I grabbed a muffin and sat on the couch waiting for President Winegar to tell us it was time to leave. Everyone was walking around like zombies. It was probably because no one got any sleep.
I was in the car with Sister Winegar. It was so humid outside. I remember thinking how my hair would turn into a huge puff of curls.
When we arrived at the airport, everything went fast. We had to take out any liquids, lotions, perfumes and put them into sandwhich bags. Before I knew it, I was hugging Sister Winegar goodbye and waving goodbye to President Winegar.
There were 3 other elders on my flight. I was sitting next to Elder Aaron Hughes (not by choice, as that was how our seats were arranged in the mission office). He looked pretty sick, too. I didn't blame, him, though. I felt the exact same way. There was something wrong with the plane, so our flight was delayed 2 hours. I remember falling asleep on the window. I was so tired and so emotionally exhausted.
When the plane finally took off, I knew there was no turning back. I was officially saying goodbye to New Jersey, and to my mission. I probably cried.
When we landed in Salt Lake City, the airline gave us vouchers for lunch. We took them gratefully and headed to find some place to eat. As people walked by, they would ask if we were coming or leaving. I thought that was interesting.
We were on standby because we had missed our original flight. We were told that we probably wouldn't make it home to California until later that night. As you can imagine, we were very sad.
From left to right: Elder Jesse Bedke, Elder Aaron Hughes and me
So we sat and took a picture because we were so exhausted and by now, going home didn't sound that bad anymore. It was better than just sitting down with our luggage. Me and Elder Hughes heard our names over the intercom so we went to the gate they told us to go. The worker said that she was able to pull some strings and get us on the next flight out! She said that she knew we just wanted to get home. We loved her!
The next hour we found ourselves boarding our final plane home. It was exciting and nerve wrecking. It was also a jet. I had never flown a jet before. It was tiny! But I didn't care. I sat next to a man that I shared the gospel with. He had tons of questions. It was nice to have a last missionary experience while still set apart.
When our plane landed I think I started to have a panic attack. This was real. It was actually happening. I was going to see my mom and family again.
We walked slowly toward the front. Elder Hughes was just as nervous as I was. We decided to poke our heads over the balcony and we heard screams from both of our families. We smiled and waved and then went down the escalator.
It was beautiful. I loved seeing my family. After the million hugs we received, we finally left. I got into the car and as we drove off, they put music on. It was very weird for me to listen to music. In our mission, we were not allowed to listen to any kind of music while the car was running.
When we got home, I just sat on my couch. People were everywhere. I felt like they were staring at me and I didn't know what to do! I put my luggage in my sister's room. I remember thinking how weird it was for me to finally be back in my own home!
Later that night, we headed to the Stake Center so that I could be released. I had been dreading this part my entire mission. When we arrived, Sister Gray came out of one of the rooms and gave me the biggest hug ever. It was so good to see her.
The meeting with President Albrecht wasn't at all what I expected. He read something that my mission president had sent. It was a beautiful letter. It also had my release papers. He then said that when I got home I could take off my nametag, and that would be official release. I shook his hand and left.
Back home, I stood in front of the mirror and looked at myself one last time as a full time missionary. I had on my skirt suit that I loved. I took off my name tag and set it down. That was it. I was officially done.
That Sunday, I gave my homecoming talk. I spoke on the love of Christ. I shared some mission stories. Afterword, I was introduced to the missionaries of the ward. I actually said, "hi elders, my name is Sister Ramirez!" They just looked at me. I kind of laughed it off, but I was so embarrassed. Later that day I even answered our home phone, "Good afternoon, this is Sister Ramirez, how can I help you?" I was just so used to saying those things!
About a week later I had to report my mission to the stake. That was so scary! I mean, it wasn't, but it was at the same time. I entered a room that was filled with men from the stake. I sat near the front of the room and reported about my mission. It was an amazing experience. It was my time to talk about my mission.
It did take a long while for me to get used to the fact that I was home. I couldn't sleep past 6:30am for the longest time. There were times when I started crying because I missed my mission so much. I remember one time we sat down for dinner and after the prayer, I started crying. I felt so lost. My poor mother thought it was her fault and I didn't like being home--but it wasn't that at all. I just didn't know what to do with myself.
But I overcame it. Life obviously has been much better. My mission will always be a part of me. Not a day goes by that I don't think about it, or I don't share something with Matt. I loved my mission.
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