January 14, 2012 was the best day of my life, thanks to my dad. This day was the day of my little sister’s birthday party. My sister, Keiley, was really upset, because it was yet again another important day in her life that my dad had missed in the last year. My whole family was pretty upset to not have him there. Every holiday or important day seemed pointless when my dad wasn’t around. Regardless, we had a party anyway. My mom had let me bring a few friends to make me happy, and so I could have fun. I was somewhat excited. The party was Glee themed in the glow in the dark room at Pump it Up in Franklin, Massachusetts. Pump it Up is this fun place with a bunch of blow up amusement things, things such as slides, and bounce houses.

On the morning of the 14th, after my little sister stopped crying, we left for the party. Once my family got there, we waited around a bit, waiting for all of Keiley’s friends to show up. When they all showed up, everyone went into the glow in the dark room, and it was pitch black. The guy who worked there somehow expected us to get our shoes in the cubby. After we all found a way to make it work, they expected us to be able to form a few lines so we could all see the room when they turned the lights on. As soon as everybody was all organized and fixed, the worker turned the lights on. As he did, a man slid down the slide. I had forgotten my glasses at home, so I couldn’t see who the man was. I assumed he was an employee, and didn’t pay much attention. Little did I know, it was the man I had been waiting to see for the past year.

The year without him had been a living hell. I was always sad, and held in all of my emotions, making me sick. I didn’t want my family to see me cry, because I wanted to be strong for them. I wanted to be there for them. I saw a lot of doctors, got a lot of blood drawn, and eventually got an endoscopy to figure out what was making me sick. It ended up being my emotions.

Nevertheless here comes this man, sliding down the slide. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEILEY!" he screamed, making me believe even more that it was just an employee. It wasn’t until my little sister ran, screaming "DADDY!", that I finally figured out who it was. I took no time thinking after that, and I ran. I jumped on him, giving him the biggest hug. It felt so amazing, being back in his arms. In that moment, I forgot everything about that past year. None of it mattered. All that mattered was that he was there, and not in Afghanistan. It was the happiest I’ve ever been. He wasn’t supposed to be home until May, but there he was. It was by far the best moment of my life.