On July 16, 2002 I was finishing the last day of my mission. We had just finished teaching the Ramirez family the sixth and final discussion, and were setting up the date and time for their baptismal interviews on Thursday. That Saturday they were going to be baptized as a family. I told them that I wouldn't be there because I was going home the next day. We said our goodbyes and their daughter, Leo, asked when I would come back. I said I didn't know. She asked if I would come back for her wedding, and I said sure. 17 and a half years later, she held me to it.
DeA and I left Chelan at 2pm on Thursday and drove to SeaTac. We boarded our first flight at 10pm and finally arrived in Buenos Aires at 10pm Friday. It was a long time to travel. While we were on our way, the rental car company cancelled our reservation that was already paid. When we landed in Buenos Aires, DeA's body decided that that was the right time to start her period. Oh, and it took two hours to get to the airport Howard Johnson. We stayed at the HoJo because I thought it would be a safe place for DeA's first night in South America. It was not. The first room was missing a toilet seat, it had finger nail clippings on the floor and counter in the bathroom, and the shower was broken. We were not off to a good start.
We finally got to bed after 2am. We had to wake up and get back to the airport by 10 am to get our rental car. The whole process of getting to the airport and renting the car took over two hours, and I'm not even sure why. We were finally on our way to Rosario, we just needed to stop and pick up Leo and her fiance Nacho on our way. We were giving them a ride to Rosario, and then her parents were going to come down from Santo Tome to pick them up. Good maps said they were only 30 minutes from the airport, but thanks to Carnaval it took over two and a half hours.
We finally grabbed Leo and Nacho, and were on our way to Rosario. It was after 3pm, we were five hours into a trip that was supposed to take three and a half and still had three hours to go. The freeway was a lot more peaceful than the city traffic, and DeA finally seemed relaxed. With about two hours to go to Rosario she asked to stop at a bathroom. We looked and looked, but it took over an hour to find one. By then she was more worried than anything else, because of woman stuff. She walked into the bathroom and I immediately heard her start to cry. Not kind of cry, but sobbing and wailing cry. She came out of the bathroom and between sobs said "I have to buy toilet paper and I don't have money and I don't speak Spanish and I hate it here and I want to go home". I gave Leo some money and asked her to help DeA. She was in there for over half an hour, and I seriously thought about just taking her back to the airport.
Eventually she came out and we got back on the road. We finally made it to Rosario around 6pm. It had been a long day. We found the hotel in Rosario, and this was about the time that I realized that the HoJo cost about $100/night and was trash. This next one was under $50/night. What kind of crappy hostel had I signed us up for in Rosario? Before we got to that point, Leo let us know that her parents were not coming to pick us up and wondered if we could give them a ride...to Santo Tome...which was about two hours away. That was just too much after a long day, so instead we dropped them off at the bus terminal. We stopped and ate dinner together, of course I had to have ñoquis first thing.
After it was all said and done, we made it to the hotel around 9pm. Thankfully it was awesome, clean, and comfortable. It was DeA's sanctuary on our trip. 
Church was a lot of fun the next morning. We were pretty exhausted from jet lag, but we still got up to go to Barrio Fisherton. I served there for about six months in the middle of my mission. DeA was pretty overwhelmed by all the love and attention that they tried to show her, and we came right home after it was over and she slept for about seven hours. She ate at the hotel and then slept another 10 hours. Monday started better, we worked out and then walked to lunch. She tried a ham and pineapple pizza, but it wasn't quite what she expected.
At least she looks phenomenal and thought the hotel was nice.
The next morning I found a bakery with facturas. I ate way too many of these things on my mission. They were as good as I remembered.
We walked around downtown Rosario and saw the Rio Paranà and the Monumento a la Bandera.
Notice that DeA was smiling. This was the first time that happened since we left Thursday.
You can't tell from the pictures, but it was freaking hot and humid, just like I remembered from my mission.
While I was in Fisherton I served in the mission office. Twice a week I came down to the central mail place and picked up the packages and pouch. It was still there, and I bet I still have a package from my parents that is lost in there.
Every night we ate at the hotel restaurant. Slowly DeA started eating a little more there, but almost nothing during the day.
We ended up cancelling the visits that we were going to see Sunday and Monday, but Tuesday we made our way to Fisherton. I got to see the mission home and office. Right here there used to be a big pine tree that robbed out tennis balls when we played home run derby. I told Pres. Pino that if we cut down the tree we wouldn't lose so many balls. He told me he'd cut it down when my dead body was hanging from it. Well, the tree is gone, so guess who won that one!
Hermano Carlini used to work at the mission grounds and helped me a lot with my job dealing with supplies. He invited us over for dinner and had his family all get together. It was an incredible evening with friends that I grew to love while I was there.
Hermana Carlini made us homemade empenadas and sandwiches. It was so great to see everyone.
Hno Carlini tried to take a selfie with all of us in it, but it didn't quite turn out.
DeA could feel the Carlini's love, but Tuesday still wore her out. So Tuesday was a recovery day. We went for a run in the ridiculously hot weather.
We found a nice bakery with an assortment of things that she was comfortable eating.
It was amazing how much her mood improved with some food in her stomach.
Thursday we drove the two hours to Santo Tome, where I finished my mission. It is a special place to me, because it was there that I felt like I figured out how to be a good missionary. I got to meet wonderful people like Natalia and her family. We got to spend a few hours together catching up. It went by so fast that it was unbelievable. She is a great woman and I loved teaching her back then, and seeing her again this trip.
Next, we went to the Ramirez family. They are another wonderful family to me. Hno Ramirez made some delicious choripanes. I used to buy these from street vendors all the time on the way home to the apartment. We got to spend a few hours with them, too. I could've spent a week in Sto Tome with these wonderful people.
We swung by the capilla for a picture.
The last stop was with "el Aldo" and his family. He helped us a lot while I was serving here. We had a great time talking to end the evening.
Friday was a relaxing day to help DeA recover from all the visiting. We bought souvenirs (there weren't a lot of options) and I got to eat in a hole-in-the-wall place just once while we were there. DeA did not touch anything there, just in case you were wondering. We were going to meet with Ben and Ruth Page, friends from Palmer. In a strange coincidence, they are related to the Carlinis. We knew them in Iowa, but they since moved to Rosario. DeA was excited for one last night at the restaurant. Unfortunately, right after we ordered the Pages received a call that their house was broken into and they had to leave. It was a sad and abrupt end to dinner with them.
We left to Buenos Aires on Saturday morning. I wish I had brought a larger suitcase for all the alfajores and dulce de leche.
We stopped to have dinner with Leo and Nacho and spent a good part of the afternoon with them. The wedding was postponed until April, but I'm glad things worked out that way. I think we spent a lot more time with them this way than if they were busy with a wedding. I'm glad that she held me to my promise and I got to see some people that mean so much to me.
We finally made it home Sunday night after midnight. It was a lot of traveling for a short payoff, DeA hated most of it and has not forgiven me, but it was completely worth it. My mission was such an important part of my life. I had experiences that have shaped the rest of my life, and it allowed me to meet people that I will never forget. Sharing the gospel in this wonderful country is something for which I will always be grateful.
Great memories.
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