Welcome Home

Army

At the airport, there were a bunch of people with "welcome home" signs waiting to see their loved ones. The first one that I saw was this father in an army outfit being greeted by his wife and little boy. It was a tender moment. When I saw the wife's face, I started to tear up a bit. I'm not sure what he did to serve our country but I cannot imagine knowing that whenever my husband left for work that that may be the last time I see him. I'm so grateful for those who serve for our country and sacrifice their lives for me and others.

Missionary

This was a very tender moment as well. There were four boys that all came home from their missions tonight. Meghan and I heard a bunch of screams and we were lucky to catch it in time. The boys all held each others hands in the air and walked together to their families. I really wish I took out my camera because it was so cute! I cannot imagine the feeling of those missionaries when they see their family for the first time. All they got to see of them were pictures via email. They only got to hear their voices through the telephone twice a year. They also got emails once a week but, after a while, you tend to forget the voices of your loved ones so when reading they just become a sheet of words and nothing more. I get to have the chance to talk to Paul on Christmas day. I was really excited about when his mom invited me to come over but I honestly hadn't thought about it until Meghan (my roommate) mentioned it to me today. With finals and everything...it just wasn't on my mind. I think I'm going to cry whether I get to talk on the phone with him or skype. Actually, I know I'm going to cry. I'm not sure if he would...I think if we were able to skype and he saw me crying then he probably would start to cry too haha. I cannot believe in 10 months he's home...in 10 months he gets to be welcomed back by his family. CRAZY!

I also started to think about myself. If I serve a mission, I'll be greeted by my family at the airport when I came home too. I cannot imagine the feeling of seeing my family for the first time after 18 months. Especially with everything that has been going on lately...I wonder how they would react. I wonder if me serving a mission would help them come back to church. I wonder if it would ruin things. I wonder if it would even make a difference. I want to serve a mission for myself of course, but, I can't help but hope that it will bless my families lives. I really hope I get to serve a mission in a little over a year from now.

My Welcome Home

It feels so good to be back in California! I was writing in my journal on the plane ride home and kind of got emotional. This is going to be a very challenging semester home and I think I was getting a little scared/overwhelmed by it all. It was nice to see my daddy and Richie at the airport though. I've missed my family a lot this semester out of all the others! I think with the fact of everything that has been going on contributes to it as well. It's going to be nice to be able to spend time with them. I love my family so much!