For a year, while awaiting the return of her husband who was serving in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army, Misty Shaffer worked hard to lose 150 pounds in order to surprise her husband on his homecoming.

Having weighed about 300 pounds when her husband first left for army service, Misty underwent a drastic change as she committed to losing weight through dieting, controlling portion size, and limiting calorie intake. Slimming down from clothing size 20 to size 7 and from 300 pounds to 150 pounds, she said the process was tough, but is now happy with the results.

This entire weight loss project was kept a secret from her husband, who was away in Afghanistan, serving with the military. Misty made sure to remove any images of her from the internet and would only send her husband photos of her from the shoulder up. On the day he came home at the airport, he was not only warmly welcomed by a group of friends and family but also pleasantly surprised to see his transformed wife.

And the surprises did not end there - Shaffer was also delighted to see her daughter now at age 4, who had grown at least three times in size since he last saw her. While he was away, Misty also bought a new home for her family and fulfilled yet another longtime wish for her husband.

Speaking of military family reunions and surprises, Lt. Col. Will Adams was also recently deployed in Afghanistan and surprised his 9-year-old daughter at a softball game where she made the first pitch.

Alayna Adams, his daughter, ran into his arms as she found out that he was back and disguised as a catcher on the field.