Welcome home Elder Southwick!

I can't believe it! 2 years! I know we were incredibly spoiled to have our missionary son, Dallin, come home for 6 weeks after only 9 months into his mission, but those 2 years still seemed like a long time. We were more than excited to have him home and have all the family together again. The week leading up to his return was busy with preparations. In fact, from now until school starts, it seems like we've over-planned ourselves! Haha! I guess that's how it goes. Everything seems to get shoved into just a few weeks.  The kids made posters in preparation for his return while I decorated and got ready for an open house we were hosting in his honor the night after he got home. We knew other family and friends would be just as anxious to welcome him home, but the day he returned was just us! Laurin worked that day so she wasn't able to join us at the airport, but Jeff, Danny, Jonas, Amber, and I were anxiously awaiting his arrival at the airport. (And wouldn't you know it...he was one of the last ones off the plane!) I'm not sure who was more excited the kids or me. I was that mom who didn't think she would get so emotional but totally did! Danny decided to dress up in his inflatable dinosaur costume for an added surprise. Dallin looked a little shell shocked but very happy. We quickly grabbed his bags then headed to a restaurant in SLC to meet up with Jacob, Laurin, Casey, and Carter for dinner before Dallin needed to meet with the stake president to be released. 

I am grateful that we had the one evening to ourselves because since then, it has been a revolving door of friends and family. The next morning, we took Dallin and a few of his friends out on the boat. Dallin was more than ready to test out his water skills. Sometimes missionaries come home a little disconnected from what we consider "reality". I think Dallin connected pretty quickly. He realizes that life is just a series of different chapters and he gets to start writing a new one. I'm grateful that he wants to carry over some of the habits he gained on his mission all while realizing life will be different and that's ok. I am proud of Dallin. I am proud of the man he was, the man he became, and the man he is still becoming. He truly served with all his heart, might, mind, and strength. He touched so many people in both the Dominican Republic and in Tennessee. Since his return, it's been both exciting and a little sad to see how much he has grown and matured. He doesn't need his parents any more. He is fully capable of maneuvering through life. That doesn't mean he won't make mistakes, but he doesn't need us to hold his hand as he starts his adult life. I'm not sure if he'll ease into the adult world as easily as he eased back onto a wakeboard, but I'm sure he'll have fun with the exhilarating jumps and be positive about the body-bruising crashes. We had a blast on the boat that day! It was fun to see him interact with his friends again...and to catch up with them. He had an awesome group of high school friends...many of whom served missions and have since returned. I am excited for all of their futures!

Tanner Dehart, Tyler, Dallin, Tiffany Nelson, and Emily Parrish

That evening, we hosted an open house. Many of his friends and several family members came over to welcome him home. I was horrible with pictures though! I got too caught up in greeting friends and family that I didn't remember to take as many as I probably would have otherwise. Still, it was great to see so many people who love and support Dallin. This next week will be crazy as we work to get him a car, solidify a job, and start to get him settled into an apartment in a couple of weeks. I think I'm going to need a vacation soon!