there you go...

what a weekend. there are no words for how i have felt the past 3 days. euphoric is a good one. just to recap a little. if i don't write it down i will forget. we were late getting to the airport! his plane got in early and we hit major phoenix traffic including an accident on the freeway. i remained pretty calm though! he was already at the baggage claim and i got to see him before he saw me. he is so skinny!! i thought he would have gained weight but he rode his bike everyday. he looked exactly the same. he said haley was the only one that looked the same to him--everyone else looked different.

then we went to wait for brianne and jeff. they flew in about an hour and a half after him. what a fun time to see brie and her brother!! then we left and stopped at red robin and had a very late dinner and then went home--it was after midnight and my son had now been up at least a good 24 hours.

the next day we just all kind of hung out. at 5 p.m. we went to the stake president's office so dallas could get released as a missionary and waited and waited and waited. i guess there had been a mix up about him being there to release dallas. fortunately his counselor came in and saved the day. we all went in to his office where he had dallas tell a little about his mission and some of the experiences he had. then he had him stand up and asked me to come forward. then he told dallas that he had the authority from the first presidency to release him from an honorable mission. all up until this time i had not cried or been emotional. but the counselor got tears in his eyes when he was saying this and i just lost it. i was crying and an emotional wreck! then he had me take his name tag off and it was official. my son is not a missionary anymore. dallas told me later that when i took the tag off it felt as if his heart fell. i am sure for him that all he has known for the last two years is being a missionary and then that is taken away. but i was so proud of him! my heart was so full of love and pride and joy. then the counselor had him bear his testimony in italian and i lost it again. i wish i could freeze that moment in my head. so joyful and happy.

then mother's day! what a fun treat. best mother's day in history for sure. brianne made me chocolate waffles for breakfast. they let me sleep in and i was a wee late for church!! brianne came in and helped me teach my primary class and jeff scored me a cherry cheesecake dessert from the YW! then we went home and i opened gifts and then took a nap. and then right before lunch jeff took me and the family into the office and played a cd for me. one that he had made using a video and recording each child's reason why they loved me as a mother. at the end there was a picture of all of them with a happy mother's day. it made me cry again!! i wish i knew how to load it on here--i would. so sweet! what a day having all my kids here and future son-in-law! then we ate and rushed jeff and brianne to the airport.

now all i have to do is get ready for a wedding!!! simple! ha ha
i hope all of you had a great mother's day!!! love...L