What I will miss about Honduras

I have been thinking about this post for several days now.  I am excited to go home but as the day approaches I am starting to feel some anxiety.(This may have something to do with the fact that I am flying back alone with my two kids)  I have realized that although Honduras does not quite feel like home, I have become very comfortable here and feel a little sad to be leaving.

These are in no particular order

#1 The Weather-  It is really hard to describe how perfect the weather is here in Tegucigalpa.  There are other parts of the country that are much hotter and more humid, but here it is quite perfect.  There is just enough humidity that my skin does not dry out and the weather has been consistently in the 70s and 80s.  Even during the rainy season it is gorgeous most of the day with a brief rain storm.  I seriously love the weather.

#2 The People- I have been so impressed by the general friendliness and kindness of people here.  The only exception to this is when you are driving, but overall the people here look out for each other.  It might be as simple as stopping my 2 year-old from running out the door and into the crowded parking lot or picking up something that fell out of my purse while I was wrestling with my two kids but they are generally very kind.

#3 The Schedule- I am generally not the most punctual person, but here in Honduras I am usually an hour early for every event.  This is because I usually show up about 15-20 minutes after the start time.  I really am not mocking, I kind of like how relaxed they are about when things should start.  It gives me more time to visit with people and have awkward conversations in my severely inadequate Spanish.

#4  The Temple-  It has been kind of difficult not being able to attend the temple for 7 months.  I have definitely learned how much I take temple access for granted.  But I love driving to this beautiful building every day.  It has become a focal point in our family and it gives us numerous opportunities to talk about the temple.  I am so excited for the members here to have a temple and I am really going to miss seeing this beautiful building every day.  I hope that someday I will get the chance to come back and go inside.  I will try to get an updated picture.

#5-The Friends-  I have been blessed with some incredible friends.  Most of them have come from our incredible ward. (Anybody counting how many times I use the word incredible?) We were definitely blessed to be in one of the best wards I have ever been in.  I barely understand a word people are saying to me, but I can still feel their concern for me.  We have made some wonderful friends and I am going to miss them very much. Is it bad that I wish they would all move to Utah?

#6-Nadia- I had to give this particular friend her own category.  I cannot say for certain that I would have made it through this experience were it not for Nadia.  She has always been so concerned about me and has always gone above and beyond to help me get by down here.  I am REALLY going to miss her.  She has blessed my life in so many ways and I really wish I could take her back with me.  She is the kind of friend that you want to live next door to for the rest of your life. I will miss her kids and husband as well.  They are such an amazing family.

#7-Time with Dad-  In our ward here they only do church activities on Saturdays.  Before we came to Honduras Tom had been the Young Men's President for 3 1/2 years and he spent many weeknights at the church.   It has been SO nice to have him home every night.  I love eating dinner together as a family and playing outside or just spending a few hours together every night.  I can say that this experience has definitely strengthened our family.  Unfortunately we are going to have to be apart for the next few months.  Tom will definitely be the thing that I miss the most (even though it is only temporary).  It might be because he is the only one who understands the language completely but he has been the rock of our family while we have been here.

 I am pretty sure these boys will miss him as well.  Anybody want to wrestle with my boys for the next four months?