After 18 long, trying, beautiful months, Sister Gowens is {finally} home!!
We picked Meg up from the airport late on June 9th and life has been a really fun whirlwind of family visiting, homecoming parties, talks at church, and lots of sister time. That's partially why I've been missing over here for awhile, but I just couldn't justify doing anything other than soaking up the time I had with family I rarely get to see.
Disclaimer before we go any further, if you think this post will be filled with lots of family pictures, you would be wrong.
Who doesn't think to take pictures at important family events?
Yup, that would be me.
^^I love this little crew of ours!^^
I managed a few shots at the airport while we anxiously waited for Meg to arrive. I think my mom said, "She's almost here!" every five minutes to give you an idea of how excited we all were. The day she was coming home I kept feeling so bummed that it would only be our family {plus our close family friend, Ryan} at the airport. I've seen videos of missionaries coming home to crowds of people waiting for them. We don't have a lot of family that lives really close and sometimes I wish I could force all my favorite people to live ten minutes down the road. But, in the end, I can honestly say, our little group of six was just perfect! And we were pretty darn loud too!
Meg was so cute when she finally came through the gates. She kept saying, "I think I'm in shock!" Which is totally understandable since she hadn't seen any family in a year and a half. It was such a sweet moment getting to give her a squeeze for the first time!
P.S.-I made all those awesome signs about two hours before she got home because that's how we roll. I was genuinely concerned that some of the paint wouldn't be dry in time :)
^^Meg was so nervous and sad when she went to be released from her mission with our stake president. She just did not want to take off that badge! It was a pretty tender evening all together.^^
The rest of the week was spent laughing and hearing all of her hilarious missionary stories. On Friday we had a big homecoming party for Meg and invited everyone we know. She had such a great turn out, but I can't say I'm surprised. Meg was such an example of strength and resilience while she was gone and I know she touched a lot of hearts with her weekly emails. If you can't tell, I'm a pretty proud big sister! The night flew by with lots of little treats {I literally ate my weight in cream puffs}, cute babies running around, and lots of quality time with awesome people.
My idea of a pretty perfect evening!
The next day we all loaded up to head to Ryan, OK. My mom's Aunt Rebecca passed away and they had a gathering at her favorite cafe to honor her life. The people in the picture below are my Aunt LeVita and Uncle Rash. They are so so special to me! We spent every Thanksgiving and Christmas at their house growing up and they sort of filled the "grandparent" role in my mind for most of my life. I love getting to see them any chance I get because it's not nearly often enough.
^^And this is my sweet Aunt Mel! She is one of my mom's siblings who came into town for Meg's homecoming. {I'd show you my Uncle Lance, Uncle Paul, and Uncle Ster who also came, but I can't because I didn't take any pictures of them. #strugglebus} Ask me or any of my sisters who we think is awesome and I promise you Aunt Mel will be in each of our top three names mentioned. We just love her to pieces!^^
On Sunday Meg gave her long awaited homecoming talk at church. This is something that each return missionary has the opportunity to do and each time I have the privilege of being there to hear their strong testimonies, mine grows as well. I can't even express how touched I was by the words Meg shared. It was like she was exuding the Spirit with everything she said. I, along with everyone else there that morning, had tears in my eyes more than once. She is just a powerhouse of faith and I think she is amazing.
After she finished speaking, a group of return missionaries and other young adults in the area sang a beautiful song together. And then the tears just weren't in my eyes...they were rolling down my chin and onto my shirt and running my mascara all over the place. It was worth it.
^^We had to have a picture of Meg with Dad in this tie. He wore it every Sunday for the 18 months Meg was gone because orange is her favorite color. It is falling apart at this point! That Dad of mine is seriously the sweetest.^^
^^Only missing Tara Rose! I swear the next time we are all together we are taking 5267 pictures. And squinty eyes, pool cover in the background pics for the win.^^
I'm so grateful for Meg and the rest of my wonderful family!
And I'm especially grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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