Hello & Happy Friday! This morning when I stepped outside it felt very much like Spring. Not necessarily because of the temperature, but because birds were singing and our trees are starting to bud. To be fair though, we kind of got to kick start Spring a little early this year. 

Guatemala is often referred to as “The Land of Eternal Spring”. So while winter was wrapping up in PA, we were kind of double dipping on the “Spring” thing. You can’t really go wrong with Spring though, flowers and seventy degree weather sits pretty well with most people, right?!?!

We returned from Guatemala recently from a four week trip. It’s been a few years since we have gotten to spend that amount of time in Guate, and we were so blessed to be able to do it again this year! Our hearts feel so full, and although four weeks is a substantial amount of time, it honestly flew by so fast! It almost felt like one day we stepped foot off the plane, and next we were hopping back on it. However we did travel home overflowing with joy, refreshment and of course coffee, lots of coffee!

The fact that our lifestyle is a little unique is not lost on us. We can’t not express how thankful we are for the fact that our work allows us to pick up and spend four glorious weeks in sunny Guatemala!

When we look back on the amount that we have gotten to travel to see family in the past five years of our marriage we are blown away, averaging more than twice a year! It has been a very intentional choice on our part, and today we wanted to share a little more about why we choose to make traveling to Guate a priority in our lives. 

Our Daughters 

Gloria and Zara, our sweet girls. Oh how they fill our lives with so much laughter and silly songs! As we raise these ladies, one of our heart desires is that they would be very connected to both Guatemalan and American culture, and we’ve found that one of the best ways for us to do this, is by allowing Guatemala to be very much a part of our lives. We’re also teaching them Spanish, and every trip to Guate, really helps to solidify what they’ve already learned. Plus we don’t want them growing up not knowing what tortix, shucos, and tuk-tuks are. (Thumbs up if you know what those things are!) 

Familia 

We have spoken about this before, but when Hugo and I finally wrapped the long distance phase of our relationship, it felt like a heavy burden was lifted off of us. Long distance is not for the faint of heart, and every time we would leave each other, it felt like a piece of our hearts were breaking. And, honestly the feeling never really ended…Our family means the world to us, and time spent with them is invaluable! Hugo is the oldest of five, and as they’ve all gotten older, everyone’s schedules seems to become a little less flexible. Jobs and school are all a reality in everyone’s lives, and the fact that we can spend longer portions of time in Guatemala, allows us to make sure we get quality time with all of our favorite people!! 

Perspective

It’s amazing how it works, but it seems that seeing different parts of the world gives us a more empathetic and gracious view on the world and people. The more we travel the more we realize that our lives are not meant to just store up things, but they’re meant to share, give, and receive love. Seeing the mountains and volcanos of Guatemala is breathtaking, but even more is meeting new people and connecting with our own family and heritage. 

Exploration

There are so many places and spaces in Guatemala to explore. We’ve crossed a few big tickets items off our Guatemala bucket list, but there is SO much more. From volcanos to Mayan ruins and beaches to the highlands, we love seeing more of this incredible nation every time we visit, and it only expands our heart and vision for Guatemala! 

This past trip to Guatemala, included a lot. We first met up with a missions team from our local church, then we spent some time with our grandparents, who we adore, Meme & Lola. We also spent many hours playing Skip-Bo with our family… In addition to all of that, we spent a week traveling to San Felipe, Tikal, Coban, and Huehuetenango. So in the coming weeks we’ll be sharing more photos from those specific regions and adventures. Be sure to tag along if that interests you. We’re so happy to have this community to share our hearts, lives, work, and travel with! You all are amazing! For now, enjoy a few of our favorites photos from days spent in Hobbitentango, Antigua, Provenza and our grandparents place in Jutiapa. 

Have a great weekend!