If you've been paying attention to this blog at all, you've noticed a glaring absence of a very special person over the last six months. For various reasons, I have avoided making a clear "announcement" on social media about this season of life our family has just been through.
Ryan was tasked with a six-month deployment to Djibouti.
He left on March 28th and spent his time doing legal work on the Navy base there.
Our time of separation was made much easier by the support of friends and family. But we still missed the man of our house every single day he was gone. And we waited anxiously for his safe return.
Ryan came home on October 10th!!!
It's been a good week to be a Payne =)
On our way to the airport to pick up Ryan . . . (the wind had already taken the "M" before I was able to snap a photo)
Getting ready to head into the airport . . .
Waiting. Is. So. Hard.
WE ARE SO EXCITED TO SEE DADDY!!!!
He was the very last one off the plane . . . Ahhh!!!!
And then . . . THERE HE WAS!!
We made it home and Daddy went straight to work making up for lost time:
The boys played football. It thrilled my heart to watch these guys play together. Rooke talked about playing football with his daddy every week that Ryan was gone.
We celebrated with ice cream!
When we first learned of Ryan's deployment, we prayed that we would be back together by Ryan's birthday. God is gracious, and Ryan turned 36 on the 13th with all of us cheering him on! What fun it has been to celebrate this special, handsome, faithful, loving, hard-working, funny, passionate, intelligent man. It has felt completely normal to have him home again. Almost as if he never left.
Birthday lunch treat!
I promise, we did more than just eat for Ryan's birthday! These are just the photos I happened to take. And he's too good-looking to not share them.
I am so incredibly proud of my husband. We would not choose to repeat a 6.5-month separation. But we would both tell you that we are better for the challenges we faced in this season. God is faithful. He has been good to our family. And we are grateful to be together again!
4 comments:
We're admire all of you for meeting this challenge. Lovely pics of your reunion
Aww :) This is so nice I wanna cry!! I did wonder where Ryan had gone! Figured it out towards the end. Well done Angela. And nice curly hair for the airport too ;) xxxx
What a wonderful way to share such an anticipated time...Ryan's return; complete family together; God's sufficient and never ending grace; football with Dad; and birthday goodness. Blessings on Ryan for his sacrifice and service, and blessings on you, my sweet Angelina, and your beautiful children for trusting in God's faithfulness.
Thank you so much to Ryan (and all of you) for incredible sacrifices for the service to our country. So happy to hear it's almost like he never left. Love the pictures and the one of the garage door made me burst out laughing!
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