I think the boys managed JUST fine without their parents!
This is a treasure - Reid would walk around my parents' house holding the bridal portrait photo of me... ahhh, melt my heart!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Pura Vida!
Pure Life - it's what they say all the time in Costa Rica! Pura vida!
Jason and I were able to slip away to the majestic country of Costa Rica for several days to celebrate 10 wonderful years of marriage. This was our first big trip away from the kids, but we were comfortable they would be in great hands with our parents (thanks, grandparents, for enabling us to travel!)
The day we departed, Costa Rica had a 7.6 magnitude earthquake, with the epicenter just 55 miles from our destination. Yes, this made me freak out and get scared. We'll never regret continuing with our plan to go - it was an indescribable trip and one we'll always cherish.
Day 1 in Costa Rica, Thursday, September 6
It was the day of 2.5 for us! Everything was 2.5 - to the airport 2.5 hours early, two 2.5 hour flights. Paid 2.5 times too much for a banana in the airport. Slept 2.5 hours the night before. After landing, we had the customs line that moved 2.5 times slower than the other line; a 2.5 hour trip to our hotel resort that Jason later described as a 2.5 hour roller coaster; the ladies from Houston who we shared our ride with talked 2.5 times more than they should have talked; roads were 2.5 times smaller than America; there is about 2.5" between cars as they drive; we also went to bed 2.5 hours before we normally do at home! But most importantly?!? The resort was 2.5 times better than we expected!!!!! Lost Iguana Resort and Spa
Interesting - we felt like such minorities in both airports. At the resort, we had fajitas and brownie dessert (all the food was delish there) and no ice in water. Lunch at cute little place on road. And the whole 2.5 paragraph above... we thought we were so funny that night talking about all of those things - which were so true - but it's not so funny written down! Guess it's our little joke!
Day 2 Friday, September 7
We had two excursions this day - a hike up the Arenal volcano (Mt. Arenal) in the morning, and then a zip line tour in the afternoon.
Joshie was our guide at the volcano, and it was with a young couple from America - we LOVED visiting during "the rainy season." In 1968, the volcano had it's first huge eruption - covered 1200 meters in 2 minutes. People of Costa Rica did not even know it was a volcano and many perished. Natives expect it to erupt anytime because of a polar change happening (like the earthquake from two days before, which actually caused the Nicaragua volcano to start being significantly more active). We did not quite realize the magnitude of that thought - had no idea that we literally could have died on our trip b/c of an eruption, but it's something they live with and don't worry about b/c they can't change it. Very positive thinking for such a situation. We had lunch back at the hotel of salad and soup and it so good.
A few things we learned: 1. the volcano quit spewing lava in 2010. 2. Costa Rica conserves land so much that you have to have government permission to cut down a tree; if you do not and you cut, you go to jail for as many years as the tree is old! 3. Cost of car in Costa Rica v US - for instance, a $30,000 Toyota van in the US would be $60,000 there... Our driver said he would buy a car in the US and drive down, through all of the countries and after taxes, it would be about $45,000. It poured rain during lunch then quit. I counted 17 bug bites just on my legs! We ate fresh guava from the side of the road, saw monkeys in the jungle,...
Sky Trek zip line - 8 different cables. Longest is 1/2 mile long. Tallest is 50 stories. Fastest goes 50 mph. AHHHHH - mazing. This was Jason's favorite part of the trip and was something I have wanted to check off my bucket list. There will be no other zip line comparable to what we experienced. Plus, since it is "rainy" season there and very little tourists, we were the only tourists on the cables, with 5 of the guides simply out having fun - a blast!
Day 3 Saturday, September 8
La roca canyoneering tour - Mario was our main guide on this adventure - rappelling, tarzan swing, waterfall, jumping in to waterfalls, hanging bridge, zip line, arenal volcano fed river (warm), fresh fruit at end, meal included - this was my favorite activity. Fun fact: Will Smith shot a movie due out in 2013 here - saw the set location. We did this tour with 2 other US couples. In the afternoon, we hiked around the resort trails, enjoyed happy hour and a lazy day at pool. A wonderful rain storm started about 5 and we sat on our patio and watched the rain move through the rainforest. I loved the outdoor shower when it was raining! We had a nap, ate dinner, and our favorite staff person, Jordan, made us a little bouquet of flowers. Only 12 of the 46 rooms at the resort are occupied right now.
Day 4 Sarapiqui river - Class 3 and 4 white water rapids - spent several hours on this river. The other couple was a local couple, nearly 70 years old, and the man just accepted Christ 8 years ago. He said it's been the best 8 years of his life and he will keep living until he can't anymore! Enso was our guide, and he told us that Costa Rica hopes to be carbon emission free in 2024 (that would be the first country to do this). We had lunch at wildlife refuge, but nearly everyone here spoke Spanish during the meal so Jason and I just looked at each other and smiled a lot.
At dinner, our waiter gave us veggie quiche recipe but forgot to tell how much of each ingredient. Kind of cute! And, Jason - "You are you, I am I, and we are friends here"
Day 5 We were up at 2:40 to catch our driver and get to the airport for an 8:30 flight, and walked in to our house at 8:00 p.m. Long but great day! Happy to be home.
Something that has stuck with us from our experience - how ignorant and pompous most Americans are about the world. We deeply regretted not brushing up on our Spanish before visiting a country that speaks Spanish (although nearly everyone speaks English). I get annoyed with those who speak Spanish in America, and we just did the same thing. So, Jason and I are going to investigate ways to start teaching the boys a second language (and we've chosen Spanish) to learn now, and not to wait until high school. Costa Rican children, in public and private schools, spend nearly 1 hours each day learning English starting at age 5. America is behind on our education. Why can't we get it together to be more ready for this worldly society where we live?!?!
All in all, awesome trip. We highly recommend this Costa Rica for trips!
Link to our pictures and videos (check out video #101_0169 at the end for sure. Missing from these photos are those we took with our water camera (mostly white water rafting) but I haven't had time to get those developed. http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=10272497013/a=112377666_112377666/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
Jason and I were able to slip away to the majestic country of Costa Rica for several days to celebrate 10 wonderful years of marriage. This was our first big trip away from the kids, but we were comfortable they would be in great hands with our parents (thanks, grandparents, for enabling us to travel!)
The day we departed, Costa Rica had a 7.6 magnitude earthquake, with the epicenter just 55 miles from our destination. Yes, this made me freak out and get scared. We'll never regret continuing with our plan to go - it was an indescribable trip and one we'll always cherish.
Day 1 in Costa Rica, Thursday, September 6
It was the day of 2.5 for us! Everything was 2.5 - to the airport 2.5 hours early, two 2.5 hour flights. Paid 2.5 times too much for a banana in the airport. Slept 2.5 hours the night before. After landing, we had the customs line that moved 2.5 times slower than the other line; a 2.5 hour trip to our hotel resort that Jason later described as a 2.5 hour roller coaster; the ladies from Houston who we shared our ride with talked 2.5 times more than they should have talked; roads were 2.5 times smaller than America; there is about 2.5" between cars as they drive; we also went to bed 2.5 hours before we normally do at home! But most importantly?!? The resort was 2.5 times better than we expected!!!!! Lost Iguana Resort and Spa
Interesting - we felt like such minorities in both airports. At the resort, we had fajitas and brownie dessert (all the food was delish there) and no ice in water. Lunch at cute little place on road. And the whole 2.5 paragraph above... we thought we were so funny that night talking about all of those things - which were so true - but it's not so funny written down! Guess it's our little joke!
Day 2 Friday, September 7
We had two excursions this day - a hike up the Arenal volcano (Mt. Arenal) in the morning, and then a zip line tour in the afternoon.
Joshie was our guide at the volcano, and it was with a young couple from America - we LOVED visiting during "the rainy season." In 1968, the volcano had it's first huge eruption - covered 1200 meters in 2 minutes. People of Costa Rica did not even know it was a volcano and many perished. Natives expect it to erupt anytime because of a polar change happening (like the earthquake from two days before, which actually caused the Nicaragua volcano to start being significantly more active). We did not quite realize the magnitude of that thought - had no idea that we literally could have died on our trip b/c of an eruption, but it's something they live with and don't worry about b/c they can't change it. Very positive thinking for such a situation. We had lunch back at the hotel of salad and soup and it so good.
A few things we learned: 1. the volcano quit spewing lava in 2010. 2. Costa Rica conserves land so much that you have to have government permission to cut down a tree; if you do not and you cut, you go to jail for as many years as the tree is old! 3. Cost of car in Costa Rica v US - for instance, a $30,000 Toyota van in the US would be $60,000 there... Our driver said he would buy a car in the US and drive down, through all of the countries and after taxes, it would be about $45,000. It poured rain during lunch then quit. I counted 17 bug bites just on my legs! We ate fresh guava from the side of the road, saw monkeys in the jungle,...
Sky Trek zip line - 8 different cables. Longest is 1/2 mile long. Tallest is 50 stories. Fastest goes 50 mph. AHHHHH - mazing. This was Jason's favorite part of the trip and was something I have wanted to check off my bucket list. There will be no other zip line comparable to what we experienced. Plus, since it is "rainy" season there and very little tourists, we were the only tourists on the cables, with 5 of the guides simply out having fun - a blast!
Day 3 Saturday, September 8
La roca canyoneering tour - Mario was our main guide on this adventure - rappelling, tarzan swing, waterfall, jumping in to waterfalls, hanging bridge, zip line, arenal volcano fed river (warm), fresh fruit at end, meal included - this was my favorite activity. Fun fact: Will Smith shot a movie due out in 2013 here - saw the set location. We did this tour with 2 other US couples. In the afternoon, we hiked around the resort trails, enjoyed happy hour and a lazy day at pool. A wonderful rain storm started about 5 and we sat on our patio and watched the rain move through the rainforest. I loved the outdoor shower when it was raining! We had a nap, ate dinner, and our favorite staff person, Jordan, made us a little bouquet of flowers. Only 12 of the 46 rooms at the resort are occupied right now.
Day 4 Sarapiqui river - Class 3 and 4 white water rapids - spent several hours on this river. The other couple was a local couple, nearly 70 years old, and the man just accepted Christ 8 years ago. He said it's been the best 8 years of his life and he will keep living until he can't anymore! Enso was our guide, and he told us that Costa Rica hopes to be carbon emission free in 2024 (that would be the first country to do this). We had lunch at wildlife refuge, but nearly everyone here spoke Spanish during the meal so Jason and I just looked at each other and smiled a lot.
At dinner, our waiter gave us veggie quiche recipe but forgot to tell how much of each ingredient. Kind of cute! And, Jason - "You are you, I am I, and we are friends here"
Day 5 We were up at 2:40 to catch our driver and get to the airport for an 8:30 flight, and walked in to our house at 8:00 p.m. Long but great day! Happy to be home.
Something that has stuck with us from our experience - how ignorant and pompous most Americans are about the world. We deeply regretted not brushing up on our Spanish before visiting a country that speaks Spanish (although nearly everyone speaks English). I get annoyed with those who speak Spanish in America, and we just did the same thing. So, Jason and I are going to investigate ways to start teaching the boys a second language (and we've chosen Spanish) to learn now, and not to wait until high school. Costa Rican children, in public and private schools, spend nearly 1 hours each day learning English starting at age 5. America is behind on our education. Why can't we get it together to be more ready for this worldly society where we live?!?!
All in all, awesome trip. We highly recommend this Costa Rica for trips!
Link to our pictures and videos (check out video #101_0169 at the end for sure. Missing from these photos are those we took with our water camera (mostly white water rafting) but I haven't had time to get those developed. http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=10272497013/a=112377666_112377666/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
Saturday, September 1, 2012
We run. We scatter. We scream. But Reid? He plays with them! I am talking about red wasps. I found him sitting on our entry rug today with a scrunched up nose, waving his hand in the air. After looking closer, I saw his new friend walking on the floor next to him, and then I promptly stpped on it. Reid seems fine! Gooberhead.
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