December 24th - Our Last Day

Well, we had to be at the airport early because we had to get our tickets, check our luggage, eat breakfast, go through security, and find our gate. So we were up by 7:45 and out of the house a few minutes before 9. I didn't want to leave the house because I had lived in it like it was partly mine for 3 weeks. Blanca got a phone call that morning from Luz Maria saying that they would like to go to the airport with us. That's great!! I would get to see Mariana one more time before I went home. So we all piled into the van and were off to get the Perez'.

There was no traffic on the road to the airport because everyone had left the city for Christmas. It's strange to say that there was no traffic, being that was are in Mexico City.

When we got there, we parked the van, unloaded everything and walked inside. The airport was dead!! It was completely empty! So we looked around and asked some people where we had to go to check our luggage and get our boarding passes. It turns out, we were in the wrong part of the airport. This was the new section and American Airlines was in the old terminal. So we had to load everything back into the van and head off to the old terminal.

After we arrived, we called Gaby to see where she was, but she wasn't answering her phone. So we had to go find a place to eat before we ran out of time. We would have to say goodbye later. As we made our way to the food court, everything started to hit me. We were actually leaving our friends behind and going home. They had become our family and I really didn't want to say goodbye.

Everyone was deciding what they would like to eat when I felt someone smack my rear end. I turned around and saw Pamela start to run in the other direction laughing. I yelled her name and put out my arms. She came running and jumped into them as I flung her into the air. I hugged her tightly asking her where her parents were. She pointed to where they were sitting and I made my way over to hug them all. I was soooo happy we were able to see them again before we left.

We decided to eat in a restaurant on a lower level of the airport. But we had to do it quickly, being that we still had a lot to do before we boarded the plane. The food was fantastic! But what was even better was, we got to share our last laughs together as a family. It was finally time to leave.

We made our way over to security. I hugged Mariana tightly, not wanting to let go. Then I moved to Luz Maria. She began to cry and said something in Spanish that I will never forget. - Well, I will never forget the translation. - She said, "I love you so much and I wish you could stay. May Jehovah be with you and travel safely. Please come back soon. Promise me." I about flooded the airport with tears.

Gaby was the next person to hug. She was holding Emiliano but she still wouldn't let go of me. She said, "Please, tell your parents that I love them so much and give them a hug and a kiss for me." I said I would and told her that I loved her over and over again. She had become my long lost sister over the years and I couldn't bare to say goodbye again. We finally let go of each other and I made my way to Jorge. I kissed him on the cheek and gave him a big hug! I thanked him for everything that he had done for us and told him that we love him. He said that he would see us in Pittsburgh in 25 years. haha That made me laugh amongst all of the tears. Then Blanca grabbed onto me and began crying harder than ever before. She said, "Thank you so much for coming to visit us. We love you so much and we want you to come back really soon. May Jehovah bless you and your efforts. Please promise me that you will be good and you will always stick to the truth. I love you so much!"

I couldn't help but give Gaby one last hug before we left, as well as Mariana. Pamela put her arms around my neck and gave me a big hug and a kiss. She said, "Next time you come, I will get you a lolly pop! I promise!!" Now I really didn't want to leave. Emiliano gave me a kiss on the cheek and a cute little hug. Then we were off to security. As I approached the security guard, Blanca ran up to the rope separating us and said, "MEGAN! Tell Gail and the Blacks I said hi and give them a big hug for me." I nodded my head and said that I would. I turned and waved goodbye to everyone unwillingly. Then, as I went through security, I turned back to see everyone for the last time, but the wall was blocking my view. They were gone and I was on my way home. I missed them already!!!

It was smooth sailing from then on. We went to the gate and boarded the plane at about 12:45 and we were in the air by about 1:30. It took about 2 hours and 5 minutes to get to Dallas. In Dallas we ate at Pizza Hut and waited for our next plane to take us home. As we waited, I couldn't help but call Jasmynne. I hadn't talked to her in 3 weeks and I was dying to hear her voice. We talked for about 10 minutes, but I had to go because the plane was about to board.

It was a short flight home. It only took about an hour and 45 minutes to get to Pittsburgh. The flight was smooth and didn't take long, being that Grandma had me playing Phase 10 the whole time. When we got to Pittsburgh and headed toward the baggage claim, I saw some familiar faces. Mike and Tonia Jenkins were coming home from San Fransisco and we just happened to meet at the airport. It was nice to see some friends back home so soon. We parted and went to find our luggage. It took less than 10 minutes to get it!! The Pittsburgh airport was dead too. Now the only thing we had to do was meet up with Mom and Dad. I couldn't wait to see them. I missed them so much while I was away.

They were already there waiting for us when we got outside. Ah...It felt soooo good to hug them. We took Grandma and Papap home and headed back to our place. We were up past midnight because I just had to give my parents their stuff before I went to bed. I explained so much and told them about the wonderful time that I had. We went to bed at about 20 minutes to 1:00.