doctor’s offices that I am very thankful we attend church so often. Obviously it was wonderful for spiritual reasons but teaching your children to sit still for two hours three times a week really comes in handy!
When Dustin walked through the gate at the airport and Everett saw him he hesitated for just a second and then walked as fast as his little legs could carry him with his arms outstretched. When Dustin picked him up he snuggled right up to his dad for the longest time. It was so sweet and special for Dustin and made his homecoming even better. And Reid man greeted him with his trademark big smile.
We are so glad that Dustin is home! Everything just feels right when he is back and our little family feels complete again. And so until the next trip our little family of four can go back to enjoying being together.
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