She's HOME!!!

Sign Gypsies for the win!

Today is THE day!!! Holy crap! I swear this day felt like it would literally never come and yet, here we are. I didn't sleep much and I paced the floor a lot. I wondered if Brooklyn was sleeping too but I didn't want to risk waking her up if she was so I stayed downstairs and I went through old emails and pictures, I wondered how you were doing on your long flight, and I wondered what it would be like to actually get to see you again IN PERSON! 

Wouldn't you know it but as we were getting ready to literally finish up and walk out the door to the airport I got a text saying your flight had been delayed so now you were going to be home later! Ugh! Do I wait? Do I head out anyways? How was I going to tell Brooklyn that we had to wait even longer? Tyler was so great and said that he would do whatever I wanted but in the end we waited a little longer because there was no reason to just go stand at the airport while you are still flying. Like I could will your plane to go faster or something! Ha.

But...here we are! All loaded up, smiles on our faces, and nerves in our stomachs like crazy! All of the unknown and all of it was coming to an end rather quickly knowing you would be landing soon.

We brought the best version of Elder Garcia that we could for this arrival of yours. He folded up real nice in the car, kept a smile on his face the whole time, didn't fight with Brooklyn, and for some reason he stayed real quiet too. ;) The looks we got from people in the airport were hilarious as we carried him in and got him all set up. I guess we could have drawn a missionary tag on him to make it real black and white but I guess I didn't feel like I needed to? Anyways, I am glad he got to come along on our pickup.

I swear this was the craziest waiting moment in my whole life! Even crazier than the day you were born. Every single time the doors would open I would look in to see if I could see further into the secured area and see you. I watched through the glass windows looking to see a hint of you and your smile. I had tears welling up the whole time I waited! I could not anticipate this moment even if I had literally tried and been shown what it would look like. Brooklyn was just as antsy. She would look just as hard and she would remind me that since she was taller she would see you first. I saw that tv screen that said your flight had landed and yet you still were not showing your face! I started to ask people who were walking by which flight they were on and they said your flight name so I knew you had to be coming around at any second. But then you still didn't!! Where in the heck were you?!

But then there you were! You were really coming through those doors and I simply could not contain my excitement anymore! I ran and met you as you came through and that hug felt like Christmas morning as a kid! I cannot believe you are here and HOME! I didn't care about the rules that the airport guy tried to tell me I had to follow by staying behind a tape line, I didn't care about anyone else coming through the door, I just simply wanted to wrap my arms around you and welcome you home.

Not far behind me was Brooklyn just biting at the bit to get her feet running to you. She has waited for this day since the day you left for Boston! The moment she wrapped her arms around you and let her tears fall will be a moment I will never forget! What a special friendship the two of you have. I pray that it will last into the eternities and this is just the beginning. Tyler was lingering and allowing the two of us to take your time but I know he was just as excited to have a hug as we were. I have a video of you as you see him and you run into his arms as you say "Hi Tyler". I love the relationship that you have with him and I hope you never forget how much he loves you.

This isn't the ideal family picture but I will take it! Welcome home to you Sister Garcia! I love love that you are here and I love that Elder Garcia could be too.

This picture sums up the day. Brooklyn wrapped around you as tight as possible, the Miller clan here in full force supporting like they always have done since day 1, and Avery. This day would not be complete without Avery. She was so excited to get the invite to be here and she was so looking forward to you being home too!

Home. I cannot believe that you are HOME. No more waiting on Mondays to have you say you can call now. No more waiting 7 whole days to catch up. No more wondering what you are thinking, feeling, doing, etc. I could text or call you now anytime I wanted! 

We left the airport and headed to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. You didn't have much to say and I am sure you were exhausted. I think overall the feel inside of the car was just that of 'finally' and 'home'. You weren't overly hungry at lunch and I can totally get that. A long almost 2 days of travel, weird time zone changes, and just adrenaline of it all must have played into that a lot. But you sat and you talked with the three of us about some of your travel day and some of the other missionaries you traveled home with. It was good to just see you and be able to watch you across the table as you shared. I knew that there would be a few people at the house to greet you later so I wanted this moment to last as long as I could make it. You were getting tired by the end of lunch so we packed up and headed home. 

Your adrenaline was on full as we got home but you came inside and just took a look around. It was all home and familiar but it was more than clear that this just wasn't what you knew anymore. There was going to be more acclimating to this being home than I realized as your Mom and so I knew we all needed to approach with caution. You are happy I know this. But as your Mom, there is sadness and trepidation that lurks in your eyes as you realize that the life you have lived the past 18 months is now a chapter rather than an 'in moment' life you are living. 

It is surreal but man alive! What an incredible day to have made it to. I am so proud of you and I am eternally grateful for you and for your selfless service that you have just spent your last year and a half giving. These days will seem like a moment in time but I pray you will NEVER forget your experiences, your feelings, the friends you made along the way, the lives you know you have touched, and the way those same lives have touched you too. You will forever be a light in our home as an example of serving the way the Savior has asked us to. Thanks for choosing me to be your Mom and for being more to me than you will ever know.

I love you to the moon and back. WELCOME HOME!

Mom