The End of Our Journey

We ended our Guatemala trip with a get together with some cousins and extended family in Guatemala city. I thoroughly enjoyed being with everyone again since it's been almost 20 years since I've seen them. But I have very fond memories playing with my cousins in Guatemala when I was little and staying with other family members on previous trips. We had a great time catching up and meeting their spouses and children.

The next day, we drove to Jalapa, which is where my father was born. It has changed a bit over the years, but we loved visiting with his cousin Sergio and his family. My father always talks about Sergio because they were such great friends growing up (and always got into a lot of trouble together too!)

All in all, we had a wonderful trip, but we were really missing our kids by the end of the trip. We couldn't wait to get back and see them. We definitely gained a greater appreciation of all that we have back home that we often take for granted. And although we won't make it back any time too soon, we are looking forward to the day when we can take our own children there and teach them about their heritage.

On a random side note, on the flight home, we stopped by a restaurant to eat dinner and recognized a guy from a show we used to watch called "Men in Trees." So, of course, I had to go up to him and ask him if we could take a picture together. Cheesy, I know.

The last picture in this post is of Dallin's parents who bravely agreed to watch our kids for a total of (gulp) 10 days! They were troopers, although we sent them both home with bad colds that our kids has passed along to them. We definitely would not have been able to go on this trip without them and were very greatful for all that they did for my children while we were gone.