Predawn phone call

Braeden flew to Virginia today and he got to call us from the airport.  He sent us an email saying he would be calling in the 6:00 hour.

Yesterday I visited my grandma and I was telling her about it.  I said, "I'm going to make sure and set my alarm so I'll be awake!"

She laughed knowingly and said, "You don't need to do that.  You'll think about him all night."

Well, I think my grandma cursed me.

I could not sleep.  I kept thinking about Braeden and him getting to Virginia and wondering how it would all be for him.  I would drift to sleep and then wake up thinking about him. 

And I was awake before the alarm.

Emma and Mark stumbled into our room like it was Christmas morning (we always convene on our bed before going downstairs).  We sat by the phone (both my cell phone and our home phone just in case) and waited.

Finally my cell phone rang.  Once.  Then nothing.

I quickly called the number back.  No luck.

We waited some more and it was almost time for Braeden to board his plane.  Would he call?  I pictured him panicked and unable to get his phone card to work.

But then he's Braeden and he's never met a stranger.  He asked someone to use their cell phone and he called us.  It was wonderful to hear his voice.  He's excited and happy and ready to go.  It was a brief but sweet phone call and then he had to go and I started crying and he started crying and Emma started crying and Adam had to carry responsibility for the good-bye.  Mark patted my shoulder.

He's off.  This time for real.

A few minutes later I got a text on my phone (probably from the good Samaritan whose phone Braeden borrowed).

Adam said, "Oh, the picture is blurry." (I thought it was just my teary eyes.)

I said, "Braeden is huge."  Just look at his feet compared to his traveling companions! 

(But when I look at Adam's feet it all makes sense.)

I told Adam that if he is ever in the airport and sees missionaries, he should take a picture and text their mothers.

I'm pretty sure it made all of our day.