Vacation Withdrawals

By Tamara
We are back from vacation and are trying to get back into our routine. Problem is...our area just got 5 inches of snow! The kids have been out of school and the city practically shut down for a day or two. It would be very easy to get really bummed out about now. The high today was 27 degrees...the high in CR this day last week was 85 degrees AND the sun was shining! Big difference! But that's ok...I made my own sunshine! Yellow snow and all! LOL! (Don't worry...it's from a spray bottle filled with mustard and water!)

For the next couple of days, each of us is going to blog about our favorite part of our Costa Rican vacation. One of my favorite things was the zip lining...for numerous reasons. First, it was the day before Lauren broke her arm. So, it was the last day that she was able to enjoy the vacation "normally". Second, we all really enjoyed doing this. It was a lot of fun, and such beautiful scenery too. On this tour, we zip lined in Jaco. We would like to do it in Manuel Antonio and Arenal next time. It would be cool in Manuel Antonio because we heard that you see lots of wildlife on that tour. Arenal would be cool because there is one line that is one mile long and you zip by the volcano.
*Side note: We didn't go to Arenal because they were having unseasonable rainy weather. We were told by numerous other tourist that they couldn't even SEE the volcano..and it was cold...and it was rainy. Enough said!

This was another one of my favorite things because it is where I sat greeting the new year with my hubby while watching the fireworks and bonfires. Awesome memory!

And...of course, the monkeys are one of my favorites!

I will always remember watching this sunset with 2 of my most favorite gals in the world!

Now, this is one of my favorites! There is nothing hotter than seeing a man in the jungle doing his daily devotional! Just sayin'

The sun is slowly setting on our vacation!

By Mo (the hubby)

Yesterday, we happened upon Costa Rica's version of a state park. We were a little disappointed in the exponential growth of the area around the national park. The cool thing was the quaintness of the state park. You won't read about this beach on any of the travel brochures or hear about it from your travel agent. At the beach, I went snorkeling...but let me explain. In order to get to the reef, I had to swim close to a mile. It was TOTALLY worth the swim!!! There is a gentleman there renting the snorkeling gear for $10. Also, you can rent a kayak for $20. It would probably be best to rent both. Then you can kayak out to the reef. Below is a picture of the beach:

After our beach excursion, we spent the rest of the day chillin' at the hotel. I sat out on our balcony smoking a Cuban cigar overlooking the blue Pacific waiting for the sun to set. I pondered the many changes in Costa Rica. I realized that time doesn't stop for me! Costa Rica is still a very beautiful country. The people enjoy life and blend in with the environment. What I mean by that is the Costa Rican people have the modern conveniences that we have but are not slaves to them. Case in point...as the sun was about to set yesterday, the town of Manuel Antonio was hustling and bustling. You could hear buses and cars and glasses clanging downstairs in the restaurant. When the sun was setting, everything seemed to come to a halt, and you could hear a pin drop! Everyone focused on the end of a beautiful day. In that moment in time, the world felt like it came together as one. A sunset still means something here. It sounds cheesy but that is the beauty that is...Costa Rica!!!

¡Pura Vida!

by Tamara (the mom)
**Warning- this is a long post**

Pura Vida translated in exact terms means "pure life". The slang for this term is "This is living"!

For those of you that know me, I am a bit high-strung (understatement). You also know that the pic above is my signature "I am completely relaxed" pic. Do you see the view that I have? How can you not be relaxed???

I feel that I haven't kept you in the loop on our whereabouts. Christmas and New Year's are a BIG deal here. Needless to say, the hotels were full and our "coming here without hotel reservations" kinda backfired. Luckily, when we stayed in Jaco, the staff at Morgan's Cove made accommodations that allowed us to stay from Wednesday until Sunday. In Jaco, we went spent New Year's Eve, went zip lining and horseback riding (well, kinda...mostly just visited the local hospitals).

We are now in Manuel Antonio. This is my ABSOLUTE favorite place in Costa Rica. It feels like Gilligan's Island to me. We went into Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio (or the national park). The park is the 2nd most visited national park in Costa Rica. You hike through the bottom of the rainforest that opens up to the most beautiful beaches.


When we were here 14 years ago, there were monkeys and iguanas EVERYWHERE. Due to the increase in tourism and development of the area, the monkeys and iguanas were absent. We had really built this up with the girls, and they were so excited! Needless to say, we were all pretty disappointed. Until...we saw this at the end!



There are very few things that I can be a snob about...BUT I absolutely LOVE 5 star hotels!!! As I was explaining to the hubby, you pay to get pampered by the staff and for the super duper comfy beds! With that being said, we are staying at the La Mariposa! (It means "the butterfly) We toured the hotel when we were here on our honeymoon. It has always been a dream of mine to stay here and...it has been worth the wait! The view is amazing! I give this place 5 Ludlam Smiles!
(This is our view! Pictures do not do it justice!)

(I woke up before everyone this morning to have my morning devotional and watch this!Isn't God amazing???)

How about having breakfast and coffee to this view:

We are definitely...¡Pura Vida!

by Lauren

This is me in one of the funniest chairs that I have ever seen...but it's SO cool! We are staying at a hotel that has a gorgeous view. The beds are so comfortable! I guess life doesn't get much better than this.

After the horseback riding incident, I haven't been able to swim. I have had to wear a plastic bag over my hand. Now, I have figured out how to keep my arm out of the water so I can still get into the swimming pool.

I have always liked horses...until now! When we first started out on the horses, I thought "This is going to be so fun!". Then something moved in the jungle and scared my horse. I wasn't holding on tight enough and flew off the horse. Somehow, I was able to land on my hands instead of my head. I immediately jumped up and said "Mama, I broke my arm!". Then it hit me that I was scared and in pain! Three hospitals later, I got to meet the coolest doctor! Now, I don't want a horse anymore!

by Lexie

Hi, people of the blog...it's me, Lexie, again! I am here to tell you about an amazing thing that happened yesterday. So, here it is...we saw MONKEYS! They were everywhere! It was like monkey here, monkey there! Everyone was feeding them bananas even when the signs said not to. I thought it was funny because everyone knows that monkeys like bananas. One was trying to drink out of a coconut but he dropped it. Another monkey stole it. I thought that was pretty mean! Now, about the above picture, these monkeys saw their reflection in the bus window. They were mad because they thought it was two other monkeys that might steal their food. Or...they might have thought that they were having a bad hair day!

This is a picture of me drinking the BEST LEMONADE IN THE WORLD!!! I meant, literally, I am not joking! This restaurant was built around a HUGE plane. It is a C-123 Cargo plane.

'Twas the night before Costa Rica

by Mo (the hubby)


As we lay in the hotel in Nashville, I am feeling anxious and restless. I already want to be in Costa Rica. Winter in TN has come early and come on hard. The trip tomorrow is a much needed respite. For weeks on end, I have been looking at a live cam of Hermosa Beach. It seems surreal that I could actually be on that camera tomorrow afternoon! Adding to the excitement is that I haven't been there in about 14 years. I can't wait to share the beauty and serenity that Costa Rica offers with my daughters. At the same time, the responsibility of it is daunting. Costa Rica and all of its beauty is still a third world country.

For those of you that know me with my "ADHD tendencies", I am trying to map out a plan for our trip that enlightens, without overwhelming, everyone! One part of me is scared that it could be 14 years before I get to go again so I need to show my family 2 months worth of stuff in 8 days. The other part of me, the more mature Mo, says "Take it one day at a time and live in the moment".

Let's hope that "Mature Mo" prevails! No expectations...but I hope that my family gets hooked! I have been to Costa Rica almost 25 times. There has always been a part of me that wants to stay there. Maybe......lost in Costa Rica.

Hasta Luego y pura vida!!!
Mo

2 MORE SLEEPS!!!

Can you tell that I am so excited? Tomorrow night we will stay in a hotel near the airport. This is a tradition that we started awhile back. There is a Hampton Inn right beside the airport where we can leave our car while we are gone...and they shuttle us to the airport and back! Love it! AND...it only cost $15 to leave our car there while we are gone. Our flight is at 6:30 AM on Wednesday. By staying near the airport, we get a little extra sleep too! NO BRAINER for me!!!

Murphy came to visit today but we kicked his little butt right out the door!

First, I realized that the kids had outgrown their Summer clothes...and it's Winter here! I spent quite a bit of time today trying to find Summer clothes to fit the girls. Thank you, Justice and my sweet friend Cindy! (Too cute that my 11 year old can wear Cindy's clothes. BTW, Cindy is a grown almost 30 year old woman!) So, now everyone has clothes and no one has to run around Costa Rica nakey! This is good!

Next, my throat started hurting and I started feeling achy! Please no! Hopefully, this is nothing that a little Theraflu won't knocked out. I refuse to be sick. We have saved and planned all year long for this trip. Unless I have the Bola Bola disease, I am getting on that jet plane on Wednesday!

Well...time to go drink the Theraflu and get my beauty rest! Tomorrow's gonna be a busy day!

Tata for now,
Tamara