Finally Home!!

At the airport waiting for Daryl to arrive!

Miss Happy Face

We stood back and pointed Daryl out to Nevaeh. When we put her down she ran over to Daryl and wanted up.

Nevaeh acted like she couldn't believe he was real. She kept rubbing her hand back and forth just below his neck. She stared at him a lot.

Daryl's luggage was soaked clear through. Daryl was telling his Dad about the storm and downpour at his layover. Obviously his luggage was out in it. Fortunately, nothing was permanently damaged.

Waiting to be picked up.

We stopped for supper at the Cracker Barrel.
Daryl said that he wanted something besides fish, chicken and rice!

The older gentleman in the yellow shirt, sitting just behind Nevaeh stopped on his way out to comment that Nevaeh was sitting there like Your Most Royal Highness!

Rob was so excited about having Daryl home that he wanted to decorate and have a family party. He is responsible for the doodads! Rob even baked a Cocoa Cola cake for our party. Yep!! There were presents too!

Checkin' out the cake!

Cool baloons

These guys were so tired but we HAD to have cake anyway! Really, I think it was around 10:00 PM. After a two hour ride to the airport and a two hour ride home, anybody would feel tired.

Then, Daryl was led to his new bedroom. Did he like it? You bet he did. It was so much fun getting it ready. He and Robert actually changed rooms and then the rooms had to have a makeover, of course. Robert likes cowboys, ranching and horses while Daryl likes wildlife and hunting. The brown walls are painted to look like brown leather. I especially enjoy this style of painting.

Two facing walls are "brown leather" while the other two facing walls are painted plain creme. This balances out the walls. Since the carpet it blue, I painted the ceiling a slightly lighter shade of blue but kept it in the same blue family. This balances out the color of the whole room. In time, I may add a wallpaper border on the creme walls at the ceiling if I find something just right.

It was so much fun to personalize the room for Daryl. I ran out of time, so I still have to paint that white register behind the desk and the closet doors need a fresh coat of paint.

Daryl love, love, LOVED the new rocker made from hickory limbs and since this room is a little smaller, it was a better chair choice than the lazy boy he had in the other room. The reason we changed rooms is that Robbie is willing to share his bedroom with another "foster brother" someday. Daryl is almost 16 and rather likes his private space which is okay. It just made more sense to have a smaller room for one guy, and the larger room for more than one guy.

What does Rob's room look like, you wonder?

You'll have to wait till another time. This is Daryl's time!

Boy! Am I ever glad to have my boy back!!!

Though they won't always admit it, because mushy stuff is gross, these guys really do love each other and I think they both missed each other quite a bit. I know Rob just wanted everything to be perfect for Daryl's homecoming!

Before going to bed, Daryl had to get out his guitar and serenade us a little.

It was sure nice to hear that again, too!

I can't believe how much I just missed his voice!

He was singing for us in Spanish here. It was awesome!

Daryl said that he learned more Spanish in the month abroad, than he did in a year of book study.

We'll post some of his pictures later from the trip.

This, my friends, is just one of the many chiggar bites that Daryl got. They were really no big deal aside from the incredible itch but they look awful. Daryl also picked up a germ which causes an issue that makes you run for the facilities frequently. We were advised to take him to a physician, and since the need arose on a holiday weekend, we were told to take him to the ER. He was NOT thrilled about this, but the sooner, the better. As it turned out, his body did begin fighting and was able to resolve itself without drastic measures or IV medication. I am thankful for that!

This is Daryl, sharing in an evening service at our church. He put some of his pictures on a slideshow, and told about some of the places he had been and people he had met and things he had done. I truly believe that this experience has made an incredible impact in Daryl's life already and I think that as he continues to ponder his adventure, it will have a long lasting effect.

I know he is truly grateful for the opportunity to have experienced this trip and we thank you for your prayers and financial support. I know that Daryl is going to try to put together a powerpoint DVD to send to his contributors as his way of thanking you.

I know, I know. It's blurry but I got a new camera and nobody seems to be able to make it focus properly. Daryl sang for the church people in Spanish. He did such a good job in his service. This TLC trip has done so much for his personal confidence and has helped him with direction for his future. I love how God shows himself and proves his caring to young people.

I am so thankful to God for his leadership, his direction, and for keeping Daryl and his team members safe throughout this experience.