Pura Vida: Day One

Pura Vida (POO-rah VEE-dah), used by Costa Ricans since 1956, literally translated means "Pure Life." Contextually, it means "Full of Life" "Purified life", "This is living!"or "Going great!" It is used as a greeting, a farewell, and to express satisfaction. Costa Ricans use the phrase to express a philosophy of strong community, perseverance, good spirits, enjoying life slowly, celebrating good fortune, whether small or large.

It is an acknowledgment of the Costa Rican attitude towards life. (Wikipedia)

There couldn’t be a more perfect phrase to capture the absolute beauty and magnificence of this country! We have been back for one week now and I’m waiting for that little ache in my heart to go away. I want to go back. I want to speak Spanish and live near the beach and eat pico galla every morning for breakfast. I want to play on the beach, watch the pelicans dive for fish, enjoy the hermit crabs scurrying along the sand, and listen to the howler monkeys call to each other as they eat their breakfast. I want to hike through the rain forest to a magnificent waterfall and sit on a rock and enjoy the mist on my face. I want fruity drinks and smoothies served at my whim and homemade tostado chips and guacamole available at any hour of the day or night. I want to read 3 books in 7 days and have my husband all to myself. I want Costa Rica back.

This picture was inspired by Emily's trip to Costa Rica. I thought it was the perfect image to summarize it all!

My toes in the Pacific Ocean.

We left at 12:50 a.m. Sunday morning (February 8th) from Salt Lake City and flew into Atlanta where we had a 4-hour layover. We spread ourselves out as best we could on the metal waiting chairs and tried to nap but they had the TV’s turned on with the volume cranked loud enough to leave your ears ringing. I ended up eating lots of yummy Target trail mix and reading a trashy celebrity magazine. We finally boarded our flight for Costa Rica and tried to catch a little more sleep!

Trying to catch a little sleep in Atlanta!

We arrived in Liberia, Costa Rica around 1:00 p.m.where we were greeted by wind, humidity, and blessed warm sunshine. My skin is so dry in Utah during the winter. As we left SLC, the knuckles on my left hand actually starting bleeding because they were so dry. Within 2 days of being in paradise, my skin was smooth, silky and shiny! Love, love, love.

The airport was fabulous. Just a big open building with the biggest ceiling fans in the world gently moving the air around. The roof was some type of tin, the floor concrete and very few walls. It was all open and welcoming and very "tropical". I loved it!

The open air airport in Liberia, Costa Rica.

The largest ceiling fans in the world.

We caught a shuttle to the car rental place and got our first glimpse of Costa Rica. Liberia is on the west coast which is in the middle of their "dry" season. Even though it is 80-90 degrees, it is very brown looking. It looks like winter there…except no freezing temperatures! We rented our car, received all the scary instructions about how to not be ripped off, mugged, or have our car stolen, and then set off for our first adventure. We drove roughly 3 hours inland to the Arenal Volcano and tiny city of La Fortuna. It was interesting watching the landscape change from dry plains to lush, green rain forest. The drive was amazing! We passed through several small towns and really got to see the homes, stores, fantastic views, numerous skinny cows, horses, dogs, beautiful people, and landscape. We were really blessed…the main road from Liberia to La Fortuna is paved and in pretty good shape…a novelty for this country. While the road was just 2 lanes and we had the occasional mud slide, broken bridge and questionable drops off the side into the lake, it was fairly smooth driving. It started raining as we neared the Arenal area which made everything more beautiful and misty looking. Lake Arenal is the largest lake in Costa Rica and is breathtaking. It is surrounded by rolling hills that are part pasture land and part forest. It was a beautiful backdrop to the volcano and rainforest.

Our spunky little ride.

We arrived at Erupciones Inn and were amazed at our luck! This little "bed and breakfast" type place is run by a Costa Rican family on a real working farm. The husband showed us to our beautiful cabin, left us the keys, a few simple directions and we stood looking at each other in disbelief. To get to the front door of our "room", we walked up a little path past banana trees, bird of paradise flowers and other tropical plants. We had a little front porch with a table and chairs to facilitate book devouring and watching the amazing live volcano right in front of us! Our room was simple and classic and perfect. In the mornings, you would walk up to the main house where they had little tables and chairs on the patio and they would serve you a plate of fresh scrambled eggs (from the chickens on the farm), hot chocolate with freshly squeezed cow milk, and toast with jam. Jorge and Jesse were the owners and while Jorge was busy working on the farm, Jesse was serving breakfast out of her kitchen with her gorgeous 4-year old daughter playing around her feet and her 13-day old son sleeping in the next room. Jesse speaks at least 4 languages fluently (German, English, French and Spanish) and is one of the most gracious people I’ve met.

The pathway to our little "love nest". We had a banana tree and our own tropical plants.

The front porch of our love nest...perfect for reading and volcano watching.

The love nests at Erupciones Inn. Can you believe this place?

Breakfast visitor

I was charmed by every aspect of our room...from the door handle to the rustic orange and blue color scheme to the spanish tile in the bathroom to the wooden beams on the ceiling. It was beautiful.

The volcano from our front porch.

My idea of vacation...a great book, fabulous front porch, and volcano view.

Arenal Volcano


Chris desperately waiting for the clouds to part and the volcano "cone" to show itself.

That first day we marveled at our beautiful surroundings and then crashed for a little nap while the storm raged on outside. Do you remember napping without children? You truly fall into a deep sleep with no part of you listening or worrying about anything going on around you. There is no tension, no yelling at someone to get out of the cupboard, no mysterious crashing noises…just pure, blissful sleep. We awoke (when WE felt like it) and decided to go get some dinner. Our fabulous Frommer’s tour book recommended a little place right near our bed and breakfast and since it had the word "steak" in it, we decided to try it out. It was called "El Novillo del Arenal" and while it was truly nothing fancy, just some tables and chairs set on a concrete slab underneath a high, open zinc roof, it had fabulous food. We ordered steak and chicken and some "fried yuca"…it was truly divine…every last morsel!

Divine steak house.

Me standing next to a big plastic cow rubbing my belly full of beef and yuca!

We headed back to our little cabana for more rest and relaxation! And thus ended Day One…Chris just came down and asked if I was writing a novel. I’m not known for my brevity and since this is the only semblance of a journal in my life, you get all the details. Feel free to skim.

Sunglasses

HB and I went to look for a pair of sunglasses for me this week. After 5 minutes of spinning the sunglass tower around, I said to HB, "I'm not going to get any sunglasses today. I don't like wearing them and I always lose them." HB was trying on a pair of Hello Kitty sunglasses and posing in the mirror. When she heard my announement, she turned, looked over the top of her glasses and said, "Mom. You HAVE to get a pair of sunglasses. They are like sun lotion for your eyes." Dang it...she's right. So we got her a new pair of sunglasses.

I still hate them.

100 Life Experiences

A friend posted this list on his blog...I thought it was a great list to aspire to. I will highlight the things I have done but I offer no more explanation than that. My mom has told me numerous times that there are just certain things she feels better off not knowing...and there are certain things I'm not telling!!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more money to charity than you can afford
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightening storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunset or sunrise
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Visited Italy

You think your life hasn't been that interesting until you stop and consider that it isn't just the places you've seen but it is the seemingly "ordinary" experiences that in hindsight are truly extraordinary. It is the people you associate with everyday that we take for granted that are really some of the most fascinating, wonderful, amazing people on the planet. Today I want to see my life through someone else's eyes. I have a feeling I'll see things very differently...I feel very blessed.

Hasta la vista!

My husband has earned himself a major award!

Not one of these:

(Although I've always, always wanted one!)

But one of these:
You are looking at the Occidental Grand Papagayo Resort in Costa Rica. My awesome hunk of burning love is taking me to this resort in Costa Rica for 7 days. Last month at his company's annual sales dinner, they awarded this trip to the sales people that had met their goal for the year. And then, just to be really, really nice, they awarded the trip to 3 "non" sales people in appreciation of their hard work and contributions to the company. We were SHOCKED! We went expecting a yummy dinner and walked away with a belly full of yummy dinner AND visions of crashing surf dancing in our heads. The best part was the big hug we gave each other after he had accepted the award and came back to the table and we were giddy and happy and then asked each other, "So...just where is Costa Rica?" We had just won an all-expense paid trip...didn't matter one bit where we were going...although turns out Costa Rica is in Central America. (Thanks heavens for Goggle!)

We leave one week from yesterday...we are flying into Liberia and then taking a "shuttle" down 4 hours to the rainforest and live volcano. We are staying in a fabulous looking bed and breakfast called Erupciones Inn, a real Costa Rican farm. The reviews look great and you can actually see the volcano spewing hot lava. Don't get much of that in these here parts!

This is a picture of the place we will be staying with a fabulous view of the volcano. I hope we don't regret this...staying near a live volcano seems exciting but a little dangerous. I bet the people living in Pompeii thought the volcano was beautiful and exciting... didn't end up so pretty there.

Here is a picture of the little cabins. Apparently they serve you homemade bread and eggs from the farm. Sigh.

We are hoping to do a canopy tour with the ziplines and "cloud" bridges and see the amazing rainforest before heading back up to the resort for the remainder of the time. I've never been to a resort...I usually love staying in the local bed and breakfasts or local hot spots but I have to admit I'm excited to try resort living! It has made my January a little more fun...although shopping for sandals, shorts and a swim suit have been a little rough. (Not to mention my poor pale, pasty, soft body.)

Chris immediately started a regiment of push-ups and sit-ups in preparation for the trip. The first morning he rolled out of bed and onto the floor to do push-ups, I woke up to grunts and panting and thought he had fallen out of bed and had a heart attack. He looks sleek and trim and ready to go. I just bought a black swim suit that I hope will hide the 5 new pounds of hot chocolate sitting around my middle. But I am planning red, sparkling toes.

My husband also won a second award that night for his service to the company. It is called "the spirit of Imagine Learning" and it is the first time this award has been given. He received a standing ovation and the CEO read a very sweet letter about him and the contributions he has made to the company. While I am excited about the trip, on a more serious note, I am thrilled for my husband. From the beginning, I have been impressed by his work ethic and the dedication and effort he has given to every job and company he has worked for. He takes providing for his family very seriously. He also takes the effort he gives to his work very seriously. Every time I have come in contact with someone from his office, they have spoken so highly of Chris and the work he does. I am so proud of him. He is loyal and dedicated and hard-working and very talented at what he does. I honor and respect him for the labor he performs, the immense talents he possesses, and the blessing it is to be married to man that not only cares for his family and their physical needs, but is equally devoted to caring for our spiritual and emotional needs as well. I don't know what I have done to be so blessed but I am truly, humbly, and deeply grateful.

I plan on telling him that every day as we stand on the beach and rub sunscreen on each other's shoulders! Let the adventure begin!

Love On a Snowy Day

**(I would like to dedicate this story to my romance fans...Tonya, Heidi, and Angie. May you always find true love and delicious cupcakes!)**

It was a snowy, cold day in the city. I was feeling glum, a little down. So I headed to my favorite bakery, The Pretty Butterfly, to pick up a warm chocolate cupcake with triangle sprinkles.

HB...owner of The Pretty Butterfly Bakery.

Love in the shape of a chocolate plastic cupcake with triangle sprinkles.

As I walked in the door, my eyes were instantly drawn to him. He was lounging at a table with those amazing blue eyes, eyes that locked on mine instantly and found their way into my soul. Blue eyes, happy eyes, warm eyes. I was lost. I stumbled, I was awkward, I couldn't find any words. And then he smiled and I was found.



"Do you come here often?" I asked.

"Sorry, I'm with someone," he replied and for the first time I noticed "her" sitting across the table from him. She had long dark hair and was wearing exotic silk. She was tiny and petite and eating chocolate cupcakes and drinking hot chocolate with MY pair of blue, happy eyes.

I felt defeated. I felt cheated. I watched him toss his head back and laugh at something she said.

I was frozen. My heart momentarily died and then was relit by a surge of passion and longing that had been dormant in the winter of my heart for too long. "He is mine," I shouted with all the energy of my soul. I turned over the table and grabbed her long black ponytail. She wasn't a match for me. I was taller, stronger, and lift weights at the rec center twice a week. She crumbled under my touch and begged for mercy. He raised his eyebrows and asked what I was doing later. It was over before it really began. And those warm, blue, happy eyes and I left out into the glorious winter day together. Suddenly, it wasn't so cold...except for the crumbled doll I left on the floor behind.
But hey, all is fair in love and war.



And we all lived happily ever after on a slow Saturday morning.



The End.

A Few of My Favorite Things

It has been a fantastic holiday season! We have had lots of wonderful moments, experiences, blessings, and time together as a family. It really has been perfect...even the 4 days we spent painting the upstairs...it didn't seem perfect at the time but looking at my beautiful walls painted in corn harvest yellow makes it all seem WORTH it. It only took us 6 years to get paint on the walls but hey! let's celebrate the moments! It looks warm and cozy and makes the house finally feel decorated. Not perfect, but one step closer. So here is a look back at a few of my favorite things from this 2008 Christmas season...

I loved our living room with the 3 little, glowing pine trees that the kids each decorated with our well-loved box of random ornaments...and the row of snowmen with their hats and scarves. I think it was my favorite corner this season...I have undecorated the trees and put away the snowmen but I can't bear to put away the trees and their white, twinkly lights. Chris says we can keep them up until someone makes fun of us and then they have to go find a new home in the garage until next year.

Oh, little girls in tutus dancing and playing!

Snow, snow and more snow...doesn't feel so cold with good friends to hang out with!

Excited kids getting ready to go for a "cousin's night" at their Aunt Carrie and Uncle Todd's house...

Hannah was wearing regular clothes until it was time to go to the cousin party. She ran into her room and came out a few minutes later in what she calmly explained were her "party clothes".

And yet another use for the fabulous pink tutu...she makes me laugh...almost all the time!

A fabulous field trip to Gardner Village with our Mo to see the elves. I don't know why I look so puffy...I'm not pregnant and while my midsection is larger than it should be, I hope it isn't THAT large all the time.

Mo and all the elves. (Can you tell which ones are real and which one is pretend?)

MC and his glorious imagination. When our son asks if he can some ice-cream for dessert, it is always a work of art.


A wonderful afternoon at the Nutcracker ballet!

The stockings all hung on the banister with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there...

I loved our window decor this year. I added plastic, glitter snowflakes that I found at the Dollar Store and it looked so full of "bling". It made me happy...

More snowflake bling...

This was my favorite holiday activity. In the December 2008 Friend magazine, they had an activity where every day (starting December 1st) you would read a scripture about the Savior's life and then hang up a picture from the Gospel Art Kit that went with the story. We hung the pictures in our kitchen and read the scripture verses every morning at breakfast. It brought a tremendous spirit into our home for the entire month. I loved looking at those pictures every day and being reminded of the miracle of the Savior's life. We learned so much and I know my testimony was truly strengthened. It will be a tradition I hope we continue every year.

More holiday bling. (I'm downloading these pictures in very random order...sorry about the materialistic snowflake decorations happening right after the spiritual activity.)

MC on Christmas morning with his stocking loot.

Christmas morning was so fun. The kids didn't wake up until about 7:15 a.m. and they spent forever going through their stockings, opening the little presents, playing with the activity books, eating random candy, and just having fun. We didn't even start on the "real" presents for a long time. It was fun to just savor and relish and cherish!

JC on Christmas morning with his stocking stuff.

Three darling kids in new Christmas pajamas.

Glorious angels and dancing and unbridled enthusiasm.

Cousins and nativities...

JC with his Santa gift.

This year each child had a special card and note from Santa in their stockings that they were instructed to save for last. After everything else had been opened, they were allowed to open the card which told them they would have to work together to go on a treasure hunt to find their Santa gift. Each clue on the treasure hunt recognized an accomplishment from the last year of one of the kids...HB learning to use the potty, JC learning to cook, MC learning a song on the piano...and finally it led them to their gifts. It was a great way to incorporate some of the great things our kids have accomplished this last year and recognize their efforts. Plus it was just dang fun...and kept the suspense going a little longer. This is the kids hunting for one of their clues.

Chris with his new "gangsta" sweatshirt from Old Navy...and his boys from the hood.

Chris examining his stocking loot.


Blessed sausage rolls.

MC with his Santa gift.

How can one 6-year old be so ultra cool?

This post just keeps going...but I'm trying so hard to leave some kind of written record of what happened at the end of this 2008. One of the most fun things we did was our advent calendar. Each day in the pocket was a "light" to go on our wooden tree and an activity. So every morning the kids would take turns pulling out the light, hanging it on our little countdown tree and reading what the activity of the day was going to be. We had so much fun. Here was our list of activities for this year...

Dec. 1: Open the first gift of Christmas. Why do we give gifts at Christmas time? (We get a new Christmas book to add to our holiday book basket)
Dec. 2: Decorate little Christmas trees for your bedrooms.
Dec. 3: Go to Festival of Trees.
Dec. 4: Make a gingerbread house. Read story "The Gingerbread Baby".
Dec. 5: Memorize a Primary Christmas song. Sing it for Dad to earn a treat!
Dec. 6: Do a magic act of service for someone in the family! Don’t let them know who it was.
Dec. 7: Go see the creche display in Midway.
Dec. 8: Make Christmas cards for our neighbors. Write down the things we appreciate about them.
Dec. 9: Memorize a scripture about Jesus Christ. Recite it for Dad to earn a treat!
Dec. 10: Go to Gardner Village and see the elves!
Dec. 11: Go for a family drive to see houses with lights and christmas decorations.
Dec. 12: Learn another Primary Christmas song. Sing it for Dad to earn a treat!
Dec. 13: Go to the Nutcracker Ballet with Mo and Papa. Write thank you notes!
Dec. 14: Make a card for the bishop. Tell him 3 things you appreciate. Go deliver.
Dec. 15: Make treats for neighbors. Go caroling and deliver treats and cards.
Dec. 16: Memorize a scripture about Jesus Christ. Pass it off to Dad for a treat.
Dec. 17: Make a card for your primary teachers. Deliver with a treat!
Dec. 18: Wrap your teacher gifts. Sign your name and put a picture in the front of the gift.
Dec. 19: Do a secret act of service for someone in the family.
Dec. 20: Have a family movie party. Make some popcorn and watch a Christmas movie.
Dec. 21: Go to temple square to see the lights. Talk about what blessings you have received from Jesus Christ.
Dec. 22: Special "Christmas" family home evening.
Dec. 23: Write what our gifts to Jesus are going to be for this upcoming year.
Dec. 24: Bear your testimony about Jesus Christ. Open one gift. (New pajamas)
Dec. 25: Open our gifts to Jesus. Read what we are going to work on for the year.

Chris and I sat down and made the list at the end of November and it really helped us feel like we got to go and do and see and remember and focus on the memories and feelings we wanted to create this season. We did really well...almost all the activities. It was so, so, so fun...and I was so depressed the day after Christmas when I realized it was all over for another year.

This doesn't even include photo documentation of the wild New Year's Party we had at Chip and ML's. We ate, played games, had cake and presents for Ethan's birthday, and then sent all the kids downstairs to watch a movie while the adults all rocked out on the Wii playing "Rock Band". You haven't really lived until you've seen Chip and ML singing into the microphone, Todd on the guitar, Carrie on the bass, me and Chris on the drums and the 80's tunes blaring out into the night. My favorite had to be Chip and ML singing "Eye of the Tiger"...we paused for a moment at midnight and someone finally kicked us out at 1:30 a.m. It was a fabulous night. Thanks for hosting Chip and ML!

I'm so grateful for all the joy and wonder of this season. I'm so grateful to be a wife and mother and daughter and sister and friend and aunt and cousin and all the other glorious privileges I've been given. I feel enormously grateful for my testimony of the gospel and the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ. I feel true cause to celebrate!