I am sorry it has taken so long for me to finally sit down and write this blog post. It is THE POST that I waited almost a year and a half to write. I had the privilege of picking up Mr. Gizzo from O'Hare Airport on Saturday, Feb. 9. It is hard to believe that he has been back home in Waukegan for almost a month.
Though I was envisioning a reunion made for the movies, somehow I missed seeing him at his baggage claim where I had been waiting since before his plane landed. I eventually got a call from him from outside where he was waiting for me. I have no idea how we missed each other, but I was relieved to hear his voice on the phone because I was starting to get worried something had gone wrong in Houston where he went through immigration and caught his connecting flight.
After we finally found each other, we made our way to Raul's parent's house. Though we had told them that he would be home soon, we did not tell them the exact date because Raul wanted to surprise them. And, surprise them we did. When we pulled up to the house, we saw the cars of his sisters and their families as well. They were at his parents' house celebrating the birthday of his brother in-law. Raul walked into the kitchen and everyone turned silent. They looked at him, then each other, then back at him, and one by one the women in the family began screaming. It was priceless. We spent the rest of the evening at his family's house before we headed back to my roommate Jen's place where we spent the night.
The next day, Sunday, we headed to church where Raul again was able to surprise more than a few people. It was fun to see everyone's smiles when they saw him, especially the youth at the church. I was busy the week before organizing a welcome back party for him. We had an "All-American" menu --fried chicken, mac and cheese, potato salad, and apple pie. If anyone needs a recipe for mac and cheese that feeds 100 people, I have a good one!
We're now settling into this new chapter of our marriage where we actually get to live together. For now, we are living with Raul's parents. The plan is that when Raul gets some steady income, we'll be able to save some money and buy a fixer-upper home. He was able to get in a week doing carpentry work with his former boss, but we are not sure if he will be able to get on full-time with him again. We should know in a few weeks.
These past few weeks have flown by. I've been busy with a modular class and lots of church meetings since our head pastor recently resigned. Raul has been busy meeting with old friends and hanging out with the family. He's also looking forward to working with the youth at our church again.
Right now, we are in Iowa celebrating Raul's return with my mom and the rest of my Iowa family. Raul has been entertaining the family with his stories about being a comandante (volunteer police officer) and his other adventures in Mexico. What a blessing it is to have him home.
Thanks again to everyone who prayed Raul home. Please continue to pray for us as we try to figure out what God wants us to do in this next chapter of our lives. Praise the Lord that we're fairly certain that this next chapter of our lives will take place in the U.S.A.!
Though I originally started the blog to update you all on everything immigration related, I hope to continue to blog from time to time to share what we Gizzos are up to. Until next time....
