As a Camp Pendleton Homecoming Photographer it is my pleasure to be able to capture families welcoming their own personal heroes home from a deployment. Being away from someone you love is hard enough. Being away from them for 6 months or more, and we're talking nearly unbearable.

Military families are strong and resilient. We are a community that stands by one another and supports each other. We all get it. We all know what it's like. We all have that one thing in common. Things get tough, but we just keep on going... because we have to.

I met Ravan the day Mike was returning from his 6 month military deployment. We drove down to where the homecoming was supposed to be, only to find out that it was being delayed a few hours. This is totally normal in the military life. Things never really go as planned, that's why we have plans B, C all the way through Z already in place. Instead of driving back home at the risk of needing to turn right back around, we decided to grab some frozen yogurt and sit and chat. I loved this opportunity because I got to know Ravan and Mason a bit more. I loved how excited Mason was that Mike was coming home. They already had so much planned out that they were going to do together.

We waited quite a while, which you might be able to imagine was pure torture for Mason. But the reaction I caught when Mike finally arrived was priceless.

I am so thankful that I am able to capture these moments. And I am so thankful for our men and women who serve our country. Thank you!