Pura Vida

Got to the Miami airport with no problems, but the different prices for suitcases with different airlines can get very confusing. They even made us check an extra bag that was a carry-on from Memphis to Miami, but said it had to be checked this time because it was too big. What do you do? You just go with it. We were so tired by the time our flight left at 8:10pm. Even the flight attendant greeting us as we walked on the plane said, "wow your kids look tired and we haven't even left yet!" hahaha...if she only knew.

he just learned to wink and thinks it's awesome

so excited to get there...can you see the exhaustion on my face where my kids are now past the point, have gotten their second wind and are literally bouncing off the walls...also another shot of a nasty pillow pet

flying in to our new home at 9pm...Jack said he could see our house

We (meaning Will) got all our luggage on three huge carts and we looked like a circus act going through customs. Everyone was staring and we had to unload every suitcase on to the conveyor belt and pick them up on the other side. This was difficult to do and no one helped as our suitcases dumped off the other end and piled up. So embarrassing.

Our big brother in language school, Noah Kamper, was waiting for us outside the airport and he and our driver, Fernando, got us all in a big van. We were exhausted and overwhelmed and Noah happily greeted us and gave us water bottles and a little gift bag from his wife, Liz.

These are called mamon chinos which are also called hairy eyeballs. They were in the welcome bag that Liz made for us and we decided to try them the next morning for breakfast.

Once you peel off the outside there's a slimy inside that actually tastes a lot like a grape. We ate the whole bag! And yes, Will Savell ate them and loved them! That guy is meant to be Costa Rican

Our first morning we went to Parque la Copa which is right across the street from our house. I have never felt more perfect weather and the mountains are beautiful.

Don't let the graffiti fool you...they think it looks nice here

Within a few minutes, Jack met a friend named Sawyer

And Emma met a friend named Olivia...they are already asking when they can play with them again. God provides.

Big shot of the park...looking forward to spending a lot of time here

Will and I walked up the street to a really good Chinese restaurant. As long as they have Diet Coke here I'll be good!

Then we came and checked into our hotel. Thought it was funny in the lobby they have a taxi rate from the hotel to the new Walmart. Apparently, Walmart just came to Costa Rica. But don't let it fool you...I did see a 2-liter of Sprite for $6! Gotta watch it

Casa Conde Hotel...it is soooo nice

Eating breakfast by the pool

Seriously the best waffle I've ever eaten

Cafe Britt coffee...the best

When the kids were going to bed we asked them what their favorite thing was so far about Costa Rica. I think Jack said the hot tub at the hotel and Emma said she likes that everything is homemade. Yes things take longer. But when you order chocolate milk they take milk and pour real chocolate in it and mix it up, if you want peanut butter crackers you have to buy peanut butter and then buy crackers and make your own...it makes you actually think through how you make stuff and put it together. Which has been hard too.

The language barrier is huge. I would say most Costa Ricans that we've met do not know any English at all. I feel completely dependent on Will who only speaks a little bit, and I don't even like him walking an aisle away from me at a grocery store. I know I'll be ready when school starts so I can start communicating even if it's just a tiny bit.

We get really tired at around 3 in the afternoon. The altitude is much higher here and I'm sure we're not drinking enough water. If I stay rested I've found I approach everything more positively, but here I am blogging at 11:30 at night!

Please pray for our continued transition. We officially move out of our hotel and into our house on Saturday. We've taken all our bags over there and have started to unpack which brings all the overwhelming feelings back in full force. We love our house though and look forward to finally being settled. I think we've been living out of suitcases for a month now. I'll post lots of pictures of our house next!

Wikipedia definition of "Pura Vida":

Pura vida literally means Pura = pure and vida = life, but "Pure life" in Spanish would be "Vida pura" instead, so the real meaning is closer to "plenty of life", "full of life", "this is living!", "going great", "real living", or "cool!" It can be used both as a greeting and a farewell, to express satisfaction, to politely express indifference when describing something or even to say "thank you". The phrase has become widely known; this highly flexible statement has been used by many Costa Ricans (and expatriates) since 1956.

It is actually said by everyone in Costa Rica. It's like you're all part of the same team or something! So fun.