aloha,

i will get right to the point - we follow the process to the tee (thankyou visajourney), then we receive our apointment date for biometrics and then 2 weeks following biometrics our appointment for aos. (btw, we were k1 fiance visa, then married after her arrival in usa).

so after a very quick and painless biometrics appointment in honolulu, we return to our home on maui. the next day my wife gets a call and a family emergency requires her immediate return to her home country. we rush back to her country, miss our aos appointment, thus forfieting our aos application.

so now my wife is stuck back in her country, and i guess now my only option is to start all over, but this time by way of k3 visa as we are now married.

is this in fact our only option? my wife is devastated, but she'll be coming back, right?

Sorry to hear about your plight? Did you apply for/and receive AP before your wife left? You can now pursue a K3 or CR1 depending on your circumstances (willingness to wait a bit longer for CR1 vs. paying the new AOS fee of $1010 after a K3), and the interview times of your consulate/embassy for CR1 and K3 interviews.
Best of luck!