Really, can there be anything more exciting than having your son return from serving a two-year mission? Eric flew out of Brazil yesterday and arrived here this morning just after 10:00 am (almost a half hour early!) Aunt Nancy, Uncle Andy, cousin Janet with Kyle, Grandma Maughan and the Butcher family joined us to welcome Eric back to the English-speaking world. We had a VERY happy time.
After picking up Eric, we headed home and spent the afternoon listening to stories from Brasilia, visiting with the Brooksbys (even Erin via webcam!), looking at photos, eating lasagna and cheesecake (two of his favorite foods) and unloading Eric's suitcases. He wasn't kidding when he said that he was leaving all clothing behind (minus one really scary white shirt and the clothes on his back!). It was great to see a map of where Eric served and hear some of his experiences there. Our living room floor is covered with missionary supplies, journals, scriptures, memory cards, suitcases, two years worth of letters, and all kinds of stuff written in Portuguese, but it's so fun to get a glimpse at the life Eric lead for the last two years. What's really fun is to listen to him lapse into Portuguese or forget a word in English! *Ü* We all love having him home!
And if you haven't see enough photos, here's a slideshow of the big event:
My parents came into town for a few days to visit with Eric (oh yea, and the rest of us!) and while they were here, we spent a beautiful summer evening floating above the trees and homes of the neighboring towns in a hot air balloon, owned and piloted by our friend, Jonathan. It was a real treat - the weather was absolutely beautiful, the views were amazing, and Jonathan was the perfect host.
It was fun to wave and talk to people on the ground, watch them take photos of the balloon, and see how green and wooded this part of the country is. The landing(s) were definitely a fun part of the adventure, too, and we ended the evening sharing sparkling apple juice and delicious homemade goodies (thanks to our pilot) with some very friendly people in a neighboring town who were kind enough to let us land in the field behind their house. 
