Snowshoe. Day One.

At the end of this beautiful snowy day I am wrapped in a cozy, oversized blanket and sipping on hot tea...yep I said "hot tea!" After the day I had I am ready to relax. No last minute coffee jolt this evening! Just as I thought I had seen the last snow of the year, J decided to plan a snowboarding trip for the two of us! We stopped in Charlottesville overnight and continued our trip early this morning making it to Snowshoe before lunch time. I have to say I was impressed with Jeremy's "teaching" skills. I wasn't quite sure how that would go and was even thinking of taking a lesson myself, but to my suprise, he was more than patient (I only fell about a hundred or so times!) and coached me down my first trail. All I have to say is EVERYONE was right..."heel toe heel toe" & "Your butt is going to hurt!!" ...hence the laying on the couch snuggled up in blanket with tea in hand! Thanks so much to mom for her chicken salad and for letting us use her car. Thanks to mom II for the amazing chicken dumplings and cute note attached. Thank you Jackie for the snowboard & boots (I've got the prettiest board here ;) Also, thanks to the Golfarbs for letting us stay at their beautiful condo..ski on ski off...sweet! Oh..and thanks Lori & Nigel for the cookies that didn't even make it off the beach! And Big Thanks to Lee & Julie for letting us stay at your house last night and having coffee ready this morning for the drive up! What amazing friends & family we both have! Love you all!! xoxo

The Return

No, my posts did not come to a complete hault. I have just returned to reality. This morning as I woke up there was no husband standing in the sunlight with a cup of steaming coffee. No sound of the ocean streaming in through an open window. No bathingsuit hanging out on the porch left to dry. No, instead I made my way down the stairs, looking out the windows at the left over snow and the carrot nose of my snowman, which had fallen to the ground due to the melting of his face. My coffee cup sat on the counter beside a fresh brewed pot with the creamer and sugar waiting patiently for me to start the day. Jeremy was getting ready for work and Vader was following my every move, making sure we weren't going too far for too long of a time. I have to say I am some what glad we came back when we did, seeing snow for the first time this year. The day before J and I built a snowman, a "small" snowman, but it was a snowman equiped with scarf and all. We also took the snowboard out for a run on the hill beside our house. Work was called off and we were able to extend our vacation, this time with snow, a fireplace and blanket, a hot cup of "guess what", and Vader cuddled up between our laps. So, all and all you can have a vacation at home if weather permits, and loved ones are by your side!

Day Twelve. Jan.24.2010

Our final day in Santa Teresa started with a cup of heaven and a banana crepe from "Zwart's" joining the whole group to say our goodbyes. We snapped a photo with Margriet Zwart, Whom we had discovered is this incredibly talented artist from Ontario. Her artwork was laid out in the room we noticed weeks ago and she was always sitting in her studio with a cup of coffee and a paint brush in hand. It was almost sad to leave, as if you were leaving a new familybehind. We piled in the truck with the boys driving and navigating and us girls in the back with the little guy. As we drove off I knew Brandy and Skip would be returning to their spot, Margriet would be painting a fascinating piece of art onto drift wood, her husband would be serving someone a delicious "carrot, beet, and apple" juice, and the little boy that always stood outside to greet you would still be standing there wearing a long sleeve shirt with bare bottom exposed. The rest of the day would be spent traveling. A roller coaster of a ride would take us to the ferry I'd rather forget and then a long distance drive into San Jose. Checking into to Best Western, all I could think about was a nice long shower to wash the dirt and grime away and at last savory dinner. A nice cup of Italian coffee to finish off the evening as nightfall approaches and our last night in Costa Rica was coming to an end.

Day Eleven. Jan.23.2010

We started the day at "Ginger Cafe" with my first cappuccino of the trip and ended the day at "The Bakery" with my second, a little smaller but accompanied by an out of this world chocolate eclair. I've taken my dessert and coffee back to our room and am now sitting on the porch writing as J watches "Modern Collective" which I must say is probably my favorite surf video solely on the soundtrack. With it's music playing in the background I am remembering our day...the last before we head back to San Jose. Brandy and Skip invited us all to their place this morning. It is about 15 minutes north and the beach was only a short walk leading to another wide and equally beautiful place to hang out for the day. At lunch time we headed up to the house which was owned by Denise & Will's friend. Their house was situated right above and I could see Denise's personal touches through the windows. The counter tops and floors were concrete and colorful artwork covered the walls. I was wishing she would have been there so I could have had a tour of the entire house. All and all our last beach day was just as perfect as the rest of our vacation. Now tomorrow will be a little sad as we pack the truck and head into the city, but for now the night is peaceful and I have my husband beside me, some "rad" music, and about 4 more sips of my savory cappuccino.

Day 10. Jan.22.2010

As I'm sitting on the porch, I'm noticing how dark it is around me. The neighbors to the left have moved on, traveling to other parts of Costa Rica, and the boys who are staying above us have not yet returned from their night out...leaving our porch and The Hayne's family porch the only two with lights on. I must say it's relaxing but a bit scary at the same time. This morning I discovered a breakfast so delicious I could have easily ordered it for dessert this evening as well....Banana Crepes with Nutella (which was the first time I have tasted such a thing) We, once again tried our luck at "Zwart's" and was not let down. To burn off this breakfast treat we took a walk. If I had to guess I would say we almost made it to Mal Pais via beach, of course. The walk down was not bad at all but the return walk took us over scorching pebble sand. With the path to the ocean blocked by exposed reef we had to marathon it to the next break. Our feet seemed to sizzle as we hit the water. Beach, pool, lunch, beach, pool, dinner would be the extent of this day. And now I am winding down with coffee in hand and my almost finished second book of the trip, "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls.

Day Nine. Jan.21.2010

Our cabana is nestled behind large palms with a small table and chairs out front, a hammock to lay on, and two bean bags chairs scattered around the tile patio floor. At night we would pull shut a pair of over sized bright orange curtains, making it almost impossible to know when the sun has come up and our mornings have gradually started later and later. This particular morning a loud sound has startled us both. We pried ourselves out of bed to see what the awful sound was. My first thought was, a monkey!! Sure enough, to the left of our place, up in the trees, sat two monkeys. One was calling to the other, and seemed to be stuck without a branch thick enough to hold the big guy. Nigel and Lori brought Kingston over and we all watched as we noticed a third monkey, then fourth, and before we knew it the trees were filled with monkeys flying through the branches. They brought back memories of my first trip to Costa Rica with my dad. We had monkeys that would come up to our window and eat the bananas or take off with anything shiny you left in their reach. Next we would try a new spot for coffee, "Zwart's Cafe." The atmosphere was very cool. A white picket fence surrounded extra long white tables, and white benches to match. The tables were set with white salt & peppers shakers and antique looking tin sugar holders. They had any kind of coffee you could imagine, Cappuccino, Americano, Macchiato, and so on...attached to the restaurant was an art studio with beautifully painted mirrors, bar stools, and Love Boxes as the artist called them. The owners seemed very nice, one working the restaurant, and the woman was in the studio painting her next piece to add to the collection. We later saw them both out surfing in front of our usual spot. My day was even more lazy than the days before. The tide was low and you could easily lay right on the wet sand while the water washed up every so often, just enough to cool you off. I must have been in that same spot for hours until Jeremy came out of the water and we headed back for lunch and a "siesta".

Day Eight. Jan.20.2010

Today's blog is coming a little later in the day due to the fact that we slept in until the lingering smell of Ron Centanario from the night before woke us up around 9am. Our daily route would change but not until we had that one cup of coffee from Ginger Cafe. This time our friend, Brandy, would join us. We decided to make a girl day of it and drive into town on the lookout for a bookstore since I had, so proudly, finished mine. The trip was successful and lead us to one little tican shop after the other. We were all realizing that the cost of a bikini now is a little bit different than what we would have paid three years ago. Between shopping and walks through the town we did get in a little pool time but never stumbled onto the beach, saving my skin from the verge of sunburn. No, the beach will not see us until this evening when we will walk down as the tide recedes past the reef and we are able to walk out on what was covered by water hours before. This is always J's favorite thing to do and I have to admit it is a highlight of all our trips!