As many of you know, I am the youngest of three daughters in my family. My sisters and I do not look very alike, nor are our personalities very similar. Ann, 28, is a corporate lawyer in DC, Megan, 26, is the director of a special education program at a Catholic high school in Virginia, and I, nearly 24, am a volunteer at the finca here in Honduras. What we do have in common, other than our family and genes is an amazing care and love for one another. I would do anything for my sisters, and they for me. They have cared for me in their own amazing ways my whole life, and this Christmas, they outdid themselves.
This Christmas I received many amazing gifts from my family, the biggest and most amazing being a one week vacation here in Honduras with my sisters. My sisters arrived on December 26th. That first night they delivered the most amazing collection of Christmas presents for our teenagers, Nils, Sor Keidy, and myself (see blog “A Christmas to Remember”). The joy exuding from the teens faces and the thoughtfulness of every gift is something that I will never forget and truly touched my heart. The next morning I showed them around Ceiba, and that afternoon we headed to the finca in Trujillo. In an act of true selfless love they sat through a five hour bus ride (normally only takes 3), and didn’t even complain when the power went out when we arrived at the farm.
The next day at the farm they visited with all the kids, ate some more rice and beans, and enjoyed an afternoon on the beach with about half the kids on the finca. Despite the jellyfish and strong sun, they played all afternoon with great joy with the kids. That night they even walked to two separate houses of our kids with me so that I could read them bedtime stories. Despite the water outage that day, they still seemed to be enjoying themselves! The next morning we traveled in the Land Cruiser back to town, and then took a bus back to Ceiba.
Once in Ceiba they got some tasty coffee at a local place, and then got gifts for our family and friends at a local artisan store. Then after some repacking and a tasty lunch cooked by Sor Keidy we headed to the ferry to travel to the beautiful island of Roatan.
While in Roatan we stayed at a great place called Half Moon Bay. That first night we watched a beautiful sunset on the ferry and then had a delicious dinner at the restaurant connected with the hotel. The next morning we had a delicious breakfast, then snorkeled around the bay. Megan was a natural, Ann a fish like always, and I was super speedy in my new pink snorkeling gear. The only problem was that I kept following the fish, and not heading where my sisters were headed, oh well, they always got me back on track!
After a yummy lunch with more fish, this time in the form of a sandwich, we went on a little adventure. The man who worked at the hotel took us out on his boat to two other reefs to snorkel. They were both so amazing. We saw schools of fish, amazing coral, carribbean lobsters, rainbow fish, giant fish, fish that looked like Dory from Finding Nemo, Ann and Megan even saw a lion fish. Everything was so amazingly beautiful.
We then all headed back to the hotel, got cleaned up, and then headed into the west end downtown area. We ate the most amazing dinner at a restaurant literally at the end of a pier. I had a cold beer, giant juicy cheeseburger, and brownie with ice cream on top, three of my favorite things! My sisters had a mixed seafood platter plate, which they both said was some of the best fish they had ever eaten. We then closed out the night hanging out but the bay in lounge chairs at our hotel.
The next morning, after some brief time kayaking for Ann, and hanging out in the mar for me, we packed up and headed to the airport and ferry. I gave them both hugs at the airport and then the taxi man dropped me off at the ferry. A few hours later I was back in the apartment in Ceiba and my sisters were back in America.
My sisters do not get much vacation time, nor do I know a single person who actually enjoys riding buses in Honduras, yet they took their entire Christmas vacation to come all the way to Honduras and spend it with me. They knew I had a long few months after my last vacation, and also knew how bad I am about taking breaks in new jobs, and came for an entire week just to get to know my current home, the amazing kids of the finca, and check in on me. They made sure I got to eat a cheeseburger, because they know I love them so much. They let me use the hammock almost the whole time in our room at Roatan so I could enjoy my new Kindle and read the Hunger Games. They even left wrapped presents so that I would have presents to open on my birthday a week later. They knew I needed a break, and did everything in their power to make sure that my vacation was as wonderful as truly possible. They showed me what true selfless sisterly love was. I will never forget this most amazing week, and will always be ever grateful for the amazing gift of their presence this Christmas. Our vacation was a real reminder of how much they truly love me and how blessed I am to have them in my lives.
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