He's Finally Home!

"I would wait forever for you, but two years is long enough."

January 2, 2014 is a day I will never ever forget.

It's the day I lost my marbles trying to fathom not being alone anymore, the day I literally thought my heart would beat right out of my chest, the day every bit of the "routine" I was in for two whole years was thrown out the window, It was the day my absolute best friend in the entire world came home from serving a full time LDS mission in Ohio. 

It was the day I remembered why I chose to wait those two years in the first place.

I had been waking up with butterflies in my stomach for the entire week before Hunter came home. But the day of, those butterflies didn't leave after I ate breakfast. They stayed as a constant reminder that in a matter of hours, the heartache would finally end. 

I wish I could say that those two years apart were easy, but they weren't. However, I will forever be grateful that we made it through and that we did it together. We needed that time apart. We needed to learn how to be independent, we needed to learn how to rely on the Lord, we needed to be away from each other for some time to confirm that we need to be together forever, we needed to endure trials and face problems to make both ourselves and our testimonies stronger. 

Do you want to know if you are really supposed to be with someone?

Let them go for a little bit of time. 

It will confirm every question you have ever had.

So back to the moment I woke up...

I couldn't decide whether I was about to cry, scream, or throw up but I'm pretty sure a good combination of all three was brewing inside as I envisioned seeing my sweetheart for the first time in what felt like forever.

I went downstairs to try to eat some breakfast.

My bowl of cinnamon life looked awfully large to my stomach. 

My mind was running a million miles an hour in endless circles.

I cried all morning long...

and I still didn't know what I was going to wear.

If you're wondering at this point, yes I did feel slightly pathetic. 

However, you have to give me some credit given the circumstances.

I mean come on, two years is a realllyy long time. 

So my best friend came over and we put some serious consideration into what I should wear.

I curled my hair, did my makeup, charged my camera, cried a little more, then sprayed some pink sugar right before we left the house.

We headed to party city to buy some balloons and the entire time my mind was elsewhere.

I checked my phone every 5 seconds so I would know right when his plane landed.

We went to his house and tied balloons along the fence.

The banner was hung.

The Ohio State Flag was taped.

I checked instagram to find a picture of him with family members at the airport.

And that was when it really hit me...

He's Finally Home.

I did it.

We did it.

And so the waiting game continued.

I'll just fast forward through the moments that my nerves got the best of me and skip right to waiting on the front porch.

Those last 10 minutes might as well have been the longest moments of the entire wait.

And then I saw headlights coming up the street, and he was in the car, and my heart skipped a million and a half beats, and the tears came and there was no stopping them.

His dad honked the horn and then my best friend in the entire world opened the door. 

He came up the stairs and we reached out for the best first hug I could have ever imagined. 

I never wanted to let go. 

I literally stopped for a second and said "I can't believe you're real!"

I couldn't stop touching him, hugging him, reaching for his hand, and looking into his eyes. 

It immediately felt so natural to be back together.

It felt like he never left.

It was crazy how quickly my entire mind set changed once he was in my presence.
Nothing else in the entire world seemed to matter except for him and making sure he would never leave ever again haha.
So yes, the wait was a hundred and ten percent worth it.
Every single feeling and emotion we left off with came rushing back and that was how I knew that every moment apart was worth it.
He devoted 2 years of his life to serving the Lord and leaving all personal affairs at home.
He served diligently and did all he could to bring souls unto Christ.
He grew to love the people in Ohio and I know he genuinely cares about their salvation.
Even though I swear he was perfect before he left, he came home even more amazing than I remembered.
I'm so incredibly grateful that Hunter served a mission.
I know that it will continually bless our lives and our posterity.

No matter how hard the goodbye was, how long the weeks felt, and how far apart we were...
It was all worth it.
And I wouldn't have traded that time apart for anything.

I FINALLY got the stinkin video to upload.
So, here ya go!
I will cherish this video forever :)


All my love,
Aleigh Joy

ps. if you want to know a little bit more about why Hunter decided to serve a mission for two years go ahead and click right here. You can also request a free Book of Mormon right here! And, if you have any questions for me you can email me at ajoy94@gmail.com or ask right here :)