Time flies...

We have been back in Guatemala for 8 days and we have barely slowed down long enough to even consider trying to reflect on all that has happened and all of the emotions and memories we have already experienced!

It didn't occur to me what a very different trip this would be than our last trip when all of my focus and energy and emotion were about taking care of two small children and doing anything possible to bring them both home safely.  I think blogging then was a lifeline, as I know it was for many of the other amazing women and families we met along the way.  Now, we are just on vacation.  An amazing vacation with plenty of it's own emotions attached to it, but it is completely different to be here with children who are able to be a part of the beauty of this place and to have Keith with us... I had no idea I could grow to love this place even more than before because I am able to enjoy it and see it in such a different light!

For those who were lucky enough to know Alfredo and Claudia Gonzalez, you will know what a treat it was to arrive in Guatemala City after a very long day to be greeted at the airport by smiling Alfredo simply because he believes that you should be greeted by a friendly face when you arrive into a new country.  We couldn't ask for a kinder welcome.

After a night at the Grand Tikal, we were escorted to Antigua by Carlos... who we immediately knew we could have too much fun with!  Our home here is lovely and we felt at home immediately.  Naturally, we explored Antigua and found some old and familiar haunts and had some fun getting lost and navigating our way through the streets and vendors.  The smells and sounds and sights are just as we remembered, with some changes that seem to be a result of the closing of adoption in Guate.  Regardless, we were here and Lucy, at long last, was and feeling parts of her first home and learning to put all those photographs from home into this now real scene that she can make her own claim to know.

We were thrilled to spend a day with Lucy's foster family which included her foster mother and three of her four children.  Alfredo joined us for this reunion, and it was a truly lovely day.  We spent a long time at the GC Zoo and then took our time together at a lunch that allowed us to talk and to share stories about Lucy and the amazing girl she has grown to become.  M warmed our hearts very deeply by her comments that Luciana was a happy and healthy little girl and she could see the love of our family.  The moment when M first saw Lucy upon exiting the car, she scooped her up and covered her with kisses to Lucy's great joy!  It was such an important day to our family and it brought us so much happiness to be able to reunite with someone we have such adoration for.

So... much... more.  More friends, more stories, more adventures to come.  For now... today's adventure: