Comin' home!

I think I can truly say that yesterday was the happiest day my family has ever had. Ian came home from his mission!

My stress and fatigue levels are running at an all-time high these days so my emotions were all over the place. I cried when my mom told us his plane had landed in LA so my mom bought me my very own box of Kleenex. We got to the airport in time to see another family waiting at the bottom of the stairs for their missionary and seeing him hug his family set me off too. I was seriously a basket case.

On the escalator. PS look how far back they made us stand. Are you kidding me right now?

Danielle was filming him come down the escalator and hug everyone and she told us that she wished she had turned the camera around because she looked back and everyone that was standing there was bright red and sopping wet. I thought it was hilarious.

Mom got to stand in front of the barrier so she could hug him first.
Again, I can't get a very good picture when I'm standing 100,000 feet away now can I?

I love this kid. I'm glad the picture is from this angle because I was gettin' my ugly cry on hardcore.

Blurry but super cute. Jilly said she wasn't going to be that excited on her wedding day.

Ian's luggage didn't quite make the flight with him, so while we were waiting to get everything sorted out, I went through the bag he had carried for the past year in Japan. I know it sounds corny, but I wanted to see what he had with him on a day-to-day basis. I found this customs form in his wallet and I don't know why but it hit me what a truly foreign country he's been in. I imagined him as a greeny looking at things like that and thought how insanely terrifying that would be at first, and what a BIG step to take for a 19-year-old kid. But, in true Ian fashion he just dug his heels in and went to work. I'm as proud as a big sister can be. Also, I love that he can write all those characters after studying the language for two years. It's so cool!