Life! Passion! and Living your Purpose!

We began school this morning examining a little lizard on our wall and then watching a spider anaesthetise a huge flying ant in her web. We've been reading Charlotte's Web each evening, so this is apropos. Nothing like a hands-on education! The opportunities are everywhere and there are days when Michael and I just step back and marvel at the experiences our children are having with nature, culture, history-even sports experiences- through their eyes.

In the afternoon, we went to Punta Uva to take that hike we've been talking about. We've been waiting for the rains to stop a few days in a row, so that it's not a slippery mess. Unfortunately, Allie is suffering from a bronchial infection and with her asthma couldn't take the climb, so she stayed on the beach with our picnic.

Michael hates heights so even the plan of taking the kids up there has been causing him some discomfort...It is high, and rocky, and dangerous...it is also an incredible experience and sight to embrace! So with prayer for safety, gratitude for the opportunity to experience-and a firm hold on Gabriel for good measure- we climbed into the jungle and up to the ridge.

This is a common hike, so the path is clear and well-traveled. There is a grave in there we didn't see when last we were up here-although it is marked a few years ago. Sparked many imaginative possible scenarios in Gabriel!



As we began our ascent, a dog joined us from "out of nowhere" and did not leave our sides-stopping when we stopped and patiently waited while we started up again-like a sentinel, or protector....Littlest Hobo....wonder what encourages Gabriel's imaginative contemplations...

It is amazing to stand in the jungle and take in the vastness, the biodiversity, the incredible size of it! Tree roots higher than we are-and on close inspection, house plants, animals, and insects by the thousands-dare we guess at the number?

 Gabriel, who exhibits most often the rambunciousness of  an "extreme-sports" nature, shows caution and good sense when he is in a situation in which he's not proficient. He was happy to be held onto, and showed equal concern for his dad, who loves the majesty, but hates the altitude!

 

As we were on our way down, we spotted two little boys who we assumed were Costa Rican coming out of another path. They grinned and said "hi" and we could hear them behind us talking quietly with perfect English pronunciation.  Whenever we looked back, they were hiding and "spying" on us.  Just as we were almost down, a little hand "tagged" me on the back with a burst of giggles. Intriguing little boys who looked Latino but spoke English like North Americans...Turns out, they were adopted from Guatemala, and their parents have brought them to Costa Rica for a few years while their dad teaches at an international school.

 Michael spent some time talking with them on the beach while Gabriel and I shared our body board with their boys-Michael and Jonathan-both just turned six and both much smaller than Gabriel. I went to meet the parents, Sally and Mike, of this delightful pair. Michael and I so love meeting absolute strangers from all over the world and quickly finding commonalities...connection...


When asking what each other "did", I said I am co-founder of a life empowerment company, Sally said "I knew you did something like that...just before you said that, I knew it!" She described having worked with a life coach over ten years and it being a huge catalyst to them adopting their children and being here in Costa Rica. I had to ask...what made her attribute that to me? She said I had the same "way" about me, and she'd been encouraged in the same way just talking to me on the beach... Wow! and so I am encouraged! What a gift to be privileged to be what makes you come alive!!

New friends and shared lives..

Gabriel was so thrilled the skateboard park was re-openng today. We heard about it all morning when the focus was supposed to be on schoolwork. Not happening today...focus or skateboarding...Great was the disappointment when we rode all the way there and discovered an emergency note saying it was closed.
Here we are learning to, as mikaira would say, "Chillax". It is a way of life here...tranquillo, there's always manana. A very good, and actually productive, way to live-when things need to get done, they do...you just realize the lack of urgency in most "needs".
Since we were on the outskirts of Puerto Viejo anyway, we took the opportunity to go for Italian ice cream. Stopped at Ola to see Mar and Coco. Coco was as happy to see us as we were to see her. She's on school holiday-like summer vacation. She had asked her mom if they could bike to our house after work...instead we went to their house and had "naturale" tea-kind of like a mint plant, and yummy banana ckae that Aldo had made that day. Coco (and Aldo and Mar) has an open invitation to come over any time she wants and Mar told us mi casa es su casa. Really nice visit that we didn't want to leave. we have had the experience of riding that Cocles road home in the dark and it is treacherous. Absolutely terrifying for me-worrying about my kids' safety and dealing with my own issues of no depth perception at night-in the darker stretches the road becomes a black abyss in front of me-I have no concept of where the road is...or even if I'm on it-sheer terror!
We wandered over to Pamela's miraflores resort for supper tonight. We are so glad we did!! Bob, from Oregon, who we met a little while ago at the Latino restaurante down the road, is now staying at Miraflores. He moves around and enjoys himself wherever he goes! Really intriguing man-full of stories of a lifetime well-lived, and wit and intelligence. He was having supper and visiting with Pamela tonight. We sat at a table beside them and Pamela bustled around getting us candles-the circuits to the light above us was somehow not working. Bob took one from his and plopped it down on ours. He says tomorrow he will fix it for her. While Pamela was making our dinner-she's a great cook-a couple with a small boy we'd seen at the beach (whose son began shouting to them "look! there's my friends!" when he saw us come in) were just getting ready to leave, so they brought their candles over too. Another fellow came in and Pamela bustled to get rearrange candles for a table for him. She is so lovely and nurturing-we just adore her! Bob told her not to bother because the fellow could sit at his table if he'd like. The fellow took him up on it right away. Bob offered him some of his "cheap" wine-in-a-box he'd picked up at the grocery store. We got in on the welcome and asked him his name-Chris- and where he was from. Oregeon!! He and Bob live within miles of each other!! Chris is a massage therapist and came down with some friends for a bit and is now staying over on his own.. A very, very nice guy! He asked Gabriel was he was playing on the ee pad, so Gabriel plopped down beside him and taught him how to play "Angry Birds".
Most everyone we meet is someone we'd like to know....What a gift this all is!

Happy Birthday to David: brand new Daddy! A special year for you!

There are days we just putter, gain our bearings and take care of the details like laundry and maintenance. There are days when we go to the beach and play in the sea and sun, after a morning of schoolwork. There are days we do both. Other days are filled with traveling and visiting, shopping and activities. The rhythm of Caribbean life makes it so much simpler to live that kind of balance. Even though our time here is limited, so is it on this earth, and we are ever aware that activity does not make a moment well spent.
At the beach today-so calm, so peaceful...sitting on a huge log that we often seek out to survey the ever-changing scenery.

We noticed a large truck pull up with what looked like a small house built on to it, out of which a group of men emerged. A little out of context but you see all sorts of unusual things here. Back to our beach watching, we were approached from behind by a man holding a baby. He asked us to move because he wanted our log...We looked behind him and saw tha t group of men... one holding a chainsaw....one a large stick...and one a machete...this is the point where, if you have an active imagination, menacing music begins to crescendo...
Back to reality-there were lots of people on the beach... I couldn't resist asking him what he was going to do with the log (Michael sometimes seems nervous when I do this, especially when there's potential weapons involved...but hey, he had a baby...) With gestures, some English, and much Spanish, he explained he was going to cut the log into lumber to build a room onto his house.

We remembered the story Nick has relayed to us just the day before of a fellow who works for him, who builds his home a little bit at a time, as he can find lumber or bits of building materials. We realized we were looking at just such a man-maybe the very one. We took one look at that baby girl being held by her big brother now, the community of men to help him, and wished there was a Home Depot close by. we could have bought him some lumber-at very little sacrifice to ourselves. Really, we have SO MUCH!
It was quite a production to get the chainsaw working well enough to cut the log, and then use some leverage to get its' pieces hoisted up (thats what the big stick was for...) I asked if they's mind if i took photos. One fellow took over the photo-op, even directing me on the angle and timing of the shots!
So, here we are without one log to sit on at the beach...and a family has a bit more lumber to add one more room to their life...

Advice from a TREE

 


Stand tall and proud

Sink your roots into the earth

Be content with your natural beauty

Go out on a limb

Drink plenty of water

Remember your roots

Enjoy the view

Happy Birthday mom and Jonathan!

We mailed each a card many weeks before Christmas and neither has received theirs...we call this "sloth" mail.

There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say,

"Yes, I've got dreams, of course I've got dreams."

Then they put the box away and bring it out once in awhile to look in it,

and, yep, there still there.-Erma Bombeck

Today we hopped on our bikes and rode to Cocles to see a woman I have been in contact with via e-mail for the last year. She is in Costa Rica till Monday, so we were very glad to catch up with her!! We are planning our next years' accommodations and her place and location sounded ideal! Cocles is about 4 kms from Playa Chiquita, where we are now. It is about 3 kms to the town of Puerto Viejo to our 7 kms. Of course, it is farther from Punta Uva, our favourite beach, but really, everything is accessible if you're willing to put a little energy into it...

We like Playa Chiquita for it's "artist" feel and the "community" of mostly ex-pats we've come to know. Cocles has more of a small-town feel to it, and we'd like to check that out too.
We were not disappointed. Willow, the woman who owns the property, is warm and expansive and giving. Her home reflects that and she's got a balance between jungle/artsy/new york that she makes work! Willow has a local family living downstairs in their own home and they care take for her. they have the absolutely cutest little boy who is obviously "family" to Willow. Gabriel and he played together after they each got over their shyness. She has all the conveniences we yearn for -a dryer (!), internet hookup, and a bathtub!!! We couldn't ask for any more!! She will rent her beautiful and fully equipped casita for a reduced price to our guests. So, get your passports in order if you want to join us at any time. You are muy bienvenido!
More thrilling to us than even her house, is Willow herself! She made us feel instantly like part of her "world" and we like her so much!! She is an entrepreneur, a nurse, a midwife. You are just enveloped in her warmth and generousity of spirit, and we so hope to work something out to stay next year!
Willow has done what we dream of doing...she has her lovely home and some revenue from it that pays for her travel and living time in Costa Rica, maintaining her home, do renovations, and having it well-cared for and secured by a wonderful family to whom she can provide a home.
Can we do it? Will we want to own after a third season here, rent, or travel to other destinations? Can we afford it? We will see...when we first began to dream we wondered if it could ever become a reality...

So Much Fun!!!

Went to the beach today! Of course! The waves were high and powerful! Majesty! 

Had great fun body boarding, jumping through waves, and body surfing. We all got dumped on more than one occasion...So much fun! Sense of fun and freedom, a little scary, but exhilarating all the same...

We see Bruce Walker most days taking people on horse tours. Don't know how he does it-you're allowed to own businesses here but not allowed to work if you're a foreigner...unless you have permanent residency, something not easy to get...Bruce is a character! He is working so hard to forge a life for himself here in Costa Rica. hard life, people say, unless you've got money...

In the evening, Aldo, Mar, and Andrea (Coco) came for supper. They live in Puerto Viejo and rode their bikes. They are such joyful people! 

 Aldo was born in Peru and Mar is from Spain. They charmed us with their beautiful love and faith story...

Aldo came to Costa Rica 27 years ago-he was the first person in Puerto Viejo to start a bike rental business. He and Mar married 12 years ago and Andrea was born 2 years later. Mar owns a little dress shop called Ola and Also is an artist, baker, musician, and surfer. They are special people and we're glad to have the opportunity to grow a relationship with them. We look forward to many more meals together!

Prospero Ano Nuevo!

"Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live  life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it, I say! Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows."-Pope John Paul VI



To usher in the new year living in the midst of this gift of our dream-made-reality is incredibly significant for Michael and I! It is an awareness of dwelling deep in our spirit; and of faith and trust, vision and purpose. It is about living life intentionally and gratefully; experiencing and embracing each moment! Learning and growing and giving from the abundance we are aware of being so blessed with!
Last night we splurged and went to to Pura Gula for New Year's Eve. Not a fondue and appetiser party like we'd be having back home, but there's significance in that too, perhaps. What an incredible meal of pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes formed in ramekins with apple chunk filling, a beautiful salad with raspberry vinaigrette. Michael had orange pecan pudding and Gabriel, Alllie and I had the chocolate brownie...delicioso! Yum!
Was so nice to hear from my mom last night! When our technology is limited, a phone call from home is so special! Just hearing the voice of someone you love is a blessing, especially on the eve of a new year!!

Awoke to a beautiful bright sunny day ushering in 2012 and where better to spend it than at the beach. Although there are many beaches within walking distance and many more within biking, Punta Uva is the place for us!


We spent the entire day playing, relaxing, even napping.

The perfect day!!

Thank You for LIFE!!