I know it's early.. but..

HAPPY  MOTHER'S DAY!

I just wanted to say that I love my mom so much, and miss her!  I hope you have such a good day.  Not just Sunday, but everyday.  There is no one else that deserves that more than you.  You are such an inspiration to so many people around you.  You have no idea the impact you have made on the lives of those around you.  I am sad I cannot be with you right now, but I look forward to our reunion : )  Love you so much! xo

Of course, happy mother's day to all those wonderful ladies who have touched my life in so many special ways. Stepping in, when my mother was unable.  You all have a special place in my heart, and are so appreciated : )  xo

hooooola!

Happy Birthday Twins!  Love you, and can't wait to see you again.  Enjoy your new hats, as you walk around with your super lindo surf boards, and pose as surfers.  : )  PS  If you are reading this, email me.  Thanks!

Nelson and Justin "showing me their moves" before we went out for the twin's b-day!

Nelson, Christian, Josito.  Two of Nelson's co-workers...at the Tropi!!  Would you like to know why we are so glad to have the Tropi back open?..

This is why we are so glad to have the Tropi back open.  This man jumped into the back of the truck as we were driving home that night.  He said he was going to Playa Guiones, and needed a ride.  Diego was happy to extend the invitation. When we got there, he wasn't too sure where he was staying.  After telling us, that he was formerly kicked out of the Tropi that night for falling asleep at the bar, he decided it was best if he spent the night with us. So...

There he went.  Right on the hammock.  Of course, the mother in me, laid a mosquito net over him, and sprayed him with bug spray.  I figured he would be gone in the middle of the night.. But, NO.  I woke up at 6:30, and he was out there, snoring.  When I went out at 7:15 to go to work, he was gone!  Never saw him again.  THe end.

This is the little mini mart in Playa Pelada (where the window is)  The green section is the house of a friend of mine, that works at the Juice Bar, here at the hotel!

My friend Lena, and myself, on our way to the Rodeo!  Yup, the Rodeo was back in town!!

Nelson, and his best friend, Henry, at the Rodeo!

My humble abode : )

How to explain this story?  So.. there is this guy who comes into the Healing Centre, really stressed.  He says, "I need a massage, who is the best?  I need the best.  You tell me when to come in, and I need an amazing massage.  I need to be cured...etc.."  I set him up with an appointment with my boss, Tammy.  Apparently, he liked it.  After he 100 dollar tip, and another booking, he was in heaven.  From that point on, he told me that I saved his life.  Because I set up the appointment.  He began to be famous around here, and not always because everyone liked him.  He fled with a boogie board from coconut harry's, he ditched on two surf lessons with Nelson, because he was so "busy".  well, come to find out, that he is actually a huge business man, always making deals, buying and selling, always on the go.  He told me about all these things he was working on, all his contacts, etc.  So, we just let it go.  Well, his final night he was here, he invited us all to a dinner at another hotel down the road.  He insisted we all come (as long as we had good energy).  Who shows up for a free dinner and boose?  All the twenty somethings that were invited.  So we partied away, with Crazy David!  Toward the end of the night, we wanted to go to the Rodeo.  He said that he needed to go to bed, but we could take his shuttle, ran to his room, came back, handed me 300 dollars, and told us to have a good time...

So there I go.  Bottle of wine, gold nail polish, two purses, and 300 dollars.  Let's just say, that I was the favorite that night.  Everyone was chasing me around, "Maggie, I want a beer, Maggie, Can I have a beer?!"  Of course we blew the money right away.  It was easy, because every time I went to the bar, I ordered 10 beers, and 5 shots for the group!!  What a night!  Thanks David! 

...So.. there is my picture update : )

Sad news, Nelson got denied on his first attempt for an American Tourist Visa : (
We were both really bummed.  He wanted to come visit so badly. 
So, for now, he sends his love, virtually!  
Thanks for all the love and support from all of you!

Working a lot!  Trying to get to the beach more, pilates and yoga too!
Sleeping a lot, of course : )
And, enjoying life!

Happy Easter to everyone.  Sad, that I am not there to spend with my family, and the Zanol's from the East Coast, but we will see each other soon!

xoxoo

the adventure continues..

A couple weeks ago, I was having doubts about going home on April 6th.  Not sure if I was ready, SO... I was going to extend my ticket, and just do a visa run to Nicaragua (because after 90 days, you need to leave the country for 3 days).  I was still kind of "iffy" with the plan, but I knew that if I went home, and came back, it would be so much money.  WELL, then last Monday I got an email from my sister that said "mom is in the hospital, and it is not looking good."  Turns out, she got pneumonia, which is bad enough in itself, but with  mom having MS, it is worse for her.  I was in such a debate what to do, but I decided that if I found a car to rent, or a way to get to San Jose that night, I would fly out in the morning.  SO, I found a car to rent, and he told me to come back at 4 to pick it up.  I went back and bought my ticket on the computer, and went back to pick up the car at 4.  The first guy was not working anymore, and a new guy was on shift.  Guess what?  The new guy was signing the car to another girl! WTF, right?  The first guy had told both of us to come back at two different times, assuming one of us wouldn't show up. So I was shit out of luck there.  So I'm crying, and stressed, Nelson is pissed, all my friends don't know what to do.  My friend Amanda has a car, but she has to work for me, so she couldn't drive me.  We had another couple who was going to San Jose, but they were staying there upon arrival.  SO we had to bribe the brother of the other couple (our neighbors) to ride with us, and drive he and Nelson back.  Made it to the airport at 12:30 am.  Slept for 3 hours (in the airport).  Nelson and my friends left at 3:30 am.  I made it through security, and fell asleep again outside of my gate.  Woke up with FIFTEEN minutes til my plane took off.  Barely made it on the plane, and got to Denver.  Had a few hour layover, and made it to Seattle.  My friends picked me up, and finally after 28 hours of traveling, made it home.  What great friends and family I have!  So thankful.  Mom got out of the hospital a few days after and returned to her house.  We weren't sure how she was going to do there, because she was needing to be on oxygen and what not.  But my mother is just a miracle.  She gets home, and ends up not even needing to be on oxygen full time (only to sleep).  Two days later, she requests to be hauled to her birthday party at my grandma and grandpa's condo.  WHAT a trooper.

So in the end, my mother going into the hospital was a blessing in disguise.  I was able to rationalize spending the money to go home, which was a much needed trip.  I was able to see SO many faces that I was in desperate need to see!  What a beautiful place I am from : )  I turned around a week later, and here I am, back in Guiones, and back to work today.  It is TEN times hotter than when I left, so I have learned to be careful what I wish for!!  The Costa Rica National surf competition is here in Guiones this weekend.  Lots of people, lots of parties.  It is my neighbor twin's birthday on Saturday too, which will be fun. All of my close friends here are mostly leaving next week.  I told Nelson that we are going to find out if we really like each other when everyone leaves, cause it really will be mostly just the two of us from the group we hang out in.  I have made some friends from work though, so I will be able to see them more.  AND some quality one-on-one time with me, myself, and I (I guess that would be one-on-one-on-one). OTHER than that, my life is juuuuust the same : )

QUE LINDA!  That is little baby Jackson inside that big belly of hers!  So lucky I got to see Katie in her most beautiful state of being... PREGERS!  She and Adam are both so happy and excited.  What a beautiful thing!  I even got to feel the baby kick!!

Mother and myself at her 50th birthday party, that she was NOT going to miss whether she was in the hospital or not!!  What a lady.  I can only hope to be half the woman she is.  Such strong faith and determination.  Such optimism.  She is amazing, and a miracle.  She loves, and is loved by so many people!

This never gets old.  How cute are these two?  Couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law. : )

Where is Adam?  OH.. probably with Lucy somewhere! : )  Almost all of the kids!  Not that I feel out of place or anything, but could I look more like it?

LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture.  How beautiful?  Just givin' some love to the baby belly, well and the baby too!

Can't believe I got to see Bridget (Dakota too) before they left!! What great friends to have picked me up from the airport! Love you guys, hope your travels are going swell!

My mini me.  You can just see that there is always a master plan behind those eyes.

Isaac! Laura Steichen's little one!  Just another face I was SO happy to see!

Nothing feels like home more than sitting on the Donaghy's couch, eating Ice Cream RIGHT out of the carton.  Mmmm.

JASPER!!  My scooter. How I missed you so.  I would LOVE to bring you to Nosara, but I am afraid you would not like the road conditions.  So, until I return, Kori will be your owner.  Be good for her!

Hans, don't look too happy please, thank you.  Nothin' like a visit to the Owl at 11 am.

Okay, I lied.  NOTHING to make me feel like home, more than watching the mariachi band practicing up and down Rosewood Ave.

Yup.  50.0 lbs.  No more, and no less.  What a great trip home, and so excited to get back to Costa Rica.

I'm baaack!

After a quick and much needed trip home, Maggie returns to Costa Rica, safely and soundly.
I have so many good pictures to post from my trip, can't wait to post them :)
So glad mom is doing better, and had a VERY happy birthday!
xoxo

tsunami free!

No hay nada tsunamis aqui.  Todo seguramos. : )

tsunami

there is word that the tsunami is going to hit here around 4 o'clock (it is 2 right now).
some people are already to higher ground, and some people are still surfing.
what to do?

Well, I packed up all of my most important things, and have them here with me at work.  Everything else is on the top shelf of my closet.  Like I said.  Most people here don't think anything bad will happen, but it is still safe to take precaution.  I just heard rumor that all of the water in the mouth of the river has been sucked out, which is not a good thing, but that is still just a rumor.  I haven't seen it for myself.  There is security monitoring the beach, and the professionals are here to alert us if we need to evacuate.  We are right on the beach, which sounds like a bad thing, but is actually beneficial.  It is a big hoity-toity hotel, and we will be one of the first to know if we need to evacuate.  The hotel has a place for all employees and guests to go, if need be.  I keep trying to look for articles on the internet, but they all come up in Spanish, and I'm just not in the mood to translate : ).

So, moral of the story, is that I am still alive.  The town is still kickin', and people are still riding the waves.  If anything changes, I will let you all know : )

xoxo

well, well, well.

I would LOVE to just continue doing picture posts, HOWEVER, (don't tell Tammy) but my camera no esta funcionando.  Entonces, necesito escribir de mis dias aqui.

Some of you may know already, some may not... I got Married!  It was a hard decision, but I felt that it was just the right thing to do.  It will be great, because I will have residency, and it will be ten times more easy for Nelson to get a visa to come see all of you. : )  Hope you are all happy for us.  just kidding.


I am actually working here full time (at the Healing Centre).  It is crazy how things work out...when you LEAST expect it.  The girl that got hired before me, got fired.  Oops..that sucks for her.  Good for me though!  So now my days consist of working from either 7:30-1:30 or 1:30-7:30.  We had a few days last week without many appointments, but all of the sudden, we are super swamped.  And with no one available to really cover a full shift, Katy and I are working A LOT.  For instance, today, I worked from 7:30-1:30 (it is Katy's day off, so Gabbie is covering from 1:30-3:30) and then I'm back on from 3:30-7:30 (which means more like 8).  I can't complain really, because it is a J-O-B!  I LOVE it.  I am learning so much too.  All of the products used at the Healing Centre are all natural.  If they don't come from our property (lemons, sugar cane, etc), they come from around Costa Rica.  Only 2 products come from out of the country.  The Hotel Harmony, which is the property the Healing Centre is on, is that way as well.  I got to take the "sustainability" tour the other day.  We were taken all around the property to see the compost, the mulch, the recycling center, the laundry, etc.  It was amazing to see how thorough they are about sustaining.  Last year, the hotel only threw out 26% of what they used.  They were able to recycle 74% of it.  Wooohoo.

I am back to being an old lady (commonly refer to myself as Abuelita (little grandma) or Vieja (old woman).  No joke, the other night, I went to bed at 7:30...OUT.  This working thing is sure hard on me.  I enjoy the sleep though.  Now that my "vacation" is over, its just back to a normal life.  And by normal, I mean the 80-90 degree weather, going to the beach in my free time, etc. : )  Haven't really fiesta-ed it up lately either!  We did go to another rodeo the other night, in a near by "town".  It was much smaller than last time, but pretty much the same deal.  This time, since we were so close to home, I made nelson drive me to an actual bathroom instead of paying the 50 cents.  We ended up eating at a nearby restaurant, and took those beers to go, and went back to the rodeo.  I just about fell asleep in the stands, and with the grandmother in me... I was still in bed by 10. 

I went surfing again! Go me.  And guess what?  I did it all on my own!  Nelson only pushed me like 3 times.  I caught some little waves (still haven't gone past the break really, and haven't graduated from a soft top) but I am totally okay with it.  If it happens, it happens.  If it doesn't, it doesn't.  I thought surfing was exhausting before, but after having to do all the work myself, I was spent after about 45 minutes.  Great workout though, so that is a plus.  AND, half of my body still gets a tan, which is nice.

Met 5 woman who are staying at the hotel, and always in the Healing Centre.  They are all so wonderful.  I was able to set them up with surf lessons, and had the morning off, so I took pictures for them during their lesson.  They LOVED it.   They are all here from all around the world for a 50th birthday/reunion.  A couple of them are thinking about going to Manuel Antonio (down the coast) tomorrow, for a night or two.  If I can make it work.. I might just join them : )

Hmmm... what else?  Still practicing mi Espanol.  Two therapists, the gardener, and the maid all only speak Spanish.  It is great practice, and it feels good to be able to communicate in another language.  Most of the security guards only speak Spanish too.  I have to communicate with them also, when opening/closing the Healing Centre.

Still miss all of you guys!  It is fun to see when I have a new follower, or a new comment!  I have been so bad about updating my blog more frequently, but it is so hard.  Well, not hard, just weird, because like I said, I'm not really on vacation anymore...I actually live here.  So, just writing about my everyday life is kind of boring.  I'm trying though!

I need to take a nap, shower, and eat, before returning to work!
Here I go.  I'll be on Skype from 3:30-7:30 (my time).  If you can, get on and chat with me!

Pura Vida.  Nelson says, "surf more...work less"

picture update!!

Nothing like a little laundry in the bathroom sink.  You know, the same place where we brush our teeth, wash our hands, and some of our dishes.  We may or may not have eaten that whole jar of peanut butter in 3 days... I'm just saying.  I made the executive decision that we cannot buy any more. : )

Sober...kinda.  Just an example of a typical walk home from reggae night at La Banana.  Right before we hitched home.  This pose may have been what pulled the car over...

And this is where we do the rest of the dishes.  Rae decided that we may develop back problems, I agreed.  Oh, and by we, I mean Rae and Nelson.  Because I have the most free time, and like cooking, I cook and they do the dishes.  I think I won on that trade.

A friendly little lizard on our ceiling!  They are our friends.  They eat the bugs, so the bugs cannot eat us!

Hey Nelson... This is what happens when you put a 40 in the freezer, and forget about it over night.  Made a mess in the freezer, AND wasted a beer.  Rookie mistake.  BUT, it made for a funny story, and photo!

Just enjoying the benefits of my roommate being in pranassage training.  I (along with the twins who gratefully volunteered) are always around when Rae needs to practice.  Nothing like a little yoga, next to the beds, next to the kitchen, next to the closet, and the bathroom.  Would hate for any wasted space.  This way, if you need to change your clothes, or grab a drink, it is all possible within an arms reach!

Hmm... who's idea was it to try to ollie over the bike with the skateboard?!  I won't mention any names.  It did seem like great fun, until the board hit the bike seat, and it snapped off.  Spent a good 45 minutes trying to figure out how to get the seat back on the bike.  Thanks to a local resident in the apartment next door, a few whacks with a hammer, and pulls with a wrench, the bike was back to normal... or close to.

We went to dinner at Lucy's cute little casita in central Nosara.  Her brother was in town from San Jose, and cooked a very delicious dinner!  She has a cashew tree on her property, along with many other fruits and veggies.  This is James with a post fired cashew.  You slam it between two rocks, and peel off the skin, and you have a warm and toasty cashew!  It was so cool to experience this.  That is until the twins realized that are apparently allergic to cashew oil, and now have a rash... including places that you would rather not.

What do you do when there are too many tourists in town, and all the local beers are sold out of the mini super?  You buy TECATE!  Nothin' like drinking Mexican beer in Central America.  At least we are close!  This one is for my Mexican brother!

...and what do you do when all of the local beer is sold out of the mini super, and all of the Tecate is gone too?  You buy Budweiser... duh!  I just about peed my pants when Nelson came back and said, "Hey, have you even had this beer?  All the Imperials, Pilsens, and Tano's were gone, the Tecate was all gone too!"  So this one goes out to all of you Americans.  Even more than Tecate, I never thought I would be drinking Budweiser in Costa Rica.  Seems just wrong!

MMMMMmmmm... Tico rice, home made tomato sauce with veggies, and check out the 4 shrimp/ HUGE steak of some sort of fish... fresh off of the fish truck!  The only hard part is that with only two burners, you have to cook strategically.  Makes for a lot of re washing dishes, and organization!  All worth it though!

http://www.nosarawildlife.com/
Okay.. So there is a project going on here in Costa Rica to save the Howler Monkeys.  If you go to the website above, you can read more about it.  Basically, the electricity lines here are not insulated.  The monkeys (naturally) are using them to swing on, just like the do branches of trees.  If a howler gets electrocuted, and survives, it needs to be rehabilitated.  And when a mama howler gets electrocuted, what do you think happens to her babies?  They are without a mom : (  The goal is to insulate all of the power lines around here, or put them underground.  A woman named Brenda let Lise, Todd, and me come to her house, and see the natural/man-made enclosure that has been built in her back yard.  Here, she rehabilitates the monkeys that need help, before sending them to the next step down location.  She just released seven of them there, and five more are getting ready to go.  There are a couple that are in this enclosure as well that may never be released, due to age and whatnot.  She is a brilliant and wonderful lady.  Please read more, and feel free to donate through the website... 

OH, and did I forget to mention the 4 BABIES that she has inside her house?!?!?!?!?!  My dream... holding baby monkeys.  They were too too too precious : )  On my right was Emma (about 5 months) and on my left was Jerry (about 3 months).  I cannot even believe I got to hold these little creatures!  Truly amazing.

Apparently Jerry didn't want me to leave either.  He was holding on to my hair!  I didn't even have to hold him, he was doing all the work!!!   Great day.

April 6th, 2011...

...Maggie finally returns to the US.

Don't ask me what my plan is, because I do not know : )
It seems as though any time I plan something, and am okay with the decision, something gets changed.
SO... I am going to stop planning, and just live.

I got hired at that spa!  It is just part time though, which I have decided is perfect.  I enjoy the benefits of being an employee, and only have to work 3 days a week : )

Still enjoying life down here.  Don't think that will change.
Nothing really more to update about right now, which is okay, because I don't have time.

I am still living, which I am sure, is what most of you care about most.  Or at least I hope.

Sending all my love to you guys out there, especially my family!  Tell my mom that I love and miss her!  Cannot believe I am missing my sisters belly grow and grow, but being able to see her via skype (along with some more of you) has been the cure to any homesick-ness.

xoxo

not even a week!

Hello All!

Trying to blog more often than every 2 weeks!

Rae is aaaaalmost done with the Let Your Yoga Dance training.  Tomorrow is her graduation!  The twins and I were lucky enough to attend a practice teach session the other day!  Let me tell you… it was an experience!  Our instructors lead us through the 7 shakras (sp?) in our body, using a different song for each one.  The music built up to a big dance party, with scarves (you know that I was in heaven) and a big dance circle, and then calmed back down to a slow meditation and cool down.  It was pretty eccentric, and you definitely had to not care about what other people thought, and really just let loose.  It is something that I couldn’t do every day, but it was fun, and a good work out for sure!  The twins loved it too, which was so cool to see.  They thought it was really fun, and saw a different side of yoga.

It was amazing to see Rae in her element here.  Although we live together, we don’t really see each other that much.  She is so busy with class, and I have been exploring on my own time, and we haven’t connected.  We had to even set a date for breakfast last Saturday, and no one else was invited!  That was fun.  But, what I was saying was, that it was so amazing to see what she has been practicing, and Rae in her yoga element, is beautiful.  She has this gentle, hermosa, caring ora around her.  Her voice and presence could calm anyone; yet brighten the room at the same time.  You can tell that everyone in the program really respects her.  She has made a name for herself in the institute, and it is a good one. 

It is like when Bridget came down here.  Gosh, I wish I could have been here for that.  But I remember when she came home, I was still wondering about this whole yogi thing, and wasn’t sure what taking a class from her would be like.  I remember taking my first class from her, and thinking, man…she really is good at this!  You could tell that she was so happy doing it, and sharing with other people what she loves, and what she learned, was exactly what she wanted to be doing!  I can’t wait until we are all together again, and they can both surround me with their yogi-ness.  And then, I can cook afterward, because apparently that is all I’m good for here!  I really need to get my own hobby, one that doesn’t involve ingesting calories.

Nelson had given a lesson to a Canadian couple (well, he gave Todd a lesson, while Christian-another instructor- gave Lise a lesson), and he just spoke so highly of them.  Actually, he didn’t stop talking about them for a while.  They happened to be at the Harbor Reef restaurant on Saturday, when we went there.  He was so cute, he called me over, and told me that he wanted me to meet Todd and Lise.  That they were his clients, and they were good people.  We were all kind of chatting, Nelson wandered off to say hi to someone, and Todd and Lise started telling me how much Nelson adores me.  They said that during Todd’s lesson he told him about my life, and where I was from, and that I wanted to stay here longer, and how I extended my trip, and that I wanted to extend it again, and that I am learning Spanish, and that he wants to teach me to surf, etc…etc.  They decided that if he was telling complete strangers all of that, he must really adore me :)  What a guy.

We ended up talking them into going to the Tropi that night.  I told them they needed to experience it at least once, and they were in!  We rode with them, and Rae, Justin, James, and Lucy all rode in the taxi.  We had a lot of fun dancing the night away!  Todd and Lise left early, and gave Rae a ride home.  Nelson, Lucy, James and I all hitched home with some guys from Connecticut (small world).  Although the ride home was awesome, and totally generous, it wasn’t the most pleasant.  It was like being in a van full of drunken immature American college boys.  We all were so annoyed, when we got out of the car we just screamed!  So stimulating.  It once again, showed us the difference in this place.  It is so tranquilla (chilllllled out… a common word used here, just to remind people to take it easy!)

Rae and I went to an ashtonga (sp?) yoga class on Sunday morning.  A man named Karl taught it, he is a freak of nature.  He was just a little ball of muscle and energy.  He would tell us to do something, that looked nearly impossible, and I just laughed and said, “okay.. yeah.. right.”  But, it is always good to test your body like that.   It was a great way to start the day!

On Monday, Nelson and I went to dinner with Todd and Lise.  We tried to go to this really pretty place on a mountain, where you could see the sunset, right at the mouth of the Nosara River.  The place had been reserved for two weeks.  We just got a drink, and headed into central Nosara town, and went to a place called Rancho Tico instead.  Although the other place was really beautiful, it is always fun to go to the local joints!  Nothing better.  We also went beach hoping with them yesterday.  We drove an hour or so to a beach called Marbella.  It has ridiculous huge amazing waves.   Naturally, Lise and I laid on the beach, and took pictures of the boys surfing.  Todd was a trooper.  He maybe shouldn’t have been out there, but he took the wipeouts like a champ.  It was all worth it to him though!  The two waves that he caught and rode put him on cloud 9!  Nelson, of course, was out there for two hours.  Freak.  We headed back, and stopped to eat at a little place along the road.  It was such a pretty drive.  Although it felt like we were driving on dirt and gravel the whole time… oh wait, we were!  After lunch, we went to a beach called San Juanillo.  It was BEAUTIFUL.  Looked like the Caribbean.  No surfing there.. shoot, dang.  We snorkeled a bit though!  Then we made the final stretch home!  It was a nice day, spent with some really nice people!

The job at the Spa fell through :(  I guess that the day after I applied, a Tica (local girl) applied, and they have to honor her “local-ness”.  It was really unfortunate; I was really looking forward to that job.  Tammy said that she really liked everything I had to offer, and that she wanted to hire me so badly, but that she wasn’t able to.  She said that she would keep me in mind though, cause she would love to have me on her team!  I am still searching around, to see where I could make a living here.  I am not sure what that means for my return date, but I am not worried about that right now.  The more I think about it, I worry, and get anxious, which is not okay here.  Remember… tranquilla!  So I am just taking it one day at a time, and think that it will all work out.  Because, here, it usually does.

Don’t worry mom/all my parental units out there, I am not going to stay here forever!  Not sure if I could anyways.  No matter when I come home, I will come back at some point, so don’t be shocked when I do.  Just think of it like this… what a good excuse for all of you to have someone to visit in Costa Rica.  And by that time, I will know this coast like the back of my hand!  You will have your own built in tour guide.  And if I don’t know everything by then, I sure know some people that do!

Pura Vida mis amigos…Pura Vida. 

The breakfast I made for Rae for our date last Saturday :) Mmmmmm.

Nelson, James, Lucy, and Justin riding on top of the Canadian's rented Jimmy.  We have been comparing it to a roller skate.  It is pretty much the same size, and shaped the same!!  Don't worry, we didn't drive that far like this.

Rae and Lucy at the Tropi!!  Yup...first ones on the dance floor :)

Nelson, Todd, and Lise!

Nelson and Maggie at the Tropi!  Don't make fun of me for being sweaty.. because EVERYONE already does.

In central Nosara town for a local futbol game!

Jackson and Romeo (Row-may-oh).  Neighbor kids hangin' out at our place, and skateboarding with the twins on our porch!

The sunset on Valentines day.  At the really pretty place that we couldn't eat at.  But, this was good enough!

Maggie- "James... give me your excited face..."

Maggie- "Justin...give me your excited face..."

 *You think they are twins, or what?  Justin didn't even see James do that pose!

The boys expressing themselves with scarves.  They MIGHT shoot me for posting this...but it will be worth it :)

Nelson surfing in Marbella.  Bad-ass.