Well we are back from a short trip to Costa Rica. It was an amazing experience and something I would love to do again some day. It was WAY too short. By the time we spent a day flying there and a day flying home we really only had 4 whole days to experience it all. It was a surprise to Joel where we were going and even the lady checking us in for the flight helped me to keep him from seeing or hearing anything. He didn’t know where we were going until we arrived in Dallas and I had given a few hints and he had it all figured out. We boarded our last flight and headed out. When we arrived in Costa Rica we got through customs fairly quickly and headed to get our rental car. Upon arriving at the rental company(who took their sweet time) we learned that we were 4-5 hours away from our resort and they advised us to stay over night and go in the morning but being the stubborn go-getters that Joel and I are we decided to go for it. We got all our stuff loaded in our “mini car” and headed into the darkness. Thank God that Joel drove and had experience in driving in Peru(which he still maintains is much worse) because I would have probably either driven VERY slow or had a panic attack. When we first left the city the roads weren’t too bad and I was certain that we would be fine to travel. As the adventure went on, the roads got narrower, the pot holes got bigger and the drivers coming the other direction got crazier but Joel handled it all and got us safely to the hotel by 1 am just 4 hours later. I wasn’t much help and decided to sleep most of the way. It was hard to see much of the country since it was pitch black but one of the first things we noticed was that the moon was “upside down”. It was a half-moon but it sat in the sky like a smiling mouth rather than how we usually see it in our sky at home. The next morning we woke up in our beautiful resort and I gorged myself on fresh fruit, mostly pineapple. It was a good start to the day and we walked down to the beach to see the ocean up close. The sand was kind of dark from the volcanic sand but it was soft and the water was warm. We walked quite a ways down the sand and just enjoyed the warmth and time together. After a nice walk we headed back for lunch and sat by the pool for a while. It was nice to spend a whole day just relaxing. The next morning we did some relaxing at the resort again and then drove out for the first time in the day light. It was amazing to see the local people. The tiny huts with wide open doors to let the breeze in and many of them with bars and wires to protect them. We drove past a small village school that looked more like a prison than a school as it was surrounded by razor wire and gates. It wasn’t unusual to see small children or even babies on motorcycles, no helmets of course. I was blown away by the amount of small kids on motorcycles at full speed on these somewhat dangerous roads. They also seem to have no fear and would often sit right on the side of the road while traffic rushed by. There were large amounts of people on bicycles, and small children wandering around by themselves. This was more surprising to me than anything based on the wire and bars that indicated a high amount of crime but they didn’t seem to have any fear. I found myself trying to take in every sight! I wanted to experience everything this country had to offer. Once we got out to the main road we spent the afternoon shopping in a small town called Coco Beach. We found souvenirs for our families and had a good time just seeing the locals at work. On day 3 we waiting to hear from Riley and TJ because they were supposed to be on a bus from Samara to spend the night with us. After a long wait and not much information we finally decided to go for a drive. We spent the rest of the afternoon checking out other beaches and hiking up a hill to watch the sunset. When we arrived back to the resort we got word from Riley that they were in Liberia about an hour away and were waiting for us to pick them up. We got back in our car and made the trek back to get them. They joined us for the evening and we walked to beach at night, caught fireflies, went to the disco and went for a late night swim. It was great to get to share the experience with such good friends. It was a bummer that we couldn’t stay longer and see more with them. We stayed up until super and finally all crashed back in the room. The last full day I woke up at 6:30(accidentally due to Joel’s watch being wrong) I wanted to get one last moment of sun and peace before we headed out. We had breakfast with the boys and then packed our things and left them behind. They kept our room for the extra night because we had decided to head to San Jose later that night rather than trying to make the 4 hr trek the next morning. We drove just over 3 hours to the town of La Fortuna where we spent the afternoon climbing down a riverbed and repelling down amazing waterfalls. It was amazing. We started out(late, thanks to Google maps. There are very few road signs so we were lost ish a lot) by joining one other couple and getting into our “jungle limo” it was a small pickup with benches in the back and a tarp over the top. It was a mountain climb through small villages and stunning country side. When we finally reached the top they got us all geared up and we headed down the mountain. It was a neat way to see the country and a fun experience for Joel and I. I was a little nervous at the first waterfall but once I got started I loved it. I would gladly do it again. At one point we had to jump from the rocks into a small pool, and then at another point they dammed off the water so we could climb down a small fall and then sat us at the bottom and let it go, It rushed over us with such force I thought it might blow us out of the crevasse. Once we were finished(about 4 hours later) we changed into dry clothes just as it began to pour rain. We sat in our little tree house “cafe” eating a traditional Costa Rican lunch and watching the rain fall. At that point we got to see our pictures and laugh at how silly we were. After lunch we headed back down the mountain in our “limo” and started the long trek back to San Jose. We stayed in a quaint little cottage type village that night and settled into the idea that our trip was nearing the end. I was sad and considered not going home, except for the fact that I missed my girls. We woke early and gathered everything up to return the car and get to the airport. We had one last breakfast of amazing fresh fruit before we left and got on our way. Joel of course had to take the last opportunity to drive like a crazy person before returning the car and returning to the states where roads are wide and marked. We finally got the car returned(it took a while again) and got all of our bags checked in at the airport. I was sad to leave. The adventure and retreat were way too wonderful to let go of so easily. I knew I was headed back to a job that I hate and the fun of sharing my kids and I could feel the stomach ache starting. I had felt so free for 5 days and now the thought of heading back was daunting. I reluctantly got on the plane and we ended up leaving 45 minutes late thanks to immigrations that combined with the long lines to get through customs eventually caused us to miss our flight in Dallas. We literally got there as she was shutting the doors. I was really bummed because we had planned to have dinner with Brandy Chavez in Denver during our lay over. Since we didn’t get to see her after all she got Joel and I massages, she is SO kind. We finally got boarded and yet again had to wait because of a thunderstorm. We finally got to Denver and then back to Boise. I slept almost the entire way and finally got into my bed at 2:30am and had to open at work at 7. All in all it was the best trip. It is amazing to travel with someone who loves you. Joel made the comment that he had waited so long for someone to travel with. I felt the same way and even when I was tired and cranky he loved me anyway. It’s an incredible feeling to be able to travel so freely with someone.