Back in Costa Rica

Annexation Day Parade in Costa Rica

Colorful Dancers

Sophia and Sam

I think Hannah may be hot....

Catarata Llanos de Cortes 

Catarata Llanos de Cortes

Back in the land of Pura Vida! Woo Hoo!

Safely back in Playas Del Coco as of July 18th 2014. Our plane trip back. Good Lord! We had a family of 4 sitting right behind us from Dallas to Liberia Guanacaste. Kurt was extremely exhausted, and we were all tired. He tried to sleep, but not with a 10 year old right behind him kicking the seat non stop. And behind the girls and I, well, a 2 year old that did not know how to use his inside voice. He would SCREAM at the top of his lungs at any given time. Well, of course our patience was running very thin. I must have said something a bit too loud. The father said, "well, it is an airplane ride!" Ummmm.....so that is the standard for an airplane ride? Ok then! Grateful for my girls, let me tell you. We arrived at customs at the airport, and the 2 year old took off out of the gated line and started running around and yelling. The guards at the airport were none too happy. It is a different world down here, and minding your P's and Q's are very important. I wish them the best of luck on their vacation!

Then we had to get our baggage checked. Here we go! Of course we were pulled aside once again, they grabbed two of our suitcases and started rummaging through them. The customs agent was asking how much the clothes cost, ect. Kurt was trying to explain to him. I stepped forward and kindly told the gentleman, we have 17 other bags to search to go along with the 2 he had opened. He dropped his head, sighed, and took Kurt's passport and went into the back room. He returned and told us to go and get out of there. Back to my reason of traveling light from now on! LOL! Crisis adverted!

Now we are unpacked once again and digging our feet in. It did feel like coming home, and that is something I needed to know. More information, and all is well right now.

The girls were in the Annexation of Costa Rica Parade with their school! So proud of them for supporting their adopted country! It is sure a cultural learning experience for them, and I hope they carry it with them for the rest of their lives.

OH! One more thing, Kurt and I splurged on fishing poles! You do not need a fishing license to fish of the beach, so we are in! I got up at 4:00 am Saturday morning, made coffee, and got things together. Kurt and I were off to the beach! We fished for about 2.5 hours, Kurt caught 2 Puffer Fish (second most poisonous animal on the planet, the first is the Golden Frog), at least we were not skunked! LOL! This will take some time to learn the patterns, and feeding times of the fish. Such a challenge and we are both up for it!

Sam has started her Master Dive course. Book work first, then training starts this weekend coming up with equipment. I am so very excited for her! Might as well, come on, we are in Costa Rica, and she will be able to take this anywhere in the world she chooses to go. The girls are also going out with Rich Coast Diving and their Marine Biology Class snorkeling on Saturday. I may go with them. OOOO YA! Opportunities abound, and I am so very grateful for everything that shows up and the experience we are having.

We went to the most beautiful water fall yesterday. You see the pictures above? They do not do it justice! We hiked down a very steep and rocky foot path and ended up in a piece of paradise. It was not of this world! We swam across the swimming hole and went behind the waterfall. Kurt had his Go Pro, and a young man asked him if he would record the proposal to his girlfriend! Aww...how sweet! And he did. I sat behind the waterfall for about 1/2 hour, just taking the peace and the energy in. Letting all my worries wash away with the water. Perfect.

Today it rained in Coco. Finally, 2 months into rainy season and we can count on one hand how many times it has rained. It was truly a blessing. Guanacaste is in very deep drought right now because of El Nino. Any excess rain could be sent our way. Much appreciated!

Back to our life in a little town in Costa Rica. One thing I have learned, small town is small town anywhere in the world, if you know what I mean! LOL!

Pura Vida and much love!

Back to Minneapolis/St Paul

Ok...packing up from the cabin and our first stop was at a hotel on Spirit Mountain in Duluth, Mn. It is a glorious wonderful place to stay.

The girls had some of their friends over for one last HURRAH in the pool and pizza. My friend Jen came with her daughter, and we had some time to catch up and talk. Thanks Jen for being present on our trip, it means the world to me and also our friendship!

Off to the Cities! We spent 5 more days there. The girls got to spend quality time with their Grandfather and Aunt. Water Park, Mall of America, and many other things were on the agenda. Let us not forget the China World Buffet! UGH....again...too much food.

Speaking of food, especially wheat, Hannah ended up having the same symptoms she had before we moved to Costa Rica when she ate wheat. Now we all know. She is fine with wheat down here, but not in the States. My conclusion is that it may not be the wheat totally, it is the chemicals that are sprayed on the wheat and that they are genetically modified. I asked, and the answer showed itself. Hannah is much better now and back in her groove.

When we left back in April, it was quite the whirlwind. It was good to go back and tie up loose ends, ask some questions, and see where things sit. Kurt found a lot of answers and healing on our journey up North. The girls got to reconnect with their friends, and I asked them how they felt about it. One comment was made to me from Sam. "If we had not moved away, this magical time would not have happened." I think they all realized that it is in the NOW that counts. Not how many miles away your are. It was good to hear as a Mom. Hopefully planning on some of these girls to come down this winter and show them around a bit. That would be wonderful!

Are people going to show up and visit? It sure sounds good in words. I hope some of them will step out of their comfort zones and stay with us. That is my intent. I have always had an open door policy no matter where I have lived. This should all be very interesting.

We also went shopping. Finding things we could not get in our area of Costa Rica, or that were way too expensive. Many trips made to Savers for clothes, sheets, pillow cases, and dishes. Nothing major, just a few things to make our lives a little more comfortable. OH....my favorite thing? Pillows! Soft fluffy brand new pillows! It is the simple things.......

Another insight of who we showed up for and who showed up for us when we made our trip back. Now we know, and it is in the knowing. We met a quite a bit of resistance from Kurt's family, but again, just more information to carry with us.

I want to thank everyone that helped make this trip possible. You know who you are and we send our gratitude and love to all.....cannot wait until next year!

Travel Light!

It is good to come home to Costa Rica....so very good.......

P.S. Kurt was ready for TSA on our return trip, he wore spandex shorts and a t shirt, and yes, he did get pulled aside! LOL! Thanks for making a bad situation a bit more tolerable with humor!

Our trip to Minnesota July 4th

Hello!

I had to go back to my last post July 4th 2014 to see what I was up to, where I was at, and what was going on. It has been a bit, so here we go!

We flew back to Minnesota July 4th. Ok, never flying on the Holiday again! Right before we left, security got ramped up, and yes, I was pin pointed by TSA. At the Liberia Airport I was pulled aside for a search before I got on the airplane. Patted down, and my carry on was looked through. That was not so bad. Just frustrating because I KNEW I had nothing to hide.

Dallas....to catch our connecting flight. Oh yes, I got pulled aside again. This time, not so nicely. The lady that searched me was not so nice and very aggressive. It did not help that by this time I totally lost it emotionally. Yes, I did. Gone gone gone......$400 prescription glasses scratched, and two of our computer monitors, totally spider webbed and cracked.

Never ever traveling that heavy again......ever! Welcome back to the United States.......

Finally, Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. Could not grab our bags fast enough and get outside. Whew! We made it!

We stayed a few nights in the Cities at my sister in laws and then headed up North. We stayed at Black Bear Casino that night, and visited with family and friends. It was a good meeting point! They had the Northwoods Buffet that night, and oh did we eat! Way too much, but that is how it goes when your intake has been so extremely different. They had everything we were missing! Probably could have lived without it, but it was there. Another lesson learned!

Off to the cabin on Stone Lake in Northern Minnesota! So excited to get there...unpack our gear, and relax! We were very blessed that one of Kurt's friends lent us his Cadillac to drive for the week! Not too bad I must say!

Our healing place. Includes outhouse and everything!

Beautiful Big Stone Lake

So good to be back! I thought I would be all tied up in knots returning to Minnesota, actually, I was not. I felt a relaxed easy feeling. All the past issues had been resolved and I could actually enjoy every moment. Finally! It sure was time and well deserved!

The girls each had two friends up to stay with us for 3 of the days we were at the cabin. What a great bunch of girls, 6 total.  No whining, just giggles and lots of fun! Camping, hiking, fishing, paddle boating, swimming, and of course S mores! It was pure joy listening and watching them all do their own thing. The parents behaved, we were seen and not heard....LOL!

My Ante Susie showed up a few times while we were at the cabin. Wonderful to see her and speak with her. She certainly is my Dear One, and one of the last family members I have.

We got to spend a precious week up there, and I am already planning my next trip North in July of 2015!

OK! Heading back to the Twin Cities! More to come! I will break this up a bit so it is not so long to read.

Love from Costa Rica!

Happy 4th of July!

Hola and Happy 4th of July to all my North American friends!

So today is the day. We fly back to Minnesota for 2 weeks. Whew....we first arrived in Costa Rica on April 8th 2014 and now taking a trip back. Mixed emotions this morning, excited, curious, waking up feeling I will miss my new home. That is a wonderful sign!

We took a trip down to the beach with another family yesterday afternoon. It was so hot here! The ocean was cool and the waves were coming in. I was sitting on the beach as the sun was going down looking at the silhouettes of the children playing in the surf. An overwhelming feeling of peace came over me, and I thought to myself, this is what Pura Vida feels like. What an amazing place to raise our children. Things are not perfect, and we are still learning, but I still feel like I am on an adventure.

I was speaking with my dear friend from Hondorous a day ago and some ideas came about. Only took me a few months to "get it together", though giving myself a break since we planted ourselves in a new country in what seems like a matter of hours. LOL!

I am not going to sugar coat it, the cost of living is more than what we expected. Not crazy high, but on our new budget, it is stretching it a bit tight. Again, there is always a solution.

My friend Mileth knows everything that is growing outside and the seasons. What a wonderful gift she has and I am excited to learn from her. When we return, we are going to start a pantry for both of our families. Cashews, almonds, wild cilantro, lemon balm, mango's, papayas, you get the feel of this. Roasting, blending, preserving with all that nature has to offer. Ding Ding! There is no reason to buy these products and their counterparts at the store! I guess I just needed to ground myself once and for all and start looking outside of myself. They also have an outdoor oven, how wonderful to make some bread!

And then starts the tincture making. This really excites me. To be able to have your own Apothecary at your finger tips. We are also going to make screens for drying herbs.

My intent on this is to expand. Supporting both of our families and doing what we love. Excellent I say!

Time to finish the last of the packing. Riding on the wings of Angels today.

Much love to you all!

Pura Vida!