A message from Liam.

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So then....

The plane ride was mostly uneventful. We took off almost a half an hour early. Liam didn't fuss or anything! So, of course, right as I was settling into the flight being uneventful Liam threw up all over me. In all my planing to be sure I had plenty of diapers for the trip it had never occurred to me to be sure we each had a change of clothes in the carry on bags! The person sitting next to me (in first class!) slept through the whole thing, which I suppose is good. The flight attendant did her best to help me get Liam and myself cleaned up. Then as soon as the mess was cleaned Liam fell asleep and remained asleep until it was time to land.

The plane landed and we rode a tram to the baggage claim area. As we got to the bottom the escalator going to baggage claim I saw someone I thought I recognized from behind. And I was right. Poppa turned around and it was smiles and hugs all around. We grabbed my bags and Liam's carseat and headed out to the truck.

The two hour drive from the Vegas airport to St. George was mellow. We chatted and Liam slept.

When we got to the house I met Sandy, Lisa's mom, Lisa and Tink.



Tink HATED Liam and barked at him the entire weekend. By the time we left she had tried to bite him!

Anyways. After dropping off my stuff and changing Liam we went out to buy a pack n play for Liam to sleep in and some tennis shoes for me to wear while there. ( I only brought flip flops.)

When we were done with the shopping we headed back to the house and were excited to find that Devon, my 10 year old half sister, and Chase , my 19 year old half brother, were home from school. More hugging and smiling ensued.

That afternoon there was a carnival at Devon's school that Lisa had been in charge of. We all went to the carnival and had lots of fun.

Devon took Liam down a bouncy slide.



We went and had his hair sprayed green like the other kids.



Liam spent time bonding with his new Grandma Lisa.



Chase and Devon had a silly string fight.



Liam spent the rest of the time we were there switching off between his Grandpa and his Uncle Chase.





Then we all headed back to the house and just kinda hung out till it was time to go to dinner. We went to an burger place and I gotta say their burgers were good. Not In-n-Out good.... but good.

After dinner Chase went and hung out with his friends and the rest of us relaxed watching some tv and then headed to bed.

The Most Important Flight.

I did it again. I dropped a bomb and then forgot to come back and do damage control.

So here are the details. On January 6th my brother, Orion, called me and said "you are never going to believe this. I just got a friend request from a kid named Chase St. Thomas who claimed to be our half brother and a message from Richard stating that Chase is in fact our brother and that they will not push contact on us, but that things were not as they seemed and Chase had been waiting his whole life to meet us."

As soon as I stopped freaking out a little I hopped right on to facebook and looked them up. I sent both of them a message asking if they had sent my brother a message, cause if they had... I was the sister of Orion and that made me the daughter/sister they were looking for.

About a half an hour later I was chatting with both Chase in Utah and Richard on the island he was on for work.

Over the course of the next few months I spent every available waking moment talking to Richard. By the end of January I was calling him Poppa like I had when I was a little girl.

I had everything a girl could wish for. I had more family. Family that had always wanted me. Family that, when told I was going to be moving in with them cause my mom couldn't handle living with me anymore, moved things around in their house as fast as they could so I would have a room ready and waiting for me when I got there. Family that waited and waited for me to show up.

I never came.

Now that has changed. I don't know if you know this about me but I have an amazing ability to accept, forgive and adapt. I don't hold grudges. I can't. I have lived through to much. So I decided that whether or not Poppa's story was true (and as it turns out large chucks of it are...) or my moms story she had always told us was true (as it turns out large chunks of it were incorrect.) I was going to let it all go and just love the people God had put in my life to love me.

As the time drew closer and closer for Poppa to come home from the job he was working overseas, he and I began to plan a way that I would be able to come down to Utah to meet my new family face to face. Several attempted plans fell through. Finally it was decided that I would come down the weekend after Easter first thing friday morning and that I would return that Monday. Plans were finalized. Plane tickets were purchased.

This was it. I was going to meet the Step-mom I had a vague idea about. I was going to meet the brother and sister I had no idea existed until January 6th. (yes technically they are half brother and sister, but so is Rachel and that has never mattered so why should this?)

Now all I had to do was get on a plane with Liam (who had to come since he is still nursing). Our bag was packed. We were ready. Owen and the kids dropped me off at Sea-Tac and helped us check in our luggage. We went through the security checkpoint and rode the tram out to the plane. When we got to the terminal the plane was already boarding, so we quickly got on board. I sent out a picture message letting everyone know that we were on the plane and that the doors were closing. Poppa sent back that he was hopping in his vehicle and heading south to get me.

I was committed. No going back now...