While, some people gathered with friends and fam to BBQ, watch the parade and fireworks show, it was a normal weekend here at the farm in Eastern North Carolina. I mowed and trimmed the acres, organized the stable, mended some fence and picked up Ex who’d been working in Afghanistan for the past 7 months. Yeah so the last little bit wasn’t your average weekend but it was definitely a welcome task to add to the to do list. I loved that he made an “I ♥ HorseGirlTV” sign to take photos in Afghanistan with and I’m looking forward to seeing that photo off Walter’s camera. It was hilarious that he trekked all the way back with it and I just had to grab a photo of him with it stateside.
The welcome home “event” was a weird experience for me to say the least. The battalion prepared this event like a carnival that was mostly surreal to my non-military past but it seemed that the kids (and subsequently moms) enjoyed the carnival like bouncy houses and games that were offered.
The long and the short of this deployment, which I’ve never mentioned to fans until now that it’s over, is it was the LONGEST 7 months of my life and I don’t wish that experience or lifestyle on anyone EVER. It’s been fun just getting to spend time with my partner again hanging out and hearing stories of him seeing horses grazing in the fields with no fence, no halter and seemingly no person managing them as well as all the cats they had in their camp area.
Welcome home Ex! Now let’s hang out working around the farm and enjoy morning weekend coffees of the patio together!