Trip to NC! (Mike Returns Home)

Wow, I can't believe how much of a blog slacker I've been this month! It's definitely not because I have nothing to write about. I think it's more because we went on a two week vacation to NC, and now I have so much to blog about that I'm feeling overwhelmed! Whew. Well, I guess I'll just start at the beginning of the trip.

Trevor and I flew out on Wednesday, July 13th. The very next day, at 7pm, my brother Mike (Elder Hopkins) was getting off a plane from Atlanta, returning home from his two year mission to Boise, ID! We were all VERY excited to see him! But we were all gathered at home, preparing to leave, when my Dad looked up his plane on flight tracker and realized that it was going to be 30 minutes EARLY!?!? How does a plane coming from Atlanta arrive 30 minutes ahead of time? That never happens. But it did this time. So we frantically got in our cars and rushed to the airport. We definitely didn't want Elder Hopkins to get off the plane and have no one there to welcome him!!

The good news is we made it in time! And actually we were there for about 15 minutes before he walked down the exit toward where we were all congregated. And it really was wonderful!!

Below are some pictures of the big moment. I tried to upload the video, but after waiting 2 hours for it to upload, I had to go to bed. And in the morning it was just gone. I guess it didn't work :( Sorry! So frustrating. But anyway...

Elder Hopkins being, well, himself. With a nice lei of candy!
My youngest cousin on my dad's side, Lauryn, and her homemade poster:
One of Mike's best friends, Tim. He almost knocked Mike over with his running start of a hug!
Another one of Mike's best friends, Geoff:
More of the welcoming committee. Or, erm, paparazzi? Haha. Poor guy was probably thinking "wow... so many cameras!!". Anyway, there's Trevor in the picture. It's proof that we were there :)
After the in-airport celebrations died down, we walked out to the car. He was REALLY home. It still seems surreal.
Also, I had to get a picture of how worn his shoes were. I believe these were one pair of the original shoes he left with:And just to prove how worn they really were, he gave me the pleasure of showing me his insoles. With holes!
It really was awesome to get to see him again! And then we all went on to our next adventure... the beach! That will be for next time! :)