Welcome home Mike!

      December 22 found the entire Ethington clan anxiously awaiting the return of our long lost brother, Mikey. (Or Elder Ethington, as he preferred to be called.) We crowded around gate B5 to see if he would actually come off the plane. Suddenly, he seemed to materialize out of thin air. We didn't recognize him at first; Laura thought it was some hot guy and was thinking about getting his phone number when someone screamed, "Mike!!!". He didn't even flinch. Someone else screamed, "Elder Etinton!!!" (Spanish pronunciation added for the effect) and his face broke into one of those famous Michael grins. You know the one. The same grin he used on Mom and Dad to get out of trouble when he had done something terrible. The grin none of the rest of us ever really mastered.

      The grin faded into a look of shock and surprise, however, as Audra, in her excitement, let out an inhuman shriek and ran at poor Mike like a linebacker. Lucky for him, the two years in Montreal had turned his body into a well oiled machine of lean muscle mass, and he was able to stay on his feet long enough to take the blows of the remaining 12 of us.

      So there he was, in the flesh. It was amazing. Cameras started flying, and some passersby mistakenly assumed we were a group of flash-happy tourists. But we were not alone. The terminal was packed with nervous families awaiting the return of their missionary sons and daughters. Just when we were beginning to realize that he was back, Dad whisked him off to the baggage claim. The rest of the day was a mind-numbing blur of food, traffic, lights, mass transit, music, applause, cheese dip, and fun. Just like the good old days.

 

Here's mike with Travis, Adam, D.J., Ashlee, and Dad.
We thought it would be a pretty good gag to all wear one of his ties. He just thought we were nuts.

 

 

Here he is with those famous raspberry filled Hostess donuts
they make in Kansas City but don't sell anywhere but Utah. (We know this through painful experience.)

This page was last updated Saturday, March 17, 2012 11:29 AM by Scott Ethington