Airport (7.18.10)

Airport.

My Phoenix arrival was nothing short of magnificent, thanks to my absolutely incredible friends and family.

When the wheels of my plane touched the Sky Harbor runway, I will admit, I cried a bit. I was home. Luckily, I was sitting at the front of the plane, so I was able to get off of the plane quickly, and begin my journey through the airport. Sky Harbor is huge! And there were many people in front of me who I probably (definitely) called names in my head because god dammit, they would not move fast enough! I called my dad to announce that I had landed and I was walking as fast as I could through the multitudes of people. “Is everyone there?“ I asked, “Were you able to find my friends?“ “You can’t miss them,” he responded.
I followed the signs to baggage claim, which would lead me out of the terminal, and about ten minutes after getting off of the plane, the end was in sight. The exit by the security gates was within reach, and my heart pounded like never before. Mere feet away stood a collection of my favorite people. I began to run, and as I did, I spotted my dad; they were there, they were really there! As I continued to run, someone yelled “She’s there! I see her!!” and this declaration was then accompanied by claps and cheers, and as I rounded the corner, I saw Jen running at me. We ran towards each other, and for a moment, time moved in slow motion, just like a cheesy romance where the beau and belle run towards each other for a passionate embrace. I threw my backpack aside, and promptly got tackled, which, frankly, is infinitely better than a cheesy romantic embrace. And then… THE FRIEND PILE.
IT HAPPENED.
And oh my word… it was every bit as glorious and magnificent as I could have hope. My expectations were exceeded in spades. Having in the order of ten people pile on top of you is one of the best feelings in the entire world, at least, that’s how I feel about it. This memory will be forever ingrained in my mind, and the soundtrack that accompanies is the laughter of these beautiful people. This moment was perfect.
We got up from the friend pile, everyone still laughing, and I was overwhelmed by the friends who had come to meet me, one by one I hugged them before running to hug my parents and my little sister. I was so overwhelmed by it all, I could hardly catch my breath, and yeah, I was crying. It was amazing to receive such a welcome after not seeing these beauties for a year.
The scene was one of splendor. Those present were my mother, father, and my little sister, Phoebe, Jen, Brian Kelly, Fran, Kalani, Schuyler Graham, Alex Petrusek, and Ash Ponders. Jen, Brian and Schuyler had made signs that I closely examined upon calming down a  bit. Jen’s sign read “Liz Miller! America Missed You! (And we did too!) ” and there was a picture of an eagle that had shed one single tear. Brian’s read “THANKS FOR ESCAPING EUROPEAN PRISON,” on the other side it read “LIZ MILLER SIGN MY CHEST,” with a picture of a treasure chest at the bottom. Schuyler’s had a big moustache drawn on it, and read “ Liz Miller. This EXTREMELY American moustache welcomes you home.” In addition to this, Jen and Brian had made shirts reading “Team Liz,” like the Team Edward/Team Jacob shirts. We caused quite a scene, and in short, my friends are perfect.
A couple of friends had not made it in time to meet us at the gate, and so met us at the baggage carousel. Kiara showed up with her husband Lucas, who is an old friend of mine, and they had brought along another friend of ours, Ashley, who was in town on vacation and I had not seen in over four years. It was such a nice surprise to see Ashley! Alexa then met us at the carousel as well, and with all friends accounted for, we journeyed back to my house to hang out for a while. Anthony and Madeline met us at the house, as they weren’t able to make it to the airport, and the rest of the night was as superb as its beginnings.
It’s good to be home.

The picture below is one that was taken of my friends before the airport. As everyone was involved in the friend pile, there were no photos taken of its sheer resplendence.

And now here are some pictures from the party times at my house after the airport times.

Schuyler and Ash

Kalani, Alexa, Jen, and Fran (left to right)

Alexa, Kalani, Kiara, and Lucas (left to right)

Alexa and me!

Alexa, Jen, Ash and Kalani. ❤

So. Home. It’s good to be back.