The Begining

So here I am only 11 months in to my daughters mission and I finally figure out how to make a blog. (Thanks to my friend Robyn Kailiponi who took the time to teach me.) Needless to say I am very behind but if you know me then you know that being behind is my norm.

In this post I will take you back to the first days after Hula left for her mission. Every post from here on out will be in sequence to the day she left so that even though this blog is behind, you won't be. :)

Tuesday October 8,2013

All day I have had this pit in my stomach. Wishing I could make time STOP! The only comfort really for me is knowing how excited she is about serving a mission.

 Ever since she was little she wanted to serve. Secretly I had hoped the desire would go away. Only because I am selfish and because I couldn't bare to be without her.

When she was 13 she got the opportunity  to go on a week trek to see how the pioneers did it back in the day. The trek was to take place in Wyoming. Well of course I said NO! However...somehow, someway, Heavenly Father made a way for her to go. You see she has always been an ill child. Severe Eczema as well as Asthma and I just couldn't imagine her being all the way in Wyoming and not having some kind of attack. My mind was going crazy imaging all the possible scenario's. But she went and it changed her life. She learned all about the church history, what the hand cart pioneers had to endure and the kind of life they must have had. She came home (to California) with such a positive out look and a renewed spirit. She was healthy the hole time. Not itchy at all and never needing her inhaler. In fact her skin glowed.

Now here we are 6 years later and my baby is leaving me again. Only this time it's for a lot longer. 18 months. All her purple bags are packed and she'll be leaving on a jet plane soon. First stop is to the stake center so she can be officially set apart as a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Missionary. The tears that I had been trying so hard to keep in came pouring out of me. There was just nothing I could do to stop them.

We then made our way to the airport. I refused to let anyone else come to see her off (so sorry about that, I just didn't need you all to see me break down) You are all invited to her homecoming. :)

At the airport we each held her close and forced ourselves to let her go.

One of the hardest things was watching her slowly walk away. I wished so badly that we could have afforded to fly her to Utah. But that just isn't our reality right now. Anthony yelled so loud as she neared the escalator "we love you Hula!" everyone turned to look at our crazy family. I don't think any of them had a clue of what we were going through but no one said a thing to us. I did noticed some ladies with sympathy in their eyes and for a second I thought they get it.

Cali was very sad that Hula was leaving and she did not like me taking her picture. Now that I'm looking back I realized no one got a pic of the two of us saying good bye. Maybe it's for the best. Like I said, I was a basket case. (whatever that means)?
Anthony got this idea that if we drive behind the airport we can see her plane take off. So we hurried to the truck, piled in and raced all the way around the airport to reach the back of it. I stood there holding Cali as tight as I could, willing her to stay young for a bit longer and tried my hardest to stop crying. Her plane was starting to move.

She was off..on her way to Provo Utah to the MTC (Missionary Training Center). We made our way back home, Stopped to grab some ice cream first and went home to watch our favorite family show The Mentalist. I cried some more but more to myself and kept one of her shirts handy. I had survived!
At 3:00 a.m. my phone rang and it was her. Letting us know she was in Utah about to board the shuttle to take her to the MTC. I could tell in her voice she was nervous. Excited too but more nervous. She let me know that I wouldn't be hearing from her for a while and to just know that she will be fine. She told us she loves us. and hung up. Relief flooded over me. Knowing that my baby girl was safe and on her to the next chapter in her life.....