.

Signing off!!!

2010-10-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

There is usually a "short summer", as they call it here in Costa Rica, a brief period of no rain, perfect sun, and hot weather, just before the rest of the "winter".....or rain, rain, rain. We had that short summer this past week, and feel so incredibly blessed. It has rained (at some point in the day) probably 90% of the days we've been here, but this week, we literally didn't see or hear one drop from Monday through today....needless to say, the kids played at the beach all week long. We had our friends, the Wride's over the past two days to enjoy the beach with us (they have 7 children ages 10-1, so all our kids have at least one friend to play with :)). We couldn't have asked for a more perfect ending to our adventure. One of my first friends, Megan, whom I met on the beach just for a week, said that she and her family spent several weeks here every summer, and that it is magical (I remember her using the word specifically), and I can honestly say that is exactly the word I would choose, MAGICAL. To watch our children, literally everyday run out to the beach from our back door and be so excited to play outside and never tire of going outside...to see them interact with one another in a way they did not do at home with neighbors and friends around....to see them have literally ZERO toys, yet never be bored...to see them with insane appetites, eating anything and never complaining....to see them make friends with someone who doesn't speak any english....to see them learning new things (surfing), and wanted to learn badly enough that they keep trying and trying even when they get pummeled....to see them enjoying a healthy, active life, without me having to drive them to swim practice, track or soccer.....it is just magical!!!! There are so many things I will miss about this place.

But the reality is that we need to head home for now. We can easily count our many, many blessings, and the blessing of being here for 2 short months, that has just taught us so much about how we want to run our family, and how we want to run our lives. So we will come home and continue the fight against the norm to have more family time, to always have family dinners, to not get caught up in the run-around, to reconnect every night with our children. How can we be anything but grateful for this experience!!

2010-10-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

Schramms and Stouts on our day trip to Rincon de Viejo

A zip-lining photo, with our driver....

Almost ready to saddle up and head to the hot springs

Putting on my "diper"...getting ready for the 1200ft waterslide!

Zach and I both agreed, this was the funnest (or should I say funniest)

part of the day!!!

Bryan and Zach go out for a surf!

Finally a few pictures from our visit with Bryan and JoDee....my computer was giving me a hard time uploading these. We have had so much fun with all of our visitors the past few weeks and are so grateful we could squeeze in these visits before having the leave CR.

Scott and Cindy Gunderson came down for a visit with their two boys! Cindy actually had her tickets booked before we booked ours to come down. We had booked a condo in the northern part of the country, but ended up driving back to our house the next day. Accommodations worked a little better for our families here.....food was a 45 minute drive, the beach was un-swimable since there was some kind of biting fish in it, and we again had all of our kids sleeping in one king bed, while Zach and I slept on the pull out. We all agreed it would be easier to just be at home, so we headed back the following day. Even though we had some rain here and there, we had plenty of sunny and dry moments for playing out on the beach, which was everyone's choice of play for the week.

Stout/Gunderson volcano building competition. The kids actually got some paper and lit it on

fire for effects.

Also since we were at home, we booked Grettyl to watch all the kids for movie night so Scott, Cindy, Zach and I could go out to dinner. We tried a new restaurant, Nibbani, and I had a super tasty greek salad and spinach/ricotta ravioli (Zach let me choose, and this is so typical of me....I love pasta). Scott and Cindy went a little more cultural to the area, and had the ceviche, cream of onion soup, and the curry..... Bottom line was we didn't have to cook or clean up after the kids, so everyone was happy, and everything was super delicious. The following day we went to Monkey Bar, 2 for 1 pizza, and even though it was exactly that, bar pizza, the kids loved playing with the baby gecko, and goofing around on the billiards table.

Scott and Cindy left Saturday early afternoon to give themselves plenty of time to arrive in SJ before dark, but when we got a call from them around 8:30pm, they let us know they had just arrived.....8 hours post departure time!!!! Zach and I rearranged our plans to get to San Jose immediately, and called our driver, who is now picking us up at 7:30am instead of noon....

....and just like that.......

2010-09-26T16:35:00.001-07:00

.......So after all our sweat, blood, and tears, we are coming home. Zach feels like it is in the best interest of his company for him to be working from the States right now....much more detail to the story, but enough said.

That said, we've had an incredibly fun past couple of weeks, and we will make the most of the next two weeks before we are back in Colorado, fast as lightning thrown back into full speed of LIFE! Zach's parents stayed for a little over a week. The timing was perfect, and everyday (almost) was sunny in the daytime with rain in the afternoon/ evening. During their stay we celebrated Costa Rica's Independence Day. Zach and I and the kids participated in the parade last Tuesday evening. School-aged children from several surrounding countries all march with torches from usually a church, to their schools and back. We bought "torches" (paper ones, but with real candles....yes, we saw several on the side of the road on fire) for each of the kids. However, it's a tradition for many families to make their own torches, and we saw so many interesting themes. We followed a fun band, mostly just some of the older school aged kids playing drums, but we all loved seeing how the Ticos celebrate their day of Independence from Spain. I love that from now on, every Sept 14-15th we will know what's happening in Costa Rica while we are participating in our heres and theres in the States.

The following day, we celebrated the actual Independence Day at the kids' school, and had a big luncheon with all the families. Everyone brought a dish to share, a dish that was supposed to be authentic, if possible. I made a seven layer dip, which I'm sure is not a common dish here, but made with all common ingredients....we brought home an empty dish, so I guess it's fun for them to try some "american" dishes as well. We tried ceviche (a side dish type food make with tomatoes, lemon juice, onions, raw fish etc....more like a cold soup to me), all kinds of soup, different ways to make rice and beans and arroz con leche (a sweet rice made with milk, sugar, and sometimes sweetened condensed milk, similar to our rice pudding). Kaylee gave a speech on what freedom means, and did a great job public speaking in front of all the parents. The kids sang the national anthem (as best they could), and we played a Costa Rican trivia game (don't think we did so well.....). All in all, just great to meet more of the families from school.

The following Saturday, we took a boat ride up the estuary with Zach's parents. Our guide, Cristian told us that for 15 years he swam across the estuary from Tamarindo to Playa Grande, where his father lived, until one day he saw an 18 foot crocodile in the river. Never again! He has also seen a bullshark in the estuary, so now no one crosses unless in a little boat. It's a 40 minute drive from Tamarindo to Playa Grande, so this is the quickest way to get there, unless you are eaten, of course! We saw several crocodiles ranging in size. From 100 yards away, Cristian would say, "look, crocodile, 11 o'clock", and we would look and look in that direction. He would drive closer and closer, until finally (10 feet away) the rest of us would see it. After about the 3rd or 4th time of this, Zach and I were getting suspicious. How in the world could he see these, unless maybe they were planted (plastic), and just part of the scene (kind of like the "jungle tour" at Disney World :). Anyway, Zach and I were making jokes about the "batteries not working" as we watched this one crocodile sitting on the bank. He wouldn't move at all....we were yelling, throwing leaves, etc, and got within about 5 feet, when seriously, out of no where, quick as a flash, he sprang into the water. We all screamed so loud, and then the joke was on us....Cristian had a good laugh!

Up the estuary, we got out of the boat to head into the jungle to see the monkeys. The kids loved making the monkeys growl. Cristian would clap his hands loudly (getting them wound up), and then we'd all make our best monkey imitation and the monkeys would go berserk! Along our trek, we saw so many termite nests, I totally had the willies just thinking about all those disgusting critters. But nature has a way. Turns out that some birds build their nests inside of termite nests, and they can leave there eggs there without them being bothered by other animals. When the eggs hatch, the babies have plenty of termites to eat. Cristian said the termites are full of protein and take like carrots, but Zach's dad was the only one brave enough to eat one along with Cristian. YUCK! I think I'll just stick to carrots (dipped in peanut butter!)

One morning last week, I was out early in the morning for my run. The sun was coming up and it was a beautiful morning. All of a sudden it started to mist, and I, facing the direction of the bright sun, immediately thought, there has to be a rainbow. I turned around quickly to see the most incredible rainbow I've ever seen. It stretched a full 180 degrees from the cape of Langosta out to our neighboring island, bright as I've ever seen. I stood and stared, then looked around to see who else was out to enjoy this, but I was the only one on the beach. Less than a minute later, the mist stopped, and I turned back around, but the rainbow was gone. I feel so blessed to have this little sacred treasure....a view of this sign of peace and hope, over one of the most beautiful beaches that I look out over every morning in awe of my Creator....I will never forget that morning. One of those times when you KNOW Heavenly Father knows and loves you.

Last Sunday we met another family from the States who will be here in our branch for a while. They have 7 children (in addition to the other two large families coming down), and one on the way. I asked Hermana Pina if this was "normal", having American families come down to stay for a while (does this happen year after year??), and she said no, that they'd never had anything like it. We are sad to leave this great place, especially after coming this far, but I think they will have many hands to help, and we will do another adventure when the time is right! Our kids have fallen in love with their small school and the language. This morning, when we broke the news of our return, I truly thought they would be bummed for a moment, and then think of all the exciting things they missed and be thrilled to go home. Quite the opposite...they all cried, and some cried several times during the day. We talked about our favorite parts of CR, and aside from the beach, it was the language and their school. So I do know an impression has been made on them and on us....we plan to work hard to recreate a piece of this tranquility at home.

Our good friends Brian and JoDee made it safely to CR last Tuesday, and after two adventurous days on their own, they drove to our house on Friday afternoon. We went out to dinner, caught up on CO, and got ready for our adventurous Saturday. Our driver picked us up and we drove about 2 hours into the mountains. At first we zip-lined over the jungle, and then geared up to go down the 1200 ft waterslide. JoDee and I decided that since we'd come all the up, we HAD to do the waterslide, but it looked super fast, and dangerously made out of concrete. We all laughed at a sign that said, "women must wear diper on slide"...(yes, spelled diper), a leather loin cloth looking thing that basically protected your bathing suit. We wore tubes on the slide (and helmets), and the operator at the top dammed the water so we could get the "full speed" effect. It truly was just a crack up to see everyone come down!!!! After a super tasty and healthy lunch, we rode horses up to the natural hot springs. We covered ourselves in the mineral mud-bath (we teased the guys asking if it was really horse ca-ca, but they didn't find that too funny), then rinsed in a freezing cold river water shower, and quickly dipped into the hot tubs. With all the rain, the pools were significantly cooler, which we didn't mind since it was warm enough and we felt like staying longer! We made the long trip home to find the kids safe and happy! We grabbed bbque for dinner and while JoDee made pumpkin cookies, Brian imported all our new pics from the day, and Z and I put kids to bed. We visited until late, but didn't struggle too much with our goodbyes since we'll be home in two weeks! We have mourned having to leave, and are now starting to look forward to all the things we miss at home. We are super excited that we have one week with the Gundersons, and then one week to wrap up all the exploring we want to do in CR. We will head to San Jose on the 9th and all fly out the 10th, Zach to CA, and the kids and me to CO. I can be nothing but grateful for even just the short time we've had here! Look forward to seeing many of you.

charlie the crocodile...

a precarious little bridge in the middle of the jungle

waiting for the "plastic" crocodile to move :)

kids singing national anthem on Independence Day!

MORE CR!

2010-09-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

Another "normal" week in Costa Rica. Last Wednesday when my friend was helping me with spanish at her house, a tractor hit our car, just the sharp corner of the bulldozer part, enough to put a nice dent in the side above the driver's side tire. While she was battling back and forth with the men about whether they wanted to pay up or have us call transito, I was intently listening, impressed with myself at how much I was understanding! Apparently these guys wanted to do whatever to avoid transitio (immigrants from Nicaragua, I guess), and agreed to pay the money. I, of course, figured we'd never see a dime, and just chalked it up to another CR expense...add it to the tab! However, the guys came through and they paid Zach yesterday, $120, for something that would cost $1000 in the US.

The Tamarindo Marathon was held on Saturday, starting at 5:00am. All the Tamarindo streets were closed for some time so we took the morning to relax, and enjoy the low tide. Zach and I tried to sign up for the 10K at the last minute, but all the races were full. Most runners come from San Jose and surrounding areas, or other countries. The working class here wouldn't dream of running (why, when you've just practiced manual labor- yard work, housekeeping, or ditch digging- for the last 8-10 hours????) Zach and I went for our own run on the beach, and then got together with friends in the afternoon, a family with two children whom our kids know from school. Martin and Carolyn are from Texas originally, but have spent the past year in Australia and are now spending a year here! Saturday night Zach and I had dinner at KaHiki's. After a week of cooking, going out for dinner is such a treat for me. I was giddy eating an arugula, strawberry and walnut salad. We shared a greek platter, and had the spicy red curry chicken! So delicious.

On Sunday, Zach was called as the Elder's Quorum President of the branch, and I as the ONLY Young Women's advisor. I am looking forward to having to push harder to more quickly learn spanish so I can be a part of this great calling. Later that night, we were anticipating Zach's parents arriving sometime after 5:30 or 6:00 in the evening. They never showed up, and Zach and I calmly "knew" they had just hit bad weather, in the dark, and decided to pull off and stop at a hotel. They would be here first thing in the morning, leaving early with the sunrise. By 8:00am, we were getting worried, and by 10:30, we had called transito, policia, and the US Embassy! They pulled into the driveway a short while later, explaining that the road out of SJ was closed from a landslide and they had been forced to drive south. After dark and much rain, the stopped, exhausted, and the front counter refused to allow them to use the computer to send us a quick email. Just getting used to CR more and more everyday. I can say that even though cell phones are such a convenience, it is so easy to become addicted, and THAT I do not miss at all! Even with no stoplights, people on bikes, folks walking in the middle of the road, people passing each other all the time on single lane/no shoulder roads, muddy roads, etc, I feel safer on the road, and also feel like a safer driver here!

So Zach's folks are here, and we were saying last night how this feels like the first visit we've had with them where we are not moving, having a baby, or needing help with some big project....tranquilo! So we swam in the ocean after school yesterday, and his parents got to see everyone's surfing skills. It will nice for everyone to just relax this week....

A few funny words from the kids this week:

Jed while counting: "...dieciocho, diecinueve, veinte, veinti-one, veinti-two, veinit-three....."

Tia: while having burgers with friends last week: "...these pickles are really spicy!" Tia had put 4 or 5 on her burger, jalapenos, that is!

Tia: My child who has never, ever liked melted cheese on anything...when I make homemade pizza hers is just sauce with toppings, quesdillas- NEVER, she just does't like it..... "I don't know why, but I just feel like really thick, really cheesy pizza right now!"

For a nice grand finale, our cravings for those things we miss and love so much at home have been satisfied this week! Zach's words, "this is better than Christmas" as we tore into a box from Zach's parents of HEALTHY peanut butter, PB pretzels, popcorn, goldfish, and dark chocolate chips! YUM!

Kids and Zach enjoying oreos!!! What a treat from our friends in CA!

Thank you Amy, Erik and kids!

Rainy day fun! Kaylee, Tia, Ethan and Dad played out on the beach in the

pouring rain. The kids were trying to build a dam by a little "estuary" by our house.

Because the tide had been so so low earlier in the day, we had many dead fish

wash up at high tide. Zach spent his time in the rain, moving the fish from our house

to another part of the beach....stink up someone else's area, right?

A funny sign at the grocery store. No towels, no bare feet, and no thongs! Shirts not necessary!

2010-09-07T19:02:00.000-07:00

We found this very cool fruteria that sells all kinds of costa rican produce.

The boys were sampling this rambutan for the first time. It's a red, spiky fruit on the

outside, and with your fingernail or a knife, you slice around the middle, open the

peel, and inside you find a white, juicy, tart fruit, about the size of a small apricot.

Unfortunately, there is a pit inside the fruit, otherwise this would be our new favorite.

Overall, there's not a lot of flesh to the fruit, but it was very cool to try! Loved the flavor!

Jed found this amazing caterpillar outside, named it fluffy, and had it as a pet by his bedside.....

until fluffy didn't survive all the manhandling! Kaylee also kept a pet caterpillar who is now in chrysalis state, and we are awaiting the birth of a beautiful butterfly any day!

This past weekend we took the kids on a canopy zipline tour. Ethan is getting suited up for

the fun!

On on of the last lines, Kaylee went "superwoman" with the guide. The two guys in the background were fishing with scuba masks and machetes,

and plastic grocery store bags for "coolers."

Our post canopy tour family pic. Everyone is happy NOW! Jed cried for about

the first three zip lines even though he was riding with Zach. The last five he finally

warmed up, feeling a little silly that he made such a big deal at first. He hasn't stopped

talking about the zip lines ever since. We will most definitely do these again!

After a great Saturday morning adventure with the kids, we were fortunate enough to have a little afternoon sunshine for a while. We all headed to the beach for a little surfing and sand fun. The girls got on a silly streak with each other, making up games to play, and finding treasures in the sand at low tide. Zach and I couldn't interrupt the magic, so they played on the beach for about 5 hours, until Zach and I were leaving on our date (the first one since we've been here...it's felt like forever since we're used to weekly date nights). I'd asked Grettyl, the housekeeper, earlier in the week if she would stay with the kids Saturday night, and she was happy to have the extra work. We now have our weekly date night back in place, and that feels great. Grettyl is great with the kids, and it was so nice to return from a date with a clean house as well!!! Zach and I walked down the beach and ate at a great little place here in Tamarindo called El Coconut. I thought I was in heaven, with shrimp and avocado appetizer, and mahi-mahi, filet mignon, veggies and mashed potatoes for dinner. The BEST! We stopped to top it off with a slice of cheesecake, but it turned out to be a let down, just not the same as REAL american cheesecake!

I forgot a few items in my list of favorites from last week: 1. Full service gasolineras! Man, the works. Fill up, pay, get your windows washed, tires checked, etc. 2. Hot lunch at school.....I have been tempted more than once to put in an order for myself for hot lunch at school. Anything from Tuna croquettes, to mahi mahi with rice and beans, to pasta with chicken and veggies! It includes a snack of fresh fruit everyday too! Sure beats crusty pizza and frozen chicken nuggets (assuming that really is chicken). Everyday Ethan reminds me he does NOT want cold lunch, he wants the real lunch at school. It's fairly reasonable in price, but the bottom line is food is expensive here anyway, it beats pb&j on bread I wouldn't eat, with pb I also wouldn't eat. And, it has taken a huge stress off of my morning! Works for me!

Today we were blessed with another fabulous day of weather (so now I am just waiting for the downpour), with sun all day long. After some fun at the beach we had dinner with our friends, Caralee and Tom at their home in Huacas. The kids swam in the pool, even after the sun went down, and we grilled burgers, had chips, watermelon and veggies with dip. The Burtons are a good family to "pick brains"...they have been here over a year, and are just familiar with the area....where there are good doctors, fun places to visit with kids, inexpensive tiendas, and so on!

We got our first package from some of our most favorite friends in CA, the Allebests. The package was addressed to Zach and I assumed it was some of Zach and Erik's business venture supplies or something. The kids and I felt so loved to find warm, happy notes inside, crafts, and oh-so-tasty treats....oreo cookies, dark chocolate, and PB cups from TRADER JOES!. The kids were so happy doing crafts all afternoon, painting and hanging their window figures in their rooms. This was a fantastic surprise on a day I really needed it!

Tomorrow I start some spanish tutoring with my friend, Tara, and a lady in our ward who teaches spanish at one of the local private schools. I think she will be able to work more on the grammar and vocab with me, and I can continue to practice speaking and listening with Grettyl and the neighbors/ locals. All is well here for us, and we hope it is for you too! We'd love to hear from you.

2010-09-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

A monkey on the wall between our house and the neighbors....

We thought it was so cool, until.......

....we realized it pooped on our car!

...and now the poop has flies in it...thought you'd all like too see this

right before having meatloaf for dinner!

Not a good picture, but this was one of the "funny" things we saw this week. 6 guys hitching a ride with some guy with a truck. All six couldn't sit in the back because it was a camper with tons of stuff, so they just opened the hatch, stood on the bumper and held on....yes, all of them. They were going pretty fast for such a crazy ride!

Iguana outside my school....always a sight to see these critters so close!

2010-09-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

Owen surfing! This is so super awesome! He loves it!

The beginning of this week was extremely difficult for me. I was just having a rough couple of days. My great friend, Cindy, talked me through the challenge, built me up and gave me some great advice. I set some small goals, just enjoying the next two weeks (a small increment of time) to the fullest (rather than feeling exhausted about being here indefinitely), and keeping an open mind about how and where I can find interaction for the kids and myself. I set another goal to talk to someone new, a native, and try to connect and make a new friend. Both goals, so far, have been very uplifting for me to work towards. I met the parents of a friend of Kaylee's at school this week. Both are Tico, and speak very little English. Kaylee was invited by her friend, Sheylie, to go boating this weekend. However, there's been a red tide at some of the nearby beaches (not ours luckily), and the trip may be postponed until the girls are able to swim, snorkel, etc. But chatting with Monica and Gregory felt great. Monica was sitting in the front seat with her three week old baby, baby was just riding on Monica's lap in the front seat?????? Wow, I am still awe struck at some of these things! The parents are both super sweet and Kaylee has a great friend in Sheylie. I also asked the gal who cleans the home here if she would be interested in helping me for several more hours during the week. Now that I have Jed home, and Owen only going a half day of school (both boys were very unhappy with full day school), I need more help. Help so that I can practice speaking Spanish more, and help when I just need a little break. Gretyl was thrilled to have the extra work, and it's shameful how inexpensive it is to hire one of the locals here for around the house labor. Gretyl chats with me during lunch and we talk all the way to pick up Owen, and while the boys are playing at the beach we talk some more. It is great practice for me to listen and try speaking so much. Gretyl also stays with Owen and Jed while I make the trip back to school for the older kids, so the younger boys don't have to make the lengthy drive one more time. She has been fantastic so far, and we'll see how the trial period goes after a week or so.

Anyway, in addition to making some goals, I decided to make a list of all the things I DO love about Costa Rica. It is such an interesting country, and so laid back, which is how I prefer life to be, that sometimes I am surprised that it has taken me so long to adjust. In any case, here are some of my favorites about this wonderful places:

1. The language: this is a given, obviously, my main reason for wanting to be here. However, when I hear it, understand it, and respond with a comprehensible sentence, it is such a cool feeling....like I am part of something bigger, like my world has just opened up to an entire new huge group of people around the world.

2. There is no road rage. If someone is going slow, just pass them...if you need to go slow, just go slow, people will pass you! It's unbelievable. Maybe also because there are NO stoplights....

3. Cars are SUPPOSED to be dirty, inside and out....ahh, finally, I don't have to feel guilty anymore!

4. The beach: need I say more. It is just the most incredible feeling to hear the waves all night long (unless the rain is overriding the waves!). Every morning I go out early and before I run, I look out and tell Heavenly Father how much I am in awe of His creations!

5. Small class sizes. The kids are getting more than enough one-on-one teacher time.

6. Casado con pescado: done right, this is the most incredible food! Rice, beans, fish, and salad with homemade dressing. The authentic tico food is very inexpensive. I've tried to make tico food at home, and Zach and I have a good laugh and call it Kreeco food.....my old cronies would totally understand this joke. In high school, my sisters and friends called me Kree....anyway, I don't know if anyone would pay very much for Kreeco food. Trying to perfect it!

7. Pineapple, mangoes, avocados: Huge, perfect, delicious!

8. The landscape: I've mentioned this before, just I just love, love, love, the lush, green plants and interesting trees, vines, and creeping green things....everything just grows!

9. The rain: Yes there are days when it rains most of the day, but they are few (so far). Usually it rains in the late afternoon, and sometimes only at night, but it will pour. The thunder and lightning are unlike anywhere I've ever been. We have seen some shops close up and "leave" for the rainy month of October. It's like they know something we don't....kind of eery. One school in the area is closed for the first two weeks of October, and many destinations have "rainy season" routes, because roads are just washed away...where there was once a road, now a river flows through.

10. 2 for 1 ice cream on wednesdays! our new family tradition

11. Panaderias: Okay, so I'm not walking into Great Harvest, but I did make the mistake of eating an empanada (chicken), and it was so tasty.

12. Diesel: I've never owned a diesel, but I love having one here, cheaper per liter, and lasts longer....great since the nearest gas station is 30 minutes away. Bummer if you forget to fill up.

13. Warm pools, warm beach: I love that the water is always warm. We learned quickly not to take towels to the beach....WHY? not necessary, because whether you're wet or dry, you're warm....towels just get in the way, and get dirty!

So overall, I'm working really hard to focus on the best things! the good things! There are many.... At the end of our journey, it is what it is....the kids and I will have learned as much as we possibly could have, and we will continue our endeavors. We are growing, and sometimes that hurts!

On Tuesday we ate at this very cool pizza place in town.

There was a park out back, right in the jungle.

The swings were hammocks!

All the furniture in the restaurant was made from ONE tree,

a Guanacaste tree that fell during a storm in Nicaragua. Absolutely

beautiful wood....Zach and I had the prosciutto, arugula, and fresh parmesan pizza.

I felt like I was in downtown Boulder!!!!

Owen hangs out with one of the elders.

On Wednesday our family went to a bonfire in Brasilito, but the bonfire got

"rained out"...Luckily it wasn't raining when we arrived, but it had been and was too wet for

any fires. We had a "family home evening" with the very new, very small branch in

Brasilito. There are about 8 people who attend in Brasilito, including our branch president

and the elders. The branch currently only meets every other week for Sacrament meeting only.

I think Zach or I will try and make an effort to attend after our own meetings in Santa Cruz.

We met at the house/ restaurant of one of the members. This brother has been inactive for some time and hopes to get to the temple soon. The elders shared their testimonies

and our branch president too. We then enjoyed fruit refreshments! It was great to meet

a few of the kids and the other members. Their sacrament meeting is also held at the member's restaurant, which is really just a covered, outdoor, open area, with some chairs.....

2010-08-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

The ocean view from our upstairs "guest" apartment!!!

The parking lots at church....room for 6 cars, plus grass parking.

There is a huge mango tree in the background which begins producing

around February (firm, apple-like mangoes) and goes through May

(the juicy, delicious mangoes). We've heard everyone just gorges themselves

on mangoes after church, hanging out and chatting. Looking forward to it.

So far, we haven't been overly impressed with the produce selection, though

pineapples are so delicious and super cheap (about $1.25). Everything in season, I guess!

Zach and the kids in front of the Chapel. The door you see is the main entrance,

nothing too fancy!

2010-08-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we drove the 40 minute dirt road to church again. There were about 20 more people in attendance, and one family is American. Caralee and Tom and their three kids have lived here for a year. Tom taught last year at Educarte, an early education bilingual school nearby. They loved it so much, that he signed a two year contract with Country Day school and will be staying for a while. The week before last they were in the States, which is why we didn't meet them, and they said this visit, they were so ready to come back to Costa Rica. I guess after some time, you just get more and more accustomed to the ways of life here, and I imagine that perhaps I will have another tough adjustment back when we come home next summer. Interesting to think about. Caralee and Tom live in Huacas, which is where the kids' school is, so they are fairly close, and Caralee works at a "club" near our home, as the athletic manager. We have heard that there are actually two MORE american families moving into the branch in September, both from Utah, one with 5 kids, the other with 7! I'm not sure how they will fit everyone into the chapel, and the parking lots has enough room for 6 cars.????

Second week of school was better than the first for the kids. Owen and Jed cried less, but Jed still tells me everyday he doesn't want to go....absolutely heart wrenching! I thought he'd adjust more quickly and enjoy having kids to play with, and I think he does once I drive away, so I'm not sure what the hang up is....I think it just makes for a long day, and he's just exhausted. Twice this week he just went in his room, lay down in his bed, and went to sleep (at 6:15 or so). I started classes this week as well, and had two other gals in my class. One a psychology professor from Oregon taking a sabbatical, and the other from France, traveling with friends and learning a new language. She already speaks french, dutch and english with spanish being her 4th language. I'm still not sure why we do not implement earlier in our schools an in depth second language (or third and fourth like many countries). I am seeing how very, very difficult it is to learn a new language for me and the kids, and think how amazing to just "know" it because it was just part of life as a child. I also met a couple there from Norway, just traveling and studying...they also speak english and "always have", plus they said, "Everything is in English...movies, books, etc, so we just know it, we have to."

My Spanish classes were great, and I learned so much that I really didn't have time to absorb it all, nor practice it all. Most of the students are living with homestay families, so they are speaking and hearing it all day. I think I may plan to take a week of classes, then take a week to study, and so on. I've also heard that it is very helpful to do one-on-one classes, so perhaps I will try that as well....

The kids are graduating from boogie boards to surfboards. Owen and Tia have especially taken a liking to surfing. Kaylee and Ethan would rather boogie board and play in the sand building things and throwing sand balls. Jed still has a slow transition when we go to the beach. He likes to play in the sand, but doesn't like any crabs, bugs, ants, or what not. He loves to play in shallow water and have me help him jump the waves. We go out literally every afternoon once we get home from school and have a snack. Zach is usually finished with work and we play until dinner time. Then it's time for bed since we are on an early schedule. The Costa Rica clock is perfect for our early-to-bed, early-to-rise family... the sun goes down around 6pm and comes up around 5:30, the kids wake up around 6am.

I had another cucuracha experience the other day. As we were leaving for school, I was standing in the doorway and heard a flapping, buzzing sound near my ear. I looked down to see an enormous cochroach on my shoulder. I flung it off onto the ground and it immediately ran into our house. I hollered for Zach (I catch or kill most things in our house, but don't have the stomach for anything crunchy....) who stomped on it and told me he was having such interesting memories of Argentina....yuck! The bugs, ants, cochroaches, crabs, etc are just part of the experience....it didn't take long for me to just start ignoring the single, large ants. They are just all over, if you killed one every time you saw one, you'd spend a good deal of your day doing just that. The other animals that hang out around the house are howler monkeys, that we usually hear in the morning, and raccoons, that usually jump onto our roof any time during the night and scratch and fight with each other. They are loud and it sounds like someone is stomping on the roof. The owner warned us of this, but still, the first few times it happened, I thought for sure someone was on the roof.

We had also been warned about theft here. There is a gate around our entire house, and we have a guard from 6pm-6am every night. We've been careful to always lock the house and protect our computers etc. The owner even told us to lock the back gate or people would come and take swim suits, towels, etc off the back porch. So we've been super cautious about that as well. However, Sunday afternoon, Zach went looking for his tennis shoes, which he couldn't find...then he asked me where my running shoes were..... we quickly realized someone must have hopped the fence while we were at church and taken what they wanted off the back porch. We gradually discovered we were missing two pair of running shoes, Zach's flip flops, my Chacos, Zach's new swim suit, and two bottles of sunscreen. They left all the kids suits and shoes. They must know what sells for the best prices, because we're out about $400! Now we don't keep anything on the porch, sandy or wet or whatever. We also take our computers with us when we leave anywhere together. Usually Zach is here, but on occasion we're both gone. Bummer!!!! I had to reassure myself, so I again asked the owner to reassure me that we are safe, and we are, it's just that people steal anything. He and his wife lived here 20 years.....

I'm getting more and more comfortable with my new duties....cooking almost everything from scratch, including all the kids' snacks. I can't just serve up the usual snack- crackers, cheese, dried fruit, etc. Anything imported is VERY expensive. A box of wheat thins-$7, 1 lb of cheddar cheese - $10, small bag of goldfish crackers $3..... interesting since you can grab some authentic tico food in a nearby town- rice and beans with salad and fish or chicken (really delicious and a good serving) for about $5. I've made granola bars, banana bread, cookies, flatbread/crackers, and so on. If you have any ideas for snacks, I would LOVE them! Overall, we are well. I am learning so much and I know the kids are too. We are planning on sending some post cards next week....... Hope to hear from you soon.

It happened by chance....

2010-08-18T21:04:00.000-07:00

After a weekend of pondering over sending the kids to school or not, I decided to give it a try this past Monday. Everyone, including Jed, went to school bright and early Monday morning. Our original plan was to homeschool everyone, and we had hired a private "tutor" everyday to speak to the kids in spanish. When the house in Nicoya went belly-up, we no longer had that hired help to count on teaching our children. Zach and I looked into some other options, including some of the private schools around here. The two most popular schools weren't going to work for us. One is about $500 per month per child, and the other doesn't focus on Spanish, but is a wealthy school for American kids who live here but want to "American" education...Country Day School, if that tells you anything :). Well, one day when we were driving between towns, on our search for a home to rent last week, one of the boys had to pee, and just couldn't wait another minute, so I screeched over on a dirt road off to the left, and let the boys hop out and pee in the creek. While waiting, I noticed a sign you could see from the road, "Blue Ocean"....but the part that couldn't be seen underneath in small print, read, "academia bilingue" (I think). For some reason, the location, the small, clean school, and the feeling about it just stuck with me. I couldn't find anything online about the school except a blog from a couple who said their child went there last year and had a great year. I returned the next day and found someone on the grounds. He let me in and took me to the elementary director. We spoke a little (broken English and Spanish), and I got the prices, which were excellent comparatively, the schedule, and a little more information.

Against my "nature", I actually went with my "gut" this time, and followed that feeling I had that this could be great, for the kids, for me, for our whole situation. It is a little drive, takes us about 15-20 minutes one way, but I also found a "school" for myself that is just a bit past the kids' school, so I don't feel like I'm driving out of the way. I start classes this coming Monday and am in class from 8:00am-12:00pm, which couldn't be more perfect since the kids start school at 7:30am. I have a little time in the afternoon to regroup and then pick up kids from school. Owen and Jed are out at 1:30 and E, T, and K, are finished at 2:30. Kaylee's class is 4th and 5th grade with 5 children in class...Tia and Ethan are together with 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade,, with 6 kids in class. Owen and Jed each have about 9 kids in class. So, from 30+ kids in class at Meridian to 5 kids in class in CR....can't we find a happy median here???

By 3:00 everyday we're on the beach. I absolutely love the ocean. It is a new play yard everyday, with a new tide, new critters, and new friends. I may have already said this, but it's just great. I also feel like I can go down with a few of the kids and the others can come down where they are ready.....

Yesterday, Kaylee's main focus was to catch fish. She discovered that it is easier to catch them with her bare hands than to try and scoop them up in something. After trying for several days to catch the little minnow-like fish that get caught in the pools when the tide goes out, she caught four in one day. The kids have them as pets in a water jug on the back porch, and are feeding them cracker crumbs...we'll see how long that lasts. Today, Zach took all the kids out on boogie boards to catch some waves. When they actually "caught" their first wave, I think they were totally amazed to just keep going and going until they were on shore. I couldn't get K, T, and O to come inside for dinner.....looking forward to tomorrow already!

We are settling in more and more everyday, and I didn't realize how much I thrive on a routine...just like a child. It brings me peace and purpose to know what's on the calendar and when...of course, not a totally full calendar. I love the free time all afternoon with nothing but play time and loving time. My favorite thing about the kids' school, is that homework is only two days per week....

This is our "view" from our family room. The ocean is just past the

two crooked trees in the distance. It really is one of the most beautiful views

and the gives the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen.

On the dirt road on the way to our house....so many potholes....

The father of my good friend, Shanna, gave me some advice before

we left for Costa Rica. He said to just watch and record all the

funny and interesting things that you see. I've tried to do this

and his words are sticking with me as I seriously see something so

bizarre everyday. Today, some cows just decided to cross the road in

front of us on our way home from school. The cows here are very

skinny, yet have every opportunity to eat as much grass as they would like...

and you know me...this makes me very suspicious of our "cows" in the United States.

What are we feeding them???? Yuck! More and more I am converting to the

rice and beans diet....

Also on our way home from school, we saw this not-so-funny, but very

interesting sight. This small boy was taking a nap on his mother's arm....

Comfy, as long as you're not riding on the back of a motorcycle?

My kids want to know why no one wears a helmet when they can't leave

the driveway on a scooter without a helmet?????

This is seriously our driveway! I love love love to come home everyday

and see this gorgeous, lush sight.....and we just paid how much for our

"professional" landscape in Colorado? I now want to puke!

From the beach, looking at the back of our house...If you decide to come visit us,

your view would be from the windows above the patio, overlooking the ocean!

La cucaracha.....

2010-08-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

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!!!

Una mas cosa!!!

2010-08-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

One more thing....I forgot to mention. We now have a pretty incredible apartment above our house that we are renting with the house. It will serve as Zach's office, with an amazing ocean view. It's got a small kitchenette, a nice sofa, that could sleep a couple of kids, a queen size bed, and a twin size futon or something like that. If you can get a flight here, and a car to Tamarindo....you are welcome to stay (Zach can work in our room, no problem). We'd love to see friends!!! We are totally serious. Chance of a lifetime!

2010-08-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

Our new backyard...at sunset. This is seriously gorgeous!

Hotel Bula Bula....suspiciously "happy-looking"

If you look closely, you can see the pig we watched get "roasted"

A true, authentic pig-pickin'....

"We are so done being in this car!"

A park in downtown San Jose...one of our first days here in CR.

I'm realizing now, I need to download these in reverse order of viewing!!!

More pictures to come soon. We are finally feeling good....

Where are we??????

2010-08-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

When Zach and I realized today that we've only been here for 6 days, we couldn't believe it. The last week has felt like seriously a month, and has been mostly unpleasant, to say the very least.

On Friday, after two full days in San Jose without a car, in a tiny apartment, we realized we were anxious to get our home, enough so that we rented a car (Zach had cashier's checks to buy a car, and we were unable to cash them quickly enough), and drove to Nicoya, hoping to get settled in quickly and start our new life in Costa Rica. We picked up the keys from Jorge who showed us to the farm. Jorge saddled up the horses so all the kids could ride...they were in heaven. Afterwards everyone went skinny dipping in the pool and thought it was so hilarious. The property was gorgeous with so much land, views, and just private and peaceful. Zach and I moved all our belongings from the car into the house, and Zach made a trip to the store for food and some supplies. After dinner, and upon trying to get the kids to bed, we realized none of the beds were made, and all the sheets in the house were moldy and mildewy. Zach and I also spent several hours banging out the mattresses, dirt and debris all over them. We swept the floors and cleaned spiderwebs from the floors and ceilings, around the beds, etc...While Zach went to the store to buy new sheets, towels, pillows, etc, the kids explored the house, and the loft...they loved seeing the lizards on the screen windows until they realized they were inside!!! A hole in the upstairs screen also allowed several wasps to be swarming around inside, from a nearby nest. We had everyone sleep downstairs. After sunset, we realized the bugs were definitely going to be a problem. I was cleaning up after dinner, and with the light on, all the bugs and critters congregated around the light with me. When we tucked everyone in, we had to keep flicking bugs off the bed without any of the kids seeing....or no one would sleep. The ceiling fans were not working (3 out of the 4 and no standing fans available at the store), and this was the only way we were going to keep the bugs away. Luckily the kids fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion. I seriously would've been better off camping outside, at least in a tent. Through all this, Zach and I never said a word, but just kept cheerful faces and attitudes....but both of us were thinking the same thing. I didn't sleep until about 4:30 in the morning, up all night anxious and concerned about this place. I finally slept for about an hour, sweating under a sheet to keep the bugs off my face.... In the morning, I'm sure the look on my face spelled it out, but I still managed to keep it together. Zach noticed that throughout the night, dirt and debris had fallen from the ceiling/roof all over the kids and the new sheets, etc. We sent the kiddos out to swim, and I broke down, admitting that I was NOT going to make it in this place...How am I supposed to create a cozy place for our family and homeschool, etc, with this??? Zach readily agreed, and assured me that if I had not spoken up, he would have within the next day or so. We continued chatting and planning out by the pool. The kids were screaming about a piece of "poop" they found in the pool. They were pretend-trying to catch it and teasing that they would throw it on each other (same little savages as always). I figured it was a leaf, stick, or that really one of them HAD pooped in the pool. But when Tia (or all the kids) finally caught the poop, she saw it was a "slug".....I saw it and immediately knew it was a LEECH~......okay, so packing up the car now! I didn't tell the girls what the slimy poop was until we'd left the house, belongings in tow, not to return...not sure where we were going.

We had a little "prayer meeting"....pleading with all our hearts that we would feel good about any place on the map. We discussed a few coastal towns we had read about online, and headed that direction. On our way out of town, Zach stopped at the mercado to return items we no longer would need, and while we waited for him, the kids had lunch in the car, PB spread (by my finger) on some dry bread, papas (potato chips), and some bananas. No one complained, they must have "felt" the stress in the car. Our first stop about 2 hours later was Playas del Coco, per a recommendation from some locals who said it was not as touristy as Tamarindo....They have a different idea of touristy...there was not a tourist in sight, which quickly made me realize we better request a place that is moderately touristy :)....Coco did not give me a good feeling, but we chatted with a parking guard while the kids played happily on the beach (for the first time), and then drove to the next town that he recommended. Up and over the mountains, the drive into Playa Hermosa was absolutely gorgeous! We checked out the beach area, and it was better than Coco....we drove up and down the streets, looking for places for rent. Down one secluded street, some Ticos were having a pig-pickin, and we got to witness the a good deal of the preparation, entering the scene when they were pouring boiling water over this pig to remove the hair. They were getting ready to "hang" him on the smoking stick when we decided to split. Needless to say, we passed on Hermosa, no matter how beautiful. We decided to press on to Playa Tamarindo, the "very touristy" place, but at this point, thought we'd at least welcome some American faces, and a nice place to stay after driving so far. It was evening by now, and we'd been in the car for about 7 hours. We found the most American place to eat, a brick oven pizza joint that had hammocks the kids could play in while we waited for pizza...I ran across the street for a smoothie, and it was seriously the best food we'd had in what felt like forever.

The sun goes down early all year round in Costa Rica, and right now it's down by about 6:30 latest, so after dinner we desperately started searching for a place to crash for the night. We tried a beautiful resort and asked for a suite with a kitchen, etc, but they were full.....All the other shotty looking hotels were, to our serious disbelief, full also....that, or there was just no one in the office to ask(???). I was driving, and Zach was jumping out in the pouring rain, and in the dark, asking if there was vacancy. After checking out 6 or 7 hotels, kids were bawling, exhausted, and we were all breaking down, we went back to the resort and basically begged them to let us stay in a room with 2 queens and we'd put kids on the floor. They were kind enough to pull in two roll-aways, and three kids slept horizontal on the queen, and everyone slept uninterrupted until late in the morning...we needed it!

Next day, we let the kids take a break in the morning. The resort served an amazing buffet breakfast, and it was so cute to hear all the kids talk about how amazing the food was. A quote from Ethan, "This is the best food I've ever had" We then played at the beach all morning, then swam is the resort pool. Zach worked and looked at houses all morning. He picked us up later and we drove around Tamarindo and the adjacent costal town of Langosta, looked at about 5 houses, but didn't feel good about any (or their locations). We had one last home to view in Playas Grande (I had actually seen this one on Craigslist several months ago). We drove 30 minutes around the estuary (it's a 5 minute boat ride to Grande from Tamarindo, but a half hour drive), and seriously thought we were lost. I wish I could adequately explain the drive, but basically after getting through the small town, we continued toward the coast, through nothing but just crazy jungle on a crazy bumpy dirt road....nothing...kept driving, nothing, miles and miles until we passed another car coming in the opposite direction (our first sign that there was indeed life somewhere along this road). We stopped the car, asked him if he knew "Steve" who was renting a house....Of course he did! So after finding our destination (the house was absolutely gorgeous, brand new...but as I mentioned, in the middle of nowhere, with only one way in and one way out, a long way, and not much human life around), we were done for the night. Fortunately our "friend", whom we had passed on the way in to Playas Grande, was the owner of the one hotel there....a funky little joint that looked like one of those places where people come to do their weird meditating and smoke strange things without anyone knowing....Hotel Bula Bula, if that tells you anything:) We rented two connecting rooms and Zach took the kids for a swim while I scoped out some food, realizing we had all of two choices. We ate at a super authentic Tico place that I drove past three times before I realized it was THE restaurant.....and lucked out, it was seriously delicious....my first real rice, beans and fish experience. Zach and I couldn't resist eating there the next night (while the kids had cereal).

We stayed in Playas Grande for two nights, which was a huge relief not to have to "move" all of our stuff again. I had three huge, disgusting bags of dirty laundry, filled with sweaty clothes, wet swim suits, pee pee undies, and so on. The housekeeper at Bula Bula was kind enough to wash all of our clothes and miraculously got the smell out..... In the morning, I went for a run on the beach. On my way to the access, I was dodging tons of these brightly colored crabs (bright blue, orange, purple)...They were everywhere, many flatted (like frogs in Colorado), from having been hit by a car. Later, the kids and I walked to the beach, a huge, flat, gorgeous beach, that was as empty as the town. We played all morning in the water, and on shore, then swam at the hotel to clean off. We set off in the afternoon for Tamarindo...the night before Zach had checked Craigslist ONE MORE TIME, and we found a house that looked like it could be "it"....The owner had responded quickly to our email, and liked the idea of having tenants long term, rather than weekly..so although we tried not to get hopeful until we were "in"....it was near impossible. Everyone was ready to have a home. This was around the first time I heard any of the kids talk about going home (no doubt Zach and I had both already had the thought), but this particular afternoon when I mentioned that we had to get back in the car, Owen asked, "why"...and when I responded, "So we can look for a home", he came back with, "We already have a home...in Colorado...why don't we just go there." Heartbreak!

So in Tamarindo, we were doing some undercover research on this house. There were renters in the home until the following day, (the day the owner said we could see it), but we didn't feel like we had a day to "waste", if the house wasn't going to work we needed to be looking for something else, so we non-chalantly strolled up the beach, and found the home, and struck up a conversation with the renters, taking peeks inside. We were open with him and let him know our situation, so he showed us around a bit. Needless to say, we were all very anxious for the next day, and we called the owner and asked if we could move in that next night. He was super cool and had his maid come as soon as possible, and got us moved in right around dinner time. I marched right in, started unloading groceries and cooking while he was showing Zach lights, keys, gate, and going over the lease details. It was pretty assumptive, but we are in!

So we've done a complete 180. From third world country authentic experience, with a farm, horses, no a/c, no hot water, to renting a home on the beach...the works! Our first day has been most enjoyable, and we've even met some temporary friends....they go back to New York in two weeks. There is a healthy combination of international folks here in Tamarindo. It is not, by our American standards, touristy, though Tamarindo is known as a more touristy part of Costa Rica. There is plenty of opportunity to practice my little bit of Spanish....many Ticos here who do not speak any English. Today, I was able to describe to a lady working in the pharmacy that I needed ear drops for getting water out after swimming. The farmacia was all of one small wall of shelves, and one locked sliding glass case. I happened to notice all the electrolyte liquids...yikes. So far, so good, for us. In any case, we are happy to be here, settling into our new home....you should've seen how quickly Zach and I unpacked last night:)

We are still considering a post office box, but we do have an actual address now, though it may or may not work well. I don't know yet. I do know the kids would love to get something!!!

Our address is: (just write it as it appears..odd, I know)

Casa Palmas

50 meters North of Hotel Capitan Suizo

Tamarindo, Guanacaste

Santa Cruz, Costa Rica

Hope to hear from you soon...email works best of all!

The first 18 hours....

2010-08-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

Zach and I were already running on empty the night before last when we left for the airport. We'd spent most of the previous two days packing, running last minute errands, figuring out money etc....Our good friend, Bryan drove our family to the airport at 10:00pm, the car barely fit everything, boxes and bags stuffed under our feet. We immediately got our first "taste" of uncertainty, when Frontier airlines told us they needed "proof" of our plans to leave Costa Rica within 90 days. We have planned to travel to Nicaragua, but didn't have "proof"...with literally minutes left to check in before closing, we purchased refundable tickets from Jet Blue traveling to Orlando in October...:). $4000 later, we were good to go, but it had us all unraveled for a minute. Of course, first thing this morning, we sought the refund. Once everyone was cozily boarded, the flight was easy, except for one small piece of the puzzle for me...sleep. I had purchased a couple of old, crusty car seats from a thrift store the day we left, hoping the boys would just recline and sleep, and even though it was more stuff to carry, it was worth it. Owen and Jed didn't budge the entire flight, Ethan was comfortably reclined on me, and Kaylee, Tia and Zach were dozing away, neck pillows doing the job. My legs were the only thing asleep on me. I seemed the wrong height for the neck pillow so when it butted up against the awesome headrest it just didn't cut it. I tossed it to the side shortly after trying to fall asleep. However, something was peaceful about just looking around and seeing all my little people sound asleep and looking at their adorable little profiles. I probably got a total of one hour of sleep, but said a little prayer that it would suffice.

In the morning, arriving in San Jose at 5:30, we received a warm welcome. We were quickly helped to find a hotel, and a shuttle picked us up a short while later. The "hotel" is privately owned by a local, and is more of a small apartment, which has been a blessing because we have two small bedrooms, and a separate little kitchen. Zach went to three local markets just to gather enough for breakfast (at 6am..not much was open), and scrounged up bread, eggs, and juice for us. We regrouped, and played in the courtyard for a bit. Kids watched TV, which I actually didn't mind since it's all in Spanish:)..... and Zach and I worked on narrowing down some choices for a car. I took the kiddos across the street and we walked through a cemetery. One of the groundskeepers approached us and I had my first spanish conversation. He appartently understood what I was saying, but then he would answer and go on and on, and I didn't understand a thing (well, a liitle). I must have said "perdon" a dozen times. I loved it though, because I felt uninhibited....a "free" conversation so to speak. I wasn't anxious because I needed something and couldn't get my point across, or nervous because the person to whom I was speaking was being impatient and what not.....this Senor was kind, patient, and spoke slowly with genuine interest. :)

By lunch time, we were all anxious to get out a bit, so the owner's wife drove the kids and me to a beautiful, fun park in the middle of the city. We walked to McDonalds, desperate for something to eat. My second spanish conversation, but luckily I just had to read from the menu.....People would look at us walking down the street, and I think at one point an entire bus of people was staring at us. But everyone has been nothing but kind and helpful. The owner of the hotel is driving Zach around to look at cars, and we are hoping to have that squared away by tomorrow and make the drive to Nicoya....if all goes well. We are back at the hotel now, starting to figure out dinner plans (it's amazing to realize how I need to think about food, especially with the kids, and I just enjoyed a great nap, while all the kids napped, and I even got some quiet time. We also experienced our first Costa Rican rain....it actually woke me up from my nap, coming down on the tin roofs. It confirmed our thoughts that we definitely need a 4 wheel drive, especially since many roads in Nicoya are dirt (or mud).

So I've painted a picture for you, but it wouldn't be complete without letting you know that yes, we are still a traveling family of 7, with 5 small kids who are tired and hungry...it's has been a long and whiny trip...and we are not there yet. We are all trying to be patient, and not wish this time to be past, but we will be grateful to get to the farm and let the kids run and swim. A friend of mine sent a text this morning that read, "Does your world feel upside down yet?".... that pretty much sums it up! Write more later.....

2010-08-04T06:59:00.000-07:00

Our 2010 NC trip!

Buckets and buckets of blueberries. We pick every year

and the kids eat as many as they can while picking. This

always made for interesting diapers...thank goodness

everyone is potty trained now!

All the kiddos with G (Kristy's Grandma). The kids love

to go to Grandma's house and sit on her porch swing, play

outside in the back on the backyard swing (same things

we did when we were kids).

We loved going to the pool with cousins. Our pool at home

doesn't have a diving board so the kids thought this was so

much fun. We caught some pretty hilarious pictures.

Kaylee shows her stuff in mid-air.

2010-08-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

The boys with Pop (Kristy's grandfather)

Kayl and her cousins, Lacey and Blake finish their first triathlon

(Wake Forest University, NC)

Jed and his buddy (cousin), Hannah, sit by the pool

My awesome sister, Karen, and me!

2010-08-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

Jeddy and Mom watching the kids tubing!

Kayl, Tia, Ethan, and Owen get ready for a super bumpy ride!

2010-06-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

Testing, testing 123, okay, it's been years since I've posted on this blog. I've had a few people inquire about whether or not we will keep a blog while we are in Costa Rica. So, to make sure this thing still works, I'm posting now! This blog will follow us to Costa Rica, and we will try and post regularly there....Departure date: August 5th! VIDA LOCA!!!

2009-02-08T09:32:00.001-08:00

What an amazing "winter" we have had. The blessing of good weather has been upon us for most of the season so far, and we frequent the park if it's 50 degrees or higher! The cold days call for a good time to regroup, clean house, and go to all the fun indoor activities that Colorado offers.
Zach and I shouldn't have wondered if teaching the girls to ski this season was a good idea...they picked it up the very first day, and I can now ski with Kaylee like I otherwise would by myself! She is quick! Tia is on the fast track to blues as well!! I think we were wise to wait until they were 8 and 7 since they understand how to keep themselves warm. We plan to teach Ethan and Owen next year. With our passes to Eldora, we've been able to ski several times this season and plan to hit the slopes at least half a dozen more before summer. One of my favorite aspects of skiing is all the great chats I have with Kaylee and Tia on the lifts. Yesterday Tia told me, "Mom, do you know what the hardest part about skiing is???....going potty! We later indulged in a conversation about where babies come from, and more specifically HOW they get into the mommy's tummy. We have chatted a little before so when I reminded her about the sperm from the dad and the egg from the mom, I thought she's say, "oh yea, I remember", but she wasn't satifisfied with that this time. She asked, "Where does the sperm come from." I told her came from the reproductive organ, the penis of the man, kind of like how pee comes out but from a different place inside." Still not the end....."But mom, HOW does it get to the egg??? Do you eat it or something?" LOL! I couldn't help but picture what she surely had to be picturing, one gigantic sperm, wiggling as it's tail was being held, while mom, gulped it down! Sorry to be so graphic, but such a funny memory!
My training for the Surf City Half Marathon came to a close last weekend when we (14 gals from the neighborhood and I) flew to Huntington Beach. I ran just shy of my goal time, crossing the finish line at 1:48:40, more happy that I ran the Boston Marathon qualifying pace, even beating it by about 15 seconds per mile. I would love to run this race, and plan to keep training through the spring and summer. The weather cooperated perfectly during our trip, with 80 degrees and swimsuit weather while we lounged on the beach the day before the race, and cool high 60s with a nice cloud cover for most of the run. It was funny to think of my family snow-skiing, while I basked in the sun. Sometimes I miss California, but the versatile weather is Colorado is quite appealing for so many other reasons...I love staying active all year long!
I still don't entirely know how to navigate this blog system. Email seems much easier to me still, as I wonder, do people really read this? But, it serves as my journal, and also Stoutstats that I send to my family each week! Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.
Love!

Let it snow!

2008-12-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

The first big snow finally arrived! We got over a foot last night and into the morning. The sun came out as it normally does, and the kids wanted to "suit up" for sledding. Zach sneaked away from work early and we all dragged sleds to the hill by the girls' school! The best news is...we lasted 45 minutes, kicking the pants off any record we've set in past years. Our system is starting to work....bibs, coats, socks, boots, hats and mittens, (plus extra pairs shoved into my coats pockets). The promise of hot cocoa soothes any chilled hands and feet!

I must boast and say I do make a delicious hot cocoa....so truth be told, the credit goes to my Grandma Shelton. No matter how large of a batch we make....it somehow never makes it into the fridge as leftovers! Here's the recipe......

Equal amounts of cococa and sugar (more sugar if you like yours sweet and less bitter). I do about a 1/3 cup of each. Add enough water to cover the dry ingredients, making kind of a watery syrup. Whisk together and bring to a boil...Immediately add enough milk to your desired taste (I would estimate about 8-9 cups). Add some cream (this is a must if you want the Ghiradelli taste, I do about 1/4 cup). Warm to desired temperature, but avoid boiling. Add 1 tsp vanilla and a dash of salt just before serving, and if you want it really delicious, whip the remained cream (add powdered sugar at the end) and put dollops of cream on top!
Hope it doesn't sound too difficult...it really takes less time than mixing instant, and it is so so good! Hope it keeps you warm this winter!!! Enjoy.

OH The Holidays...We have a love/hate relationship!

2008-11-28T19:47:00.000-08:00

It has hardly felt like the holiday season. We celebrated quite a non-traditional Thanksgiving, Zach's mom visiting just until Thanksgiving morning. We drove her to the airport and then had our effortless dinner at Mimi's cafe...returning home to a clean and spotless kitchen, but wishing it was filthy with dishes of all kinds, and smells melded together...stuffing and pumpkin pie. Even the movie theatre felt strangely empty when we saw Bolt later that afternoon. Needless to say, with the weather cooperating at 60 and 70 degrees (with the exception of a few days), it hardly felt like the holiday season we've had in the past....
So when we left this morning to take the kids swimming and then for our "day after Thanksgiving" tradition of finding the perfect tree, something still felt as if it were "missing." By 6:00pm, our home was covered in all our favorite Christmas decor, ornaments scattered over the dining room table, while the kids clawed to find "their" ornaments. I raced to Walmart for more lights (a bigger tree this year) and it started to snow.....my fingers automatically thumbed for Christmas music, and belting at the top of my lungs....well, ahhh, it felt like Christmas. The neighborhood is booming with lights....many neighbors hanging theirs even right after Halloween while the weather is still warm, and flipping the switch as soon as the leftovers from Thanksgiving hit the fridge....it's beautiful! Still somewhat new to all this (our third year in CO), we haven't ventured on the roof to hang lights, but boast a nice set all along the lower level...along with wreaths in every window (lower level, that is). And truly, just around the corner, there it is....Christmas. We WILL be covered with family members for THAT holiday, and we can't wait. I've too much "catching up" to do....I think I'll just start from today!