Welcome Home Sister Hymas...Oh and Happy Birthday Too

Well, she's home. The 28th of May has finally arrived and the sister is home to stay. Getting ready for the arrival was quite the task: days before now were dedicated to removing every particle of dust in the house, every strand of hair on the bathroom counter, and every crumb on the kitchen floor. This morning I took it upon myself to create the bright, yellow banner that would span across the length of the garage reading the words, "Welcome Home Sister Hymas!" Unfortunately it was slightly destroyed when the sprinklers turned on and a few little birds used the large yellow rectangle for target practice, which transformed it from yellow to yellow with white polka dots. After hours of preparing the house, everything was in place from the pillows on the couch to the arrangements of flowers welcoming her home. Alas, 11:40 a.m. rolled around and we anxiously piled in the car to make the journey to the airport. The fifteen minutes of waiting by the baggage claim seemed to last an eternity but eventually Preston won the prize for the most eagle-like eyes and spotted her first, riding down the escalator. My dear mother got the first hug, as all missionary moms do, and then we all participated in a little embrace-fest: hugs all around. We enjoyed a delicious meal of Andrea's favorite foods, had a little birthday celebration in which she opened presents and we all devoured the most scrumptious coconut cupcakes, each topped with a single pink candle, 24 in all (in honor of her 24th birthday), and listened intently to mission story after mission story. It's been loads of fun to be with her, it seems like she never left, and it's so natural to have her home. It's been 2 1/2 years since the whole family has been together; we've finally been reunited, and it feels so good. Truly the perfect day to end such a long absence of seeing each other. Welcome Home Sis.