day one

In light of the upcoming holiday season, I'd like to share a few thoughts on gratitude. What does gratitude mean to you? I know for me, it means counting my blessings every single day. Noticing the small, subtle things in life and continually keeping myself aware of the needs of others. 

One of the keys to a successful life is learning to focus less on what we want and more on being grateful for what we already have. When we are grateful, we invite happiness to come into our lives immediately. 

The beauty of being grateful, for me personally, is knowing I am in control of whether I decide to have a grateful attitude or not. Being grateful is a choice and brings additional blessings to my life.

A few months ago, Joe and I had the unique opportunity to take our older two kids to Costa Rica for an adventure and cultural experience. Our eyes were opened to a whole new world. A world in which we weren't entirely prepared for. 

I think I learned more in this one trip than I've learned in the past 10 years. It was such a beautiful reminder of how blessed we are and the endless opportunities we have to serve others. 

I decided to keep a journal and document each day of our trip.  This may be totally boring for most, so feel free to call it a day, but for me, it's important to remember every small detail.  

Friday August 31 
Day 1

Packing for a trip like this is merely impossible because of the unknown. The anxiety is killing me and my brain feels like mush from over thinking every last detail. Should I be worried about bugs, sleeping arrangements, sickness, pollution, water conditions, diseases, locals, etc... and on and on? I know I don't sound very excited, but I am?!  I just need to get there and then everything will be fine. We sprayed our clothes with a special bug repellent spray before leaving. Apparently it keeps away the chiggers and other unwanted creepy crawlies. 

Max picked us up at 6 am and drove us to the SL airport. We sat and sat while our flight kept getting delayed. After four grueling hours, we luckily found a flight on another airline, but separate from our group. Should I be concerned that our trip is already starting out so rocky? Hmmm! We're FINALLY heading out of dodge and can officially start this adventure. You can see the nervous, somewhat fake excitement in my smile. 

We spent most of the day sitting on planes, catching flights, scrambling through airports,  having 30 minutes to catch the next flight from Dallas to San Jose. We finally arrive in San Jose at 7:15pm.... ahhh....we're here!  Once we pass through customs and immigration, it is wonderful to see a familiar face. Andrew Taylor, with Pure Life Expeditions is our guide for the next 10 days and ready to lead the way. We're putting our trust and confidence in him. I sure hope he can keep us safe. (insert nervous smile here)

Andrew navigates the four of us and our six GINORMOUS bags through the busy airport and safely places us in the hands of his trusted driver, who promptly takes us to our next destination. Andrew stays back and waits for the rest of our group to arrive. Our hotel is situated near the entrance of San Jose. The Bed and Breakfast seems fine. It's super old and looks similar to the cheap motels directly adjacent from Disney Land. (you know the ones I'm talking about?) We were told It was formerly occupied by a past president. Seriously?

We settle in and then head across the street for dinner. I was surprised to see so many American food chains lining the dimly lit streets. We decide to try Pizza Hut, although I was excited to try something a little more authentic. We order individual pan pizzas and Spaghetti. It's nothing like Pizza Hut in America, but when you're starving, pretty much anything tastes good.  I can't believe how many people are out walking around!  We walk back to the hotel just as our group arrives and sit down to discuss our plans for the upcoming days. I am still a little nervous that we are unprepared for this trip, but there's no turning back now.  Andrew told us to pack everything in ziplock bags because it rains as though ten shower heads are pouring down on you at all times. 

We snack on fresh pineapple, mango and this funny looking fruit called momone chino. It is bright pinkish red with spikes. It's hard to open, but if you dig your thumb into it, you can pry it open and suck the fruit, then spit out the seed. LOVED IT!!!  Time for bed. Big day tomorrow.