HOMECOMING!!!

A SWEET REUNION!!

But Rodney didn't just show up at the house---here's our homecoming morning story......

Elizabeth and I got up and ready early that morning, May 31, 2007, and headed down to the base.

We were passing the time enjoying the talents of the Navy Band!!

And then the first ship came in.... the USS Boxer was home!

Then, here came the USS Comstock!!

As we continued our festivities and line dancing, we (the Family Readiness Group Board and Advisors, of which I was President!) were called for a fast walk down the pier (which was not an easy task in heels!!) to board our sister ship just in time to see....our ship!!!

The USS Dubuque is HOME!!!

And there was RODNEY!!!

(signing 'I love you' in the back with his dad standing beside him)

The kicker was--the ship backed in which meant the lei hanging on the bow of the ship which the FRG spent SO MANY (wo)man hours assembling, was not seen by hardly anybody!!! But, that's okay, we sure had fun folding and rubberbanding those plastic bags, stringing those plastic bags on the rope, then fluffing all those THOUSANDS of plastic bags!!! Seriously, we really did have good times at our "Lei Parties" :)

Then, we made another brisk walk (yes, still in heels!) back to the the head of the pier to wait for the ship to be secured for our boarding....

 

There goes the gangway....

Now, since we had so many excited spouses/family members waiting to be reunited with their Sailor, the Command made a wise decision---instead of making everyone have to wait to make the climb to the gangway, they backed in the ship so we could enter through the well deck! So, here comes our walkway!!

Getting it in place...

The final fittings!!!

Now, another benefit to having been the FRG President was that I got to be, not only one of the first people to see the ship pull in, I got to be one of the first people to go aboard!!!

And, of course, Elizabeth was able to go on with me :)

Then, finally, the time to take the guy HOME!! That is, if there's room in the car for him with all his STUFF!!

Along with surprising Rodney with the sign on the garage door (hence the look on his face in the first picture of this post), I had a coordinating sign for the front door!

Now, the sweetest reunion was with Truman!!

See, when Rodney left, it took Truman's body clock awhile to realize that Rodney was not going to be getting home about 3:00; and for days and days and days, Truman would be up on the arm of the couch facing the garage just waiting to hear the garage door going up and the sound of Rodney's motorcycle.... That was SO hard to see :(

Well, another thing about Truman is that when the doorbell rings, he just KNOWS that someone is there to see HIM! So, we used that to his benefit.... Rodney's mom, dad, and I went in through the garage, just like always. Rodney waited a couple of minutes at the front door, then rang the doorbell! Well, of course, Truman knew he had company.... I opened the door and Truman bounded out... Rodney was squated down and Truman sniffed one hand, then the other, and then stood up on his back legs for Rodney to pick him up and started licking and licking and licking his face!!!

Once his licking was complete, he settled into his arms and stayed there as long as possible!

For days and days, Truman hardly left Rodney's side!

And so began our little family's readjustment to being back together :)