Fun times in Costa Rica

(Warning: This is a long post)

I didn't think it would would take me this long to get around to posting, but since I promised...here goes.

First off, Costa Rica is very beautiful. So green and lush with trees and vegetation everywhere. We arrived on the tail end of their rainy season, which also makes for extreme humidity as well.

It was night when we arrived so we couldn't see much, but when we got up this was one of our views from just outside our room.

And this view is looking from the main lobby area down towards our room. Pretty nice, huh?

The first full day we just took it easy and hung out at the beach, snorkeled, ate and relaxed. While we were getting ready to leave the beach there were a group of howler monkeys jumping from tree to tree right above us. There were probably about twenty or so of them. I was able to get pretty close to a baby one and capture it snacking on the leaves.

The next day was a blast. A big group that were all staying at the resort and were part of the main company that John's associated with all signed up to go on a combo tour. The first part was to get all geared up and fly through the trees going zip-lining.

Here's John zipping from one tree to the next.

Here's me finishing one of the lines.

So, after we got to do 11 zip-lines through the trees, we got into swimsuits and hiked a trail to arrive at the head of a narrow, cement waterslide. You used an intertube to help protect your arms and elbows from getting banged up. And they even made you wear a helmet for the slide.

Here's what it looked like as we hiked up to the top of the slide.

Here's what the end of it looked like.

And here's what it looked like from John's point of view actually going down the waterslide!

After the zip-lining and the waterslide, we had worked up an appetite, so we were treated to a typical Costa Rican lunch. The meal was incredible! Nothing spectacular, but flavorful and new. Good stuff!

Then, came the next facet to our adventure...horseback riding. It took a while to get 36 people set up on their horse before we could head out on the trail. John got a really old horse that decided if he couldn't be right up front to lead the pack that he wouldn't bother and fell to the very end. My horse liked to keep up with the pack.

Once we came to the end spot for the horses we finished the end of the path where we found the last of our adventure which was a natural hot springs. You caked on the mud, washed it off then sat in one of the pools to relax and enjoy. It was very refreshing.

It was a full day. The scenery could take your breath away. Good times!

The next day we had made plans with a dive shop to do an early discovery dive and then go with a PADI (certified instructor) diver into the ocean scuba diving that same day. Well, the bad news came when we were filling out the waiver information and John told them that he had just been getting over pnemonia. They said absolutely no, that he could not dive. We were a little bummed, but we decided to catch a ride on the same boat and go snorkeling while the other divers were diving.

We did get to see some interesting things that we hadn't seen snorkeling before. Using the waterproof camera John captured a picture of an eel. The film is pretty grainy but you can still see the eel pretty good.

We also saw a sting ray and lots of different kinds of fish. We were gone on the boat for the better part of the day.

On our last day in Costa Rica we caught a taxi to Coco Beach were we just did a little sightseeing and souvenir shopping.

We were told by many people to be sure and eat at one of the local restaurants called "Seafood Papgayo". They were the best place to get fresh seafood. Well, they were absolutely correct! We had the best shrimp corn bisque and I enjoyed the "catch of the day", which happened the be the biggest piece of tuna that didn't look I had even made a dent in by the time I was full. John got a mix of seafood in a garlic cream sauce. Mmmmm, my mouth's watering just remembering it.

We had to get up pretty early in the morning to catch our plane to Houston. As you can see the airport in Liberia, Costa Rica is less complicated than other airports. We even climbed stairs to get onto the plane.We had a wonderful time, we would probably go back, but we're glad to be home again.

GO BYU!!

So as part of my trip to Washington, we had planned to attend the BYU vs Washington football game. It was a fantastic day! We drove to a park and ride and caught the bus that would take us to the stadium (we avoided traffic, didn't have to haggle over where to park, etc.). The sun was shining, we had FANTASTIC seats, and there lots of BYU fans there as well.

The game was intense nearly the entire time. We'd score, they'd score...they'd score, we'd score. There were fumbles, sacks, tackles, injuries, long passes, long runs for the endzone. And the stadium was incredibly loud! Those fans are crazy.

So, for anyone who didn't see the game, or hear about the outcome......BYU won. With mere seconds on the clock, Washington had just scored a touchdown and they were making their PAT(point after touchdown)attempt to tie the game....and BYU defenders BLOCKED THE KICK!!!! It was crazy! I nearly went hoarse screaming so loud! That game was so sweet, I would have liked it if we had won by a landslide, but winning by one will do just fine, too.

Here the offense is warming up and you can barely see #15, quarterback, Max Hall, who is from Mesa as well, preparing to throw the ball. Funny thing...on the plane ride to WA, I briefly met his parents and another player, Dennis Pitta's (#32, wide receiver) parents. They were headed up to the game also.

Now my mom is sandwiched between me and my older brother, Randy. He's a nut when it comes to BYU football. He brought a few copies of the BYU roster that has their position and some stats for each player...yeah, he just likes BYU football a little!

Then here we're celebrating our win with my sister, Colleen Marie, looking at how funny we are holding up our #1 fingers.

This was a fantastic start to a great weekend!

Reunion

Okay, so I got to go on a trip without my husband and kids. We only planned it that way because we knew the kids would be in school and it would be less expensive as well. The trip was to go see my sister, Colleen Marie, and her wonderful family that live near Seattle. Also, arriving would be my brother, Randy, coming from Texas. Since the middle of July, my mother has been staying with my sister to help out because my sister has breast cancer. Her situation needed some TLC so since my mom had planned on coming this last weekend she changed her ticket to arrive earlier during the month of July.

It was a great reconnection of sorts.! My brother and sister hadn't physically seen each other for about 12 years, so there was some good bonding to catch up on! We talked, we laughed, we ate, we laughed some more! And I'll tell more later of some juicy details of the trip. All in all, the trip was wonderful, short lived, but wonderful!

My eyes were opened to the battle my sister is trying to fight with this horrible cancer that invades her body. She has the heart of a lion, not wanting anything to keep her from her family and the people that she loves. Her husband, Dave, is a saint! He works hard to make her comfortable, feel safe, and is so compassionate! I've learned many lessons just by watching his example. Cancer is a horrible monster, but I still see the strong spirit in my sister that will not go down without a fight. I pray and hope that the treatments she's taking will provide her life with the quality we all want for her...healthy!

This is my lovely sister and her wonderful husband. This was on the bus to go see an awesome football game...but I'll post about that later.