U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords has arrived back in her hometown Tucson, Arizona, for the first time since being shot there in January.

Aides to Giffords say she plans to spend time with her family on Saturday and Sunday . They say she will make no public appearances and give no interviews.

Giffords' husband, U.S. astronaut Mark Kelly, says her family has been “dreaming of this trip for a long time.” He says Giffords misses Tucson a lot, and that her doctors have said returning to her hometown could be key to her recovery.

On Wednesday, Giffords was released from a Texas hospital where she has been undergoing rehabilitation since the shooting. She moved to Kelly's home near Houston, Texas, and doctors said she will continue outpatient therapy at the hospital there.

Giffords was one of 19 people who were shot on January 8 during an outdoor political meeting in Tucson. Six people died in the shooting.