La cucaracha.....

Yesterday and today were such a blessing to me.....happiness, tranquility and new friends. We all slept in yesterday morning, and after breakfast went out to play at the beach. I went for a run, and once back, Zach took off for his run. The kids and I walked about a mile down the beach to a huge tidepool that was almost as big as a pool, though not as deep. The girls built an amazing "castle"/cage for their two hermit crabs they found. Both hermit crabs we trying desperately to escape the, and we were trying to see if we could force them up the "stairs" and down the "bridge" that the girls had built out of sand and these tall, pointy shells that are everywhere on this beach.
The beach brings a new scene and new pets everyday for the kids...I love that aspect. Every morning there is a different tide at different times, tide pools here and there, critters all over, and new shells.
We walked back, Zach telling a hilarious made up story about 5 kids named Katia, Talaylee, Ethed, Jowen, and Jethan....and pirate excursions in Costa Rica. This took the edge off the long walk, and all kids begin starving since it was about 1:30 already. After lunch it was nice to just be home for a bit, but that didn't last long once the tide came in, friends were playing outside, and it clouded over and was cooler....we all wanted back outside for one reason or another. Zach and Tia played out in the water, trying to ride in waves. Jed and Owen ran from the tide or let it wash over them for about a hour, and Ethan and Kaylee were just reading and enjoying the cool breeze. I whipped up some fajitas for dinner, and we had a pretty calm and enjoyable bedtime..... As I was on my way to my room to put something away, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of something big and black near my foot...it was a huge cochroach, and I leaped up onto the couch. I squealed (after being the one who has shewed out many crabs, a baby gecko, taken care of spiders, etc, I just couldn't handle the cochroach). Zach ran in and grabbed a huge, heavy book of bedtime stories off the coffee table, and dropped it square on the book. I wasn't so sure he "got" it....that sucker knew something was coming, and was ready to run. I screamed for Zach to lift the book, and no one wanted to see something run out from under there, but when he finally lifted it, la cucaracha was most certainly dead! What a way to go.

We have a guard who stays at the house all night and watches the front and back from 6pm until 6am. Our usual guard went to see his family and thus introduced us to the guard who was filling in for him .... Well, last night, the guard was a little over ambitious, and I could see him walking around with his flashlight checking all the doors, etc, as I was getting ready for bed. In the middle of the night, Zach and I heard a blood-curdling scream and Ethan came bolting into our room....terrified because someone had just shined a light in his room. Zach had to go outside at 2am and let the guy know he could chill it just a little. We do feel safe here, so for that we are grateful. Zach teases that he hopes he doesn't get billy-clubbed one night when he's just going to get something out of the car.

Today, Sunday, we gave ourselves 40 minutes to get to church, but still ended up being about 10 minutes late. We sat separately, as seats were sparse, and I might have actually understood some of the meeting except for the horrible microphone in the "chapel"....We immediately noticed a nice looking American family, who I assumed must be just visiting, but right after the meeting, the mother turned and asked me if we were the "other family" who was moving here for a year. I, surprised, said yes, we were moving here for a year but that we couldn't possibly be that family since no one knew we were coming. As we chatted, we found out that they moved from Gilbert, AZ about a month ago. Tara and Lane also have 5 children, but their two oldest are on a mission and at BYU...here younger kids, a boy and two girls, are 14, 11, and 7....Kaylee and Tia made immediate friends. Kaylee commented that the whole entire primary was smaller than just her class in Colorado. There were 11 kids in primary today, and the president kept saying, "muchos hijos" with a huge smile. Zach translated for the primary, and I helped the first hour, and then went to RS, where they asked me to read twice. I felt like I did pretty well, but after the second time, this nice older lade beside me just put her hand on my back and just rubbed a little, and smiled at me, with what I thought I heard, was a small little chuckle under her breath.....Not sure what that meant, but they are so loving and just happy to have you there...no offense can be taken. And I'm not out to impress, so it's good to get in all the practice possible.

Tara and Lane invited us over to chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon. We drove to their home, about a half hour away, and visited with them for a little while. We had some good laughs sharing our stories thus far, and realizing that their story is exactly the same as ours. It felt good to know someone else has decided to do something this ridiculous.... Tara and Lane first rented a house in Nicaragua (ironically, the same house we looked at renting...thanks to craigslist). After a week (I commended her on the week), of washing clothes by hand, no a/c in ridiculously hot weather, bugs everywhere, dim dull lighting, no car because the owners said they would be fine with bikes and horses, and living on ritz crackers, cheese, and nuts that they had purchased from the PriceMart (Costa Rica's Costco....ha!), they'd had enough. They sought out a new place, and are now renting another home in Puerto Viego. Their goal is 1-2 years, but her words, "we'll see...". I was impressed that neither of them speak spanish, but have wanted to learn for some time. Their girls will be going to a Beaches Homeschool Academy (homeschool because it's taught in a home). I'm actually looking into a school called Blue Ocean Bilingual Academy for the kids. We will check it out tomorrow morning, the actual first day of school since they follow an international calendar. Our original plan was to homeschool, but it was also to have a private tutor for spanish 8 hours per day....so we are replanning.

Let me clarify that I am also using this blog as my journal or at least being as detailed as possible so I can cut and paste into my journal. At first I thought I'd update about once a week, but I'm seeing that in order to capture and remember the experience, I might be updating more frequently. Enjoy as much as you wish!!!