Saturday morning came quicker than any of us wanted.  We really enjoyed spending time with family and they helped us catch up on some much needed rest.  We threw everything into our suitcases (note - after the 5th time of packing them on the trip, we didn’t really care what went where - as long as it all made it home), said goodbye and headed off the DFW.  Aunt Tricia gave us an extra bag in case were needed to re-distribute items to even out the load.  It was a good thing she did - we had to open up every single suitcase right there in the terminal for everyone to see our unmentionables and cram them into the duffle bag.  Pleasantly, this was the only stressful moment at the airport.  We discovered a trick to flying through DFW:  travel on a Saturday at noon during a holiday weekend - no one else seems to think that is a good time to travel.  There were no lines and all of the security people were in a good mood.

 

Mom and Dad waited at security as we stripped down and emptied all of our electronic equipment.  It must have been entertaining for everyone to watch.  For a short moment, the only place to put Elliot was in one of those plastic bins meant to go through the X-Ray machine (he barely fit...in the tray - not the X-Ray machine....we are not that curious about what makes him so heavy).  The security guards helped us move all of our belongings to a side table so that traffic could continue.  Wow, that was so much nicer than going through security on a busy morning.

 

As we waited for our plane, Micah played with a balloon and all of the pay phones.  He seemed to enjoy taking all of the phones off the hook.  I chuckled and so did the several other passengers who were waiting.  We boarded the plane ready to travel but had to wait 45 minutes because the jet’s gyroscope was not functioning.  I don’t know exactly how the gyroscope plays into the navigation, but I can imagine that it is important, so we didn’t mind waiting....except that Elliot and Micah were ticking time bombs (I know, you are not supposed to talk about planes and bombs in the same sentence....I kept it in my head).  We finally taxied out just about the time Micah hit a brick wall.  I would have thought that he had ear troubles if it were not for the fact that he acted so horribly at the US Embassy last week.  I guess he was more ready than all of us to be home.

 

After another short (but long because Micah kicked and screamed the entire way) flight from Dallas we finally landed in Nashville.  We were greeted by several friends as we exited airport security - it was an awesome homecoming.  Chris and Lindsey brought a cake and we all savored the moment right in the baggage claim area.  I can now add that to my list of achievements.  It was truly magical.  We hugged and told stories and forgot about the hundreds of strangers around us.  We were in our own little world with our best friends.

 

I piled up the luggage and pushed it out into the cold as my body tried to remember how to stay warm.  Chad helped me pack our bags like sardines into my little Ford Escape.  Now I know what people get mini-vans.

 

We were all starving so we decided to get a late lunch.  After three weeks in Guatemala, nothing brings you back to reality like a big plate of Mexican food....lol.  Seriously, Cozymel’s is one of our favorites....so, we HAD to kick off our homecoming accordingly.  Most everyone came to eat with us, so we had a table for ten.  Both Micah and Elliot ended up filling their britches with remnants of Guatemala, so the meal was quick but fun.

 

Chad, Teryn, Chris, Lindsey and “La” came over to our house to help unpack and get things organized (and have some fun).  When we pulled into the driveway, there was a sign on the front porch that Cathy and her sons had made for us.  It was so exciting to be home!

 

We watched a slideshow of our trip for a couple hours as we laughed about our difficult times.  It truly is amazing how a short week can transform horror into comedy (perhaps I have a sick sense of humor).  The boys still had diarrhea, I still felt like my respiratory system was going to give up at any moment, Amelia was sinking fast.....but we were home.  Thank God we were home...and we have some incredible stories that our grandchildren are going to love someday!

 

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers.  We couldn’t have made it without you!