Reunited, and it feels so good

No California pictures yet... I have nearly 100, so it's going to take me a while to sort through them all. In the meantime... a story, to tide you over.

Since my flight was getting in at 11:30 PM on Saturday night, we made arrangements for Ari to spend the night at Pastor and Dawn's house. We figured that made more sense than Tony having to wake her up to come get me. And we'd see Pastor and Dawn at church the next morning, so all they had to do was bring her with them. I was thrilled to see Tony at the airport, but it felt a little weird to know I'd have to wait until the next morning to see Ari.

We got to church around 9 AM, as usual, and started setting up for the service. By about 9:45, I was on stage with the Praise Team, practicing the songs for that morning. Around 10, I saw Pastor and Dawn's van pull into the parking lot. I waited until I could see Dawn and Ari through the glass doors, and then I abandoned the Praise Team to greet Ari.

I was waiting inside the door when Ari walked in, already crouched with my arms outstretched. She walked into my hug, and when I scooped her up, she immediately said, "Daddy?"

"Daddy went bye-bye--he'll be back soon," I answered. (He had run to Wal-Mart to get a few things.)

We walked down the hall together, and as Ari spotted all her little friends, she started calling out their names. "Ty-Ty! Molly! Abby!" When we entered the hall, I put her down, thinking she'd probably want to play with them, like she usually does.

Instead, she turned to me, raised her arms, and said, "Up, up." I picked her back up, and she nestled her head on my shoulder, and remained that way for at least 5 minutes.

I rejoined the Praise Team and continued singing, while marveling at Ari's reaction. She is normally much too busy for cuddles like that. I squeezed her close, knowing that the moment would quickly pass. And sure enough, when she'd had her fill of snuggling, her head popped up and she asked to go play. I helped her step down from the stage and smiled as she dashed off to play with her friends. That 5-minute cuddle was all the proof I needed that she missed me as much as I missed her.