SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio mom has plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving after her daughter returned home early from Iraq.
Adela Frias wasn't expecting her daughter, Christina Arsate, to be back until the middle of December. When Arsate learned she was being sent home early, she and her husband, Anthony Arsate, decided to keep the good news a secret.
Arsate's plane arrived at San Antonio International Airport Tuesday afternoon, but Frias wasn't invited to be there. Instead family members told her a KSAT camera crew was coming over to her home to record a holiday greeting for Arsate.
As the camera was rolling, Frias and her family members recorded the message to Arsate believing she would see it in Iraq. Seconds later Arsate walked into the room and surprised her unsuspecting mother.
"It's the best surprise that I've ever had," Frias said. "You don't know how much I've missed her. It's been hard to be away from her."
Arsate was just as excited to be back home with her family just in time for the holidays.
"It was close. I didn't think I was going to get here because of the airlines and every flight being booked, but I made it," Arsate said.
The family is now looking forward to spending the holidays together.