Welcome Home Aubrey!

It is so wonderful having Aubrey home again, safe and sound!

 

We didn't realize that Aubrey's plane was going to be almost fifteen minuets early, so she surprised us all when we turned around and there she was...waiting for us! 

 The Holts didn't make it on time either, but at least they were cool enough to bring signs (awesome signs, that they hand-made!).

 (But Aubrey has lived with us long enough to know what lame parents we are!)

 The funny thing is that both Wesely and I had dreams that we were going to be late picking up Aubrey! I don't know if it was self-fulfilling prophecy, or just meant to be!

 Aubrey & Veronica

 We too wanted to hold the awesome signs!

  All of us together.

 Having fun catching up with Aubrey.

 I've missed hearing Aubrey's stories, and watching her talk with her hands!

 Of course we had to take Aubrey out for pizza for her first meal back in the states.

 She said American pizza was as good as ever!

And lucky for us, it was free ice cream night at Fat Katz Pizza! It must have been the subliminal messages Aubrey was sending (or maybe she's just been living right!).

The wonderful thing about technology and Facetime is that Brittney could be with us at the airport... 

 while Aubrey was being released...

and before Aubrey crashed for the night after being up for three straight days! (Aubrey & Brittney must be channeling each other since they both were suffering from bad sinus colds).

 Unfortunately, Aubrey's luggage did not make it with her to the airport, but luckily it was delivered to our door the next day!

 It was like Christmas all over again. Aubrey loved looking through old letters and keepsakes...

and showing us all of her blankets and scarfs that got her through to the end of her mission (it is winter in Chile right now, and Aubrey was very sick with Bronchitis two weeks before she came home, which isn't surprising after looking at the huge holes in the soles of her shoes, and hearing about the torrential rains and cold temperatures, with no heat source or hot water in their home).

 
I was so sad when I found out that Aubrey had lost "blankie" so I crocheted her a new one that was just like the original, only a little different color and bigger.

 Aubrey also couldn't resist bringing home an authentic Chilean blanket made from Llama hair!

A picture of Christ that a ten-year-old piano student of Aubrey's painted on magazine paper (because his family is too poor to afford regular paper). He's also a prodigy on the piano (he practices on the church piano)!   

Hand-made Chilean jewelry and treasures. 

 Hand-made Chilean sweaters and dresses. Aubrey brought home a hand-sewn/painted dress for each of us girls.

 We also had fun eating samples of Aubrey's favorite Chilean treats and snacks. I just had to take a close-up of the "Bon Bon Bum" suckers. 

 Other snacks and unusual drink mixes, like mint berry flavor. It was such a blast going through Aubrey's suitcase with her, and especially listening to her relive the background stories that were attached to each snack, gift and trinket!