I spent New Year’s Eve in the SLC airport. I cried too. Out of happiness and gratitude. The happiness part was due to us picking my brother up after he served a 2 year LDS mission in The West Indies. The gratitude part came from something I was able to witness.

A big group of people, young and old mixed together, came in with big poster boards and bundles of red, white, and blue balloons. They giggled and talked amongst themselves, I could hear the excitement in their voices. They were here to welcome their soldier home. I heard screams and there he was, luggage was dropped and replaced by bodies trying to hug him all at once. He took his wife in his arms and held her and their small son for what seemed like an eternity, just soaking up their presence. His little boy didn’t leave his arms after that. I sat and watched them and saw this image and it took my breath away. I was all stealth and took the picture, even though after I did go up and talk to him and I’ll be sending him this image and a few others that I took. Watching this homecoming stirred me in a way I haven’t felt in years. And I felt so much gratitude and wonder that we have so many amazing men and women willing to sacrifice time with their families and put their lives on hold while they defend our county, us, and me…someone they’ll never know.
It pains me wishing I could thank every single one of you personally but I do want to show my gratitude by doing this. I’ll be giving away 4 family sessions (immediate family) for free this year to military families.

Please spread the word to your friends or family that may be interested in this. You don’t have to like my fan page on facebook or leave a comment on the blog to qualify.

Winners will receive a free 60 minute family session (up to 6 people), as well as 25-30 edited images on a disc along with a personal print release and a personal online gallery so you can share your images with family and friends. I’ll be randomly picking 4 families on January 31st. You must live within 2 hours of travel time from Cache Valley (Logan) UT to qualify for the contest. Sessions will all need to be completed before the end of 2011.

How to enter into the contest:
Email me at leslie@memoriesinraw.com with your name and where you or your family member has been stationed and a few things about them and your family. Those will be shared in a future blog post.

I’m so excited to do this and have the opportunity to meet a few of the incredibly brave and selfless people serving our country. Thank you. Thank you more than I can put into words!!