The Aubrey's

continuing from the other day...

These are the Aubreys. I don't have an individual picture of Mike so I'll talk about him now before moving on to the rest of the family.

Mike -

Though he was around all week while we were working on his house, Mike was someone I didn't get to know until the very last evening of the trip. Mike hurt his back and is on disability right now but he gets around fairly well and was able to help here and there throughout the week. While he can be a bit gruff sometimes the love he has for God, his wife and his kids is amazing. Issie, Alison, Hannah and I had an awesome talk with him and Sharon on Friday night at the community dinner and I learned a ton about his life and Alaska's history. He's a hobbyist miner and a true mountain man. His wife said it best- "In Alaska there are city people, country people and mountain people. He's a mountain man." He's also 24 years her senior and they literally met on the side of a mountain when she first arrived in Alaska.

Sharon -

When Sharon first met Abigail she said: "Welcome to Alaska, where the men act like men and the women do too." Let me tell you- she meant it. Sharon is one tough cookie and admittedly knows more about construction than most men I know. She is a hard worker and is extremely passionate about God and family. She's had a tough life and is very interesting to talk to about faith- she has a huge heart for Sutton and prays daily for the many souls in the area. While we may not agree on a lot of theology, it was refreshing to talk to her and be reminded of just how hard we must work to protect ourselves from evil and temptation.

Gracie -

Gracie is the oldest of Mike and Sharon's children, though Mike has 2 others from a previous marriage. This girl is as outgoing as they come and craves attention from everyone she meets. She can swing a hammer like nobody's business but usually just wants to give hugs or style everyone's hair. She is also quite a singer and loved the serenade us every chance she got. She loves Hannah Montana and told me very matter-of-factly that "We have to pray for Miley's brother, because he is not saved." Her mother says she's always been hyper-aware of her calling to lead people to Jesus, intently watching those she'd meet and deciding they needed prayer.

Jared -

This little guy is all boy. He's currently doing his best to wear out his Carhartt overalls as the local fair has a contest for the most-used pair each year. While we were there he tried to dig a hole to China (starting, naturally, at the top of a hill) and repeately gave me guilt trips when I didn't help him dig by saying: "But my mom has always wanted to go to China!" Unfortnuately I think she'll have to save her pennies for a plane ticket as the effort was abandoned when he and Jason "hit bedrock" on day 2. At age 5 he has an IQ of 139 and is extremely attentive to detail. On the last day he finally asked me: "Why do you wear the same shirt every day?" To which I wanted to reply: "look who's talking" but instead tried to explain that we hadn't been allowed to pack a lot of clothes on the plane, but I'd already lost his attention. Bummer. I guess he'll just remember me as the dirty girl with the Dairy Queen shirt.

Oh yeah, and this is Daisy.

And Rosie.And Sam.Can't forget them!