Who toyed with the comment section?

It's at the top now!

Who did that?

Update (from Tom): I think I fixed it. Blogger kept fighting to change it back, but it seems to be staying now.

January 27, 2010

Happy Birthday Candice!!!

January 2010

Do you ever get to the point that there is just so much to blog about that you can't settle on one topic to blog about, so you don't blog at all?

Me too.

Let's recap the highlights of the past few weeks, shall we?
Picture style!

(I shrunk 'em all down to bits so it wouldn't take 6 years to load - I apologize for the lack of photo quality).

Let me know if there's anything in here that peeks your interest enough that I should pelt this site with more words and pictures,



Here we go:

Honorable mention: Hours, and hours, and hours of Dutch Blitz!

There also was the mandatory border hop.
A 16 hour bus ride to (then back from)...

... beautiful Panama City!

We stayed in a super cheap budget hotel...

With a decent(???) view.

Until a friend of a friend got us the hook-up
with a sweet room at a fancy shmansy hotel!!!

With a bit of a better(???) view!

We toured the canal...

And also took our friend's friend up on his offer to take
on-the-house tours at his other resort.

(Jungle Tram)

(Private boat ride to Monkey Island!)

We also spent a good part of an afternoon sunning and swimming
in the private executive pool on the 21st floor of our fs hotel...

Panama City was amazing.

After a week back at work (read about it here)
it was time to take a vacation with my parents!!

We went to a (somewhat) local restaurant.

Had a Youthnite Bonfire... Complete with S'more lessons!

Then we were off to La Fortuna. Couldn't miss the Baldi Hot Spring.
This place was fantastic.... So was the infamous Suicide Middle Slide.

We repelled down a waterfall...

...and had an amazing time zip-lining.


Check out the video Tom captured on one of the cables!

We hit the beach in Puntarenas

Swung from a Tarzan vine at the Montezuma waterfalls

Had a romantic dinner watching the sun set over the Pacific ocean in Malpais

And I got to go scuba diving with my dad at Tortuga Island

Then the four of us snorkeled with the fishes!

Plus, our local volcano is acting a little loco.
Read more about it here.

We're now recharged and ready to dive deeper into our work here!

And plan for the huge youth party this Friday at our house (fondue and everything!)
Cuz it's someone's birthday this week ya know.

Gone Again

We're off!!

Hopefully I'll get a chance to post something throughout our adventure. If not, see ya on the flip side, hopefully with some great stories and a bit of a tan!

two truths and a lie

Check out the sidebar for a poll as to what you think didn't happen during our trip to Panama.

1. We stayed at a fancy-shmancy hotel. We even had an executive room.
2. We stayed at a budget-friendly $33/night hotel. We had diner and drinks for $10.
3. The border, which we arrived at by bus at 5:00am, took nearly 2 hours to cross!

Not in Kansas, 3rd edition

Be sure to check out part I, check out Part II, and enjoy part III.

• Your alarm clock is as natural as a rooster crowing. Except it's a crow that hops on your hot tin roof, resulting in a BASH BASH BASH from up above. You try to laugh at the obscurity, but it's hard to laugh at 4:30am.
  
• At the neat little coffee shop you found in town, you order the house special. It tastes quit yummy! Espresso, ice cream, blue goo, and something you just can't put your finger on.... Then it hits you like a dizzy spell when you stand up, and the waitress smiles and says "Whiskey!"
  
• The border patrol is more interested in the morning paper than the vehicles he is suppose to be inspecting. He even gets a little annoyed when the driver beeps his horn to ensure he can really drive into the country un-inspected.
  
• You come home from a short trip and you hear that the local volcano blew.
  
• You get to study in a hammock.
  
• The locals talk about the unusually cold mornings. 15-20 degrees Celsius makes news here.
  
• Yes, 15 is cold.
  
• Skype saves sanity.
  
• Dutch blitz is taken to a new level. 8 people, a million hands, and swear words held back in two languages.
  

LOA... Not MIA

After tomorrow's planning meeting in the morning regarding the next few months here, Tom and I are off to San Jose, to catch our bus to Panama City, to spend a few glorious days off while fulfilling our visa requirements of being out of the country for at least 72 hours.

We plan to see the canal, and hopefully get to see the old city.

We're so not prepared (the way we usually are) for this.
And not even panicking.
No ticket home yet.
We're sort of convinced that we may have everything we need.
But we'll most definitely have to go tot he store before leaving.
Not exactly sure how we are going to get around.
But I'm pretty sure I remember our hotel's name.




Are we turning local????

NY'sRs

As for New Year's Resolutions, which I have never really been a fan of, I'll be making a new list shortly. Last year I found that it really helped to blog about them. There's just something about writing them down for others to see (and hold you accountable to) that helps as a reminder to evaluate them through the year.

First, let's recap last year's, and see how I did.

1. Exercise - Although this one started off a little slow, little did I know I would be ending the year in nearly the best shape of my life. But that only happened in the last 2 months of the year. The threat of dying in the remote Chirripo mountains was enough to get my behind to the gym (yes, we were going to the gym in Costa Rica) and go on challenging practice hikes on the weekends. But now? Oh, the band-wagon is long gone and we're sitting on the side of the road waiting for the bus. Ugh. I think this one is staying on the list for another year... I felt so good when we were training for Chirripo. Definitely more physically, emotionally, and mentally fit. So... Quasi-check?
   
2. Read More Scripture - Again, I'm pretty sure this one wasn't unique to my list! As for non-bible bible books, Purpose Driven Life and Jesus Wants to Save Christians were great tools for learning. I highly recommend them both. Through the year we have been in The Word especially during the first few weeks of being in CR. We clung to it, but I need to sadly admit that, just as in Canada, time spent in the word has become suffocated by other obligations. I now realize that this has led to some suffering, by me not being prepared when taking on challenges, not being rooted where I should be. So...Quasi-check?
3. Get Involved - Boy howdy did we ever! This one may not be on the list this year because, as I've come to learn, once you start getting involved you realize what a good thing it is to be involved. For many, many reasons. Then the feeling of obligation of involvement evolves into willing, then wanting, then it becomes the natural thing to do. So... Check!! Yay!!
   

And you? How did you do on last year's NY'sR???
Wanna re-cap for us?