reverb10: moment

Today’s #reverb10 prompt: 

december 3 {moment}

Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

 
Twenty-ten has been full of so many amazing moments and days, and while I’m sure you’re probably expecting me to write about a particular moment during my wedding day, I’m not. My wedding day was absolutely amazing, but there’s one day that brought me back to reality and made me feel completely alive.

I should’ve been asleep when the clock struck midnight on July 3, 2010, but I was to excited to rest my eyes. My alarm wasn’t even supposed to go off for another hour, but I couldn’t take it anymore. Realizing I was wide awake, the idea of napping was completely out the window. So at 12:07 am I got up, made some coffee, and started getting ready.

I took a shower and felt each water droplet sinking into my body. My nerves were starting to act up, so I tried to let the water pressure soothe me. Once relaxed, I picked up my razor and shaved my legs, one stroke at a time. Weeks earlier, I chose an outfit for this day, so promptly after getting out of the shower, I slipped into the white summer dress the woman at The Loft convinced me to buy. It was July in Georgia, so despite it being pitch black outside, the humidity still clung to my body long after I dried off. But today the sticky, damp feeling didn’t bother me.

An hour later, after I applied my makeup and styled my hair, I was ready to walk out the door. That’s when I realized I hated my new outfit and ran back to my room to change. Like any woman who was unsure of what to do, I changed in and out of two dresses before finally picking the one I felt most comfortable in: a simple black sundress. And with that, I was out the door with my coffee in hand.

I made it to the Air Force base with plenty of time to get lost trying to find my destination. It turns out that driving around a badly-lit base that doesn’t have street signs is a little more difficult in the dark. I may have driven the opposite direction on a one-way street, and I may have convinced two soldiers blocking my route with a hum-vee that I needed them to move so I could go pick up my husband. Instead of answering—or moving—the guards just stared at me. For a second, I thought they knew I went the wrong way on a one-way street. Thoughts of me getting thrown in base jail (is there such a thing?) for disregarding the sign I didn’t see flooded my mind. If it wasn’t for the huge guns they were holding, I would’ve jumped out of my car and wrapped them in a hug when they said I could pass.

I made my way to the hanger and sat in my car for a few minutes before getting out. Knowing my husband would be with me the next time I got in my car was such a relief. I finally stepped out of the car and headed towards the large hanger. As I was walking I accidentally spilled some of my vanilla coffee on my dress and secretly smiled, happy I switched from my new white dress to the black dress. Strangely enough, smelling the familiar vanilla coffee scent helped me relax even more.

Several minutes later, their plane landed and excitement started running through my veins. My eyes scanned each and every person as the troops started filing off the plane; I was searching for my man. Since it was so dark outside and since we were several hundred feet away, everyone looked identical. They were all wearing tan flight suits, beige boots, and camo hats, and I started second-guessing which one was my husband. 

“Is that him? Maybe that’s him!” And finally, towards the end of the pack, I saw him. Our eyes locked and this time I didn’t have anything to say; I just smiled and anticipated his arrival. By the time he made his way over to me, it was the most exhilerating feeling I’ve ever experienced. With his arms wrapped tight around me, I felt complete and whole again. I felt alive.