Hello Costa Rica!

We have been in Costa Rica for six days and I'm wondering when the honeymoon will be over. I love this place! The views from my hilltop home are spectacular, the people are friendly and inviting and the temperature is amazing. Our visit in Florida was great. We had a chance to see family and friends and relax a bit before our exit out of the U.S.

Or last day was a Tuesday morning and as we rushed to the airport, late as usual, all I could think of was; what in the world would we do if we missed our flight.

We arrived to the airport an hour before the plane departed. A not so nice gentlemen working for Spirit Airlines looked at us and said “You are late, you're not gonna make it!” I tried to smile while handing him all 10 of our passports and I asked if we could just hurry through check in. He asked where my husband was. I told him that Tony was dropping off the rental car and he said “Your husband is not here!?! You have 20 kids and 50 bags... You're not gonna make it!”

(Blank Stare)

He was starting to wear on my nerves! I ignored his comments and proceeded to check in with a nice young lady who tried her best to get us in the system and check in our 8 bags. (Yes 8 bags, not 20)

Thank goodness Tony arrive shortly and began helping with the bags and my anxiety. Half way through check in, the grumpy, not so nice moron who got up on the wrong side of the bed gentlemen returned and said “You have a problem. You are flying on a one way ticket and need a return flight. As I knew this may be an issue with flying into a foreign country, I had purchased bus tickets out of Costa Rica to Nicaragua. (Thank God)

I pulled them out of my backpack and gave them to him and he walked away without saying a word and I smiled with a little bit of satisfaction. : )

Minutes later the young lady had checked us in and we were literally running through the airport to get through TSA. Oh boy, was that a doozy! All ten of us removing shoes, earrings and belts. Laptops had to be removed from each backpack and placed in bins with cellphones and keys. That alone took us a good 30 minutes. After that was over, we were once again running through the airport to get to our gate with only minutes to go. As we approached the gate I could see the agents pointing towards us. They were probably wondering what happened to 10 of their passengers. Out of breath and relieved, we boarded the plane and I sat down, closed my eyes and exhaled.

We arrived in Costa Rica and the the first thing the kids commented on was the gorgeous mountains surrounding the airport. We called our Taxi driver from our last trip and he arrived promptly with 2 vehicles including a van and a 5 passenger car. The weather was pristine. We were home in about 30 minutes. I truly had forgotten how beautiful the house was. The kids ran through picking out their bedrooms and claiming bathrooms. I headed to my favorite spot which was the back windows that opens up to a panoramic view of the valley and mountains that seem to hold the clouds above in an endless embrace. We all headed out an hour later and purchased a few essentials. Tony's phone rang and it was our friend Mario (the taxi driver). He said “I feel shame. I dropped you off and realized that you all did not have beds to sleep on. I will come by later and give you blankets and mattresses” We tried to tell him that we would be ok, and that he should not worry, but he would not take no for an answer. True to his word, he and a few friends were by later that evening with blankets and mattresses. We slept that night in comfort.

(Favorite spot for morning coffee or evening tea)

Next few days were very adventurous. We explored our neighborhood by foot and by bus. We went out with 2-3 kids at a time and sometimes just Tony and I. The bus rides were a bit crowded at times but never did I see an older person or woman with child have to stand up. The younger passengers always stood up and offered their seats. My Spanish has improved these last few days and the children are beginning to explore on their own which will help them to improve.

I thank God for this opportunity and can't wait to see what more he has in store.

More to come...