There's No Place Like Home

If you've ever flown into any airport, I'm sure you'll know what I'm describing here. Your flight arrives and you head down to baggage claim, you see a family or a group of friends watching the terminal exit, you see the signs and the balloons, you feel the buzz in the air as anticipation builds for a long awaited arrival, and you just keep walking because you know you're not (but wish you were) part of the celebration. Each time I've been lucky enough to catch one of those awesome homecoming scenes, I've secretly wished that I could be a part of it. Well, it was a steep price to pay, but my wish came true!

When we got the green light to come home, our good friend who flew us to Boston, offered to fly us home. What an amazing gift! Boyd, we will be forever grateful for the burden you lifted. He made all the arrangements, and we were on our way. We flew out of Logan International in Boston, and were whizzed right through security in Nate's hospitality wheelchair, saving us at least 45 minutes! One of my biggest anxieties of this whole trip was getting Nate home. Well, Boyd took care of that burden too. We took advantage of our priority boarding status, and to our great surprise, found our seats in first class!  Nate was so comfortable, and had all the leg room he needed! We flew into Washington D.C., and had a very short layover before we took off for Salt Lake City. Nate did really well on the flight, and even slept most of the way.

First Class Baby!

We probably should have been more tired than we were, but we were so full of anticipation that Nate walked right by the wheelchair that came to meet us at the gate and practically sprinted, almost, to baggage claim. What we saw there was a sight I'll never forget. Four of the cutest kids I've ever seen were holding homemade 'Welcome Home' signs and bouquets of yellow balloons. Our two little ones, Sam and Sydney, ducked right under the ropes and ran to us! Seth and Emma were right on their heels. What an overwhelming feeling! They looked so big, and grown up. (They also looked so tan...I could tell they were thoroughly entertained this summer.) Nate's parents were just behind the kids, and my parents also surprised us by coming down from Idaho for the reunion!

  A sight for sore eyes!

   

My parents and Emma

The reunion seemed like we were all moving in fast forward...it was one of those "Is this really happening?", and "Can we just freeze this moment?" moments. We were overwhelmed with gratitude, joy, and love. Like I said, it was a steep price to pay, but it was worth it!

Finally, together again!

 

 

The surprises weren't over either. As we pulled into our neighborhood, there were our awesome friends and neighbors lining the street and cheering for Nate! They had signs, flashlights, and yellow balloons on all the mailboxes leading to our house. Our house was completely lit up! Literally, they turned on our Christmas lights (yes we still have our lights up...bad diagnosis timing)! There were yellow balloons all over our yard, and tied on every tree and outdoor light. Our garage was adorned with 'Welcome Home' signs, and we had kids running along side the car as we drove! We were so surprised! What an amazing feeling. We were both in tears by the time we pulled in. Once again, we were overwhelmed by the outpouring of love.  

We couldn't spend much time outside with friends, Nate needed to rest, but it was something we won't soon forget. It was so good to go inside and cuddle, and hold our kids. I never want to go that long without their hugs and kisses again! While Nate was in the hospital, and especially in the ICU, we couldn't really manage a good hug or a snuggle. When he was finally free from all the tethers, I broke into tears when he gave me that first real hug. I hadn't realized how much I missed his touch, and I literally melted into his arms. I experienced that same feeling with my kids.

It's a little overwhelming to be back home. I realize that life continued on without us, and it's a little tricky to jump right back in. However, my friends have been bringing meals to us since we got home, and will continue to do so this week. What a huge burden they've taken from me! Our yard looks amazing, and we continue to learn of all the acts of service that went on while we were gone. The 12 and 13 year old scouts helped every week with our lawn, along with their adult leaders, and have set the bar really high! I think I needed someone back home updating a blog for me so I could know of all the service that was rendered on our behalf. I'm sure we'll never know of all that went on, and I know that we'll never be able to thank everyone enough.

Love from some of my cute MiaMaids!

Our family has been amazing. They gave up a large part of their summer to watch our kids, drive them back and forth, and just plain love them. Thanks Family!

Nate is doing really well. There's something about being home that does so much for the soul. He seems pretty comfortable, although with Nate it's hard to know because he still hasn't learned to complain. He's eating pretty well, and is getting his appetite back little by little. His wounds are healing well, and we have our first appointment with the surgeon here on Thursday. He hasn't made it back into work, much to his chagrin, but I'm sure he'll make it to the office by the end of the week. He's one determined man. He'll begin systemic chemo in the next month or so, but for now he will  focus on his recovery and work to gain some strength back.

I've quickly realized that I don't have the down time I had in Massachusetts, but I want to continue to update this blog as often as I can. I really hope the content won't be too exciting, and I hope to cut down on the medical lingo as well. Nate's been through so much, and we're both grateful for all of you who've followed him on this blog. We deeply appreciate the prayers, thoughts, notes, packages, support, and love we've received. Thank you for constantly, and consistently buoying us up.