I first met Jason and Susan about a year ago, when a mutual friend had passed along my information to Susan. She contacted me to set up a session, and had mentioned that Jason was going to be deployed soon, so she wanted to make sure we could get the photos taken before he left.

It was a perfect fall day in November. As soon as I met Jason and Susan, I could tell that not only were they both amazing people, they were perfect for each other. Luckily, Jason knows all the great photo spots in the area, so he drove us to a few different places. We started off at a park by the water, and were about to head to the next photo spot when he suggested we do a few on the trail though the woods.

Little did I know, Jason was about to propose. Next thing I knew, he was down on one knee. I was SO EXCITED for them! Here are a few of my favorites from that day last November.

Fast forward to THIS November. I knew Jason was due to be coming home soon, and then got a Facebook invitation to his “Welcome Home Party.” I immediately messaged Susan and asked if she wanted me to come to the party to take some photos for them. She thought it was a great idea, and then asked if I would be willing to come to the airport.  She wasn’t sure when it would be exactly, but it didn’t matter to me. There is no way I would miss that!

The day before Thanksgiving, I got the word that his plane would be landing around 11:30 on Thanksgiving Day. I didn’t know what to expect with traffic and whether the airport would be crowded, and I was so worried about getting there on time. I met Susan and some of their family at the airport about an hour before his flight was supposed to land.

The airport was empty. So we waited…which seemed like forever (I can’t even imagine how Sue and the family felt!) We checked the arrival board every few minutes to see if anything had changed. And we waited…..

After about a half hour, Fox News joined us…and we all waited together.

And finally… here he comes…

The happiness, excitement, and love at the airport that day is not something I can even put into words. Tears of joy were spread all around. It was a Thanksgiving to be truly thankful <3.

Jason, thank you for your service. Welcome home.