Catch up #5: Visitors Round 2

John's brother (B), his wife (S), and their daughter(A) came on Thanksgiving and stayed for 10 days. I'd never met A and I was so stinking excited to meet her, she's so cute and sweet. She didn't like being held by me at first because she didn't know me, but she warmed up.

We had a great time with them. We took a day trip to see Volcan Poaz, an active volcano crater. The walk from parking to the crater is about half a mile, and we also decided to walk up a hill to the lagoon - which I think used to be another crater. That walk was tough! And B & S brought A in the stroller (John did not bring Simon) which wasn't easy for them! The walk back down was so much easier and faster. Then another half mile walk to the parking area to meet John and Simon. On the way home we found an amazing restaurant. John and I both said it's some of the best local food we've had since we got here. I think the volcano and lunch trip will become a regular thing for our guests.

While they were here John and B had to work a lot (not together) and their five month old daughter still spent a lot of time eating and sleeping, so we actually spent a lot of time at the house. S and I did go on a couple of walks, and we hung out with the babies while the daddies made the money. Then we went away their last weekend to Jaco. It's a town about an hour and a half from here with a beach. A lot of people at the Embassy talk Jaco down, but we had a great time. John rented a 3 bedroom 3 1/2 bath condo for us, so we brought our maid - best decision ever! This was our fourth beach trip and it was the most fun I've had at a beach because I wasn't stuck on shore with the baby. I was able to have fun in the water with John and Malachi, and I really enjoyed it.

One of the reasons we picked Jaco was because B really wanted to learn how to surf...like it wasn't an option, the boys were surfing. Right outside of our condo building (which was on the beach, btw) there was a surfing school set up under a couple of collapsable tents. John and B talked to them when we got there on Thursday and set something up on Friday. So Friday afternoon at 12:30 everyone but Simon and P (yay P! (also, it turns out P doesn't like the sun and she loves Simon, so she wasn't upset at all)) headed out to the tents. Guess who else got lessons! No, not me...I'm pregnant! My Dr. would have killed me. My five year old, however, has no such restriction. He learned how to surf right along with daddy and uncle B. Malachi even stood up on his own and surfed once! It was totally worth the $25, and he loved it. John and B had a fun time surfing and I think they'll both do it again. I got video of the whole time Malachi was in the water (including a time when a wave took me down - we have a water proof camera) and S took really good photos of John and B surfing. Unfortunately we had to leave before they could get out into the water again the next day.

We had a really good time with them here and we hope they'll be able to visit us again before we leave.    

Catching Up

I've started writing about all kinds of things but it's getting so long that I thought I would release it all in a series of catch-up posts. Here's number 1. Oh, and btw, this is post number 400 for this blog. Pretty cool!

John's parents came down at the beginning of November (yes, this is how far back I need to blog), and we had a great time showing them around the Embassy and our little community. We also took a trip to Puerto Viejo for a few days. We stayed at a B&B (which was more like a resort) about a three or four minute drive outside of town. We ate at a couple of restaurants in town, and we went to the Jaguar Rescue Center (which didn't have any jaguars). 

They had an amazing baby howler monkey cage that we were able to go into, and the monkeys climbed all around and all over us. It was a great time. We also got to hold a baby sloth. Sloths might be slow, but they're mean creatures. Keep away from their face! One lady didn't take this advice seriously and was bitten on the face by the sloth. They had, horses, frogs, birds and snakes as well. All of the animals were rescued and/or donated to the center. We lost interest in the snakes, but it was a lot of fun there. 

We tried the beach for a little bit, but I wasn't interested because it was really rough. Simon was really scared of it, he did take a nap on grandpa's chest at the beach, but otherwise the sound of the ocean really seemed to scare him. The rainy season was just ending so we still had rain during their visit, which was too bad. We got to see the sun a bit though, so that was nice.

My father-in-law had to leave just short of a week after he got here, but my mother-in-law got to stay. She stayed with the kids while John and I went on our vacation!

To Be Continued...

Are We There Yet?

The story of how a two hour drive took five.

I felt like a chicken with her head cut off yesterday morning. But I was at the Embassy so I couldn´t run around. The girls that are visiting us and I decided the previous night that we´d see if we can get a deal for the three of us that was offering a deal for two at a hotel/spa a couple of hours north of where I live.

I started at the Travel Agency (Carlson Wagonlit location down the hall from my office) and asked the nice ladies if I could do what I wanted. They made a call to the hotel and directed her to another person to call. She told me she´d make the call and let me know. I had breakfast with a friend in her office who offered me one of her extra croissants. The wonderful woman from Carlson popped her head in and said that we could do it for $10 less than what I was asking for - woot!

I told her I needed to find babysitters before I made the reservation, so I thanked my friend for breakfast and went on my way. I stopped at the office next to mine and asked someone if her daughter could babysit that afternoon and this afternoon. She couldn´t get a hold of her, so I tried other options. Most of the teenagers and visiting college students were either out of town with their parents or with out. And then I remembered my neighbor. She´s become a friend and has an 18 month old of her own. She owns a store at the mall, but usually goes just in the evening.

Problem: I don´t have her phone number. So I ask my friend who shared breakfast who just happens to be from Spain to call my maid for me and ask her to have my neighbor call me at my desk. The message is passed on but she doesn´t call. So my maid goes to my neighbor and asks for the phone number. I call her to find out she was making pancakes. I feel a little bad, but am too excited for spa (two hours in the spa actually) to care too much (sorry A).

She says she can watch the kids that day and her maid will do it the next. Yes!! I make the reservation and wait at the Embassy for another half hour for Carlson to give me the voucher for the room.

Head home, pack, feed Simon, print out directions from Google, take kids over to neighbors house, get everything in the car - go! Get 15 minutes out and turn around because I forgot my purse. UGH!

I should´ve seen this as the bad omen it was.

We were going to San Jose first to buy bus tickets for the girls because the company doesn´t take credit cards and they´re leaving for Panama Friday night. We drive around for about an hour looking for the place because the book apparently doesn´t have the location right and the nice woman at the hotel we stopped at wasn´t quite sure either apparently.

So we finally give up and decide to go to the hotel. I think I´m supposed to turn left at the road and I don´t see any signs saying I can´t but people are honking at me (including a semi as it drives by - scary!!) so I move forward. And am very glad I didn´t turn because it turns out I was already on the road I wanted to be on. So we´re driving and we miss our turn. Because the signs don´t have road numbers on them - just what town they lead to. I´m not scared yet because we´re still on the Pan American Highway and I can just turn back if I need to. But eventually we need to turn off, so we get off the highway because we think this road will take us where we need to go. At this point my friend has pulled out her Costa Rica book and finds a map that´s not ideal but is great because I failed to bring one with me.

We stop at a restaurant and I ask in my broken Spanish if we´re at the place I think we are, and we are! Then I ask how to get to a different place and he tells me - and I understand!!

We get back on the highway and head for Naranja. We get excited to see a sign for Naranja that says it´s in 10 km. Great!

Miss that turn.

Stop at a mall ask a nice bank security guard for directions to Zarcero, he provides them. We then ask nice police men to verify and we get basically the same directions. I eat a Taco Bell double decker because in the excitement I´ve eaten very little and am shaking from hunger.

We find Zarcero after asking a nice girl on the side of the road where it was. I thought we´d passed it, because there´s so way it would take this long to get there. Nope. Go to the intersection, take a right and we´ll be there in 15 minutes. Awesome!

I have to mention that for a while we´d been climbing the mountains so driving was very slow going and it took a couple of minutes to go one kilometer. And then all of a sudden we´re in Zarcero - yay!! So according to my friend´s map we the next big town is Ciudad Quesada, which just happens to be very, very close to our hotel. With out needing to stop for directions we head there (there was a sign that said Ciudad Quesada 27 km so we stayed on the road we were already on and prepared for a 15 mile drive). The drive was beautiful if not a little scary and slow.

Finally we arrive in a very nice town and know we´ve made it to Quesada. We see signs for every town but the one we want - argh! At the next intersection while we´re still trying to decide which way to go I spot a sign for our hotel - salvation!!!!

It has an arrow pointing to the right and says 15 minutes, 7 km this way. So we turn, and we drive - about six or seven miles! I decide not to freak out until 10 miles, but I don´t need to because the hotel shows up on the left side. And there was much rejoicing!

At one point during the drive I say "this drive is a blog entry all of it´s own" and my friend looks over and replies "you should call it Are We There Yet?" We both laugh, she was great at keeping the mood light when the drive was scary either because of the crazy twists and turns or the fear that we were hopelessly lost.

So today I´ve been up since before four. Parly because I feel asleep before 8:30 and partly because someone used the bathroom this morning and shined the light into our room. Oh well. I´m not all that tired. But I should probably go get dressed for breakfast and get ready for a spa experience and then another awesome ride home!

John - I so appreciate your driving here now, and I appreciate any future driving you´ll most definitely do. ;)

Guests

Our guests didn't have a great night on Sunday night in San Salvador. They missed their 3 am bus and didn't make the next one at the other bus company. I felt really bad for them. Happily they were able to enjoy a little pampering yesterday and got themselves a pedicure and one hour massage at a price they wouldn't find in the States (and probably wouldn't have found here either).

So they're on their way right now. In fact...if their bus is on time, they'll be here in under two hours. I'm so excited to see them! I hope we have a good time and they enjoy Costa Rica.

I filled out a lot of HR paper work today. Got it notarized in the Consulate and everything. I did get to go behind the scenes in the Consulate which is pretty special apparently. Then HR gave me more paperwork. This time it's easy, direct deposit and W-4. Not nearly as confusing as the benefits paperwork. Oh yeah! I get benefits, even though I'm only part-time. I get the same benefits, just on a different scale. So when I officially start, I'm going to be putting away for retirement and I have life insurance too. I don't think I've had life insurance since John got this job, so that makes me happy. I know now that it won't be a big burden on him if something should (God forbid) happen to me.

I picked up Pizza Hut for dinner. I think it made a bigger mess than if I would've made myself a sandwich. Oh well, it was pretty tasty. Not exactly like home, but pretty good.

I'm IM'ing with my brother-in-law as I type this and he asks: What do you eat? I laughed and thought that was a very funny question. And I realized that we eat basically the same stuff that we did in the states. At least when we cook we do. We tend to go to the really really nice store and spend the money for the atmosphere. Plus it's the closest and I like it more...stop judging me! But we're still making spaghetti, and broccoli chicken braid, and grilling steak and chicken.

My maid does cook for us though, and I really like that. She makes a mean gallo pinto. She's making a big Tico breakfast for us tomorrow, so I'm pretty excited about that.

I'm tired and I need to rest and clean up dinner before they get here.

BTW click on the flickr link on the right side to see some more pictures of the fam.

Stuff

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. It's been a long time since I blogged. I just haven't had a strong desire to do so. It's weird, but sometimes I really feel like blogging. I go through periods of time where it's a lot of fun. Then there are the periods of time that I just don't feel like it.

There certainly has been a lot of material very good for my blog in my life the last nine days.

Two weekends ago we prepared for our first house guests. Our dear friends J&D came from Chicago. They're there for school, but we knew them in Dallas. Preparing for a visit wasn't easy with out a car. But it wasn't impossible. We got the proper groceries, and had fresh pineapple, and mango waiting for them when they arrived. We also had little chocolate fondants waiting for them. John made them because it was his turn to bring dessert to work. He had enough left for us to have them with J&D, Malachi got one and so did P (the maid).

Their flight got in late. They finally got to the house after 10:30 that Monday. We stayed up late talking and catching up. Then we all crashed after long days. Tuesday they explored the little city we live in, Wednesday I explored with them. Thursday and Friday they went to San Jose on their own. They're very independent people. It was great for us because we didn't feel pressured to entertain their every minute (hint, hint).

Friday the 2nd we had the Embassy 4th of July Celebration. John and I both helped with set up. It was a TON of work. Then he had things he needed to do during the party, and I stayed with my new supervisor for a bit, and just kind of wandered around for a while too. After a very, very long day for the party, we waited for our rental car to show up at the hotel so we could drive it home that night and then leave early in the morning for the Volcano with J&D and the kids.

We waited...and waited...and waited. They never showed. So we got a new reservation
with a different company and went back to the hotel the next morning and waited...and waited.

/sigh.

Finally they showed up and it turned out to be the guy who we rented with before. He got us a Nissan Montero with three rows rather than the two cars we originally rented. We were really, really happy about that. I was happy we were all going to be in the same car and that I wasn't going to have to drive.

We went to a house (known as the Volcano House in our family) owned by someone in the Foreign Service and stayed one night. It's near the biggest volcano in the country. Unfortunately since we got such a late start we didn't get to drive up to and see the volcano itself. I told John that he and J&D could go see do a night tour at the National Park, but the hammocks rocking chairs called our names so after the kids went to bed we hung out on the porch for a few hours.

The next morning we woke up at 5am and went on a very, very short walk and had a great view of the volcano. It was pretty far away and to late to see lava, but still really cool. After breakfast we stopped at a looking point over the lake with a great view of the volcano. It was gorgeous. We have some great pictures, but I feel like pictures don't do it justice.

Then we drove to the beach. The beach! I love the beach. What a great first post for us to have!! We went to a new all-inclusive resort near Ocotal beach. It was fine for an all-inclusive, but I think they're starting to lose their appeal to me. While it's nice to have everything paid for, the quality seems to be better at smaller places. Especially the food. But we had a great time anyway.

J&D went home on Tuesday morning and we had a week of normalcy. Or did we?

That's right! We got our car! YAY!!!!!

It's been so great to take our selves shopping. I've been driving John to work and
picking him up. Today I ran erands and didn't have to rely on anyone for it.
Yesterday we went to Price Smart by ourselves - LOVE.IT.

Now we're preparing for more guests. We have a friend from high school coming in tomorrow with her boyfriend's sister. They come in late too, but we're still going to have pineapple and a sweet treat waiting (chocolate chip cookies this time).

More Dreams

I had more dreams last night. I can't remember the one I really wanted to blog about, so I'll talk about the one I had after it. It was a continuation of a dream from another night. It involved luggage shopping, then a friend from elementary school was there. I gave her one of my things for her to buy instead and after she opened it I remembered why I wanted it. Then the checkout was this weird process and I had little frozen ice things the size of trading cards. I had written notes on them in a code that I couldn't remember for check out.

During trying to figure that out I was woken up by John who'd let me sleep until 7:20! Woot!

Our friends are coming to visit us tonight. I. can. not. wait. Lots of fun should ensue.