A New Continent... Sort Of

In the "always be adventuring" sense, I chose to go to Costa Rica for Spring Break. Costa Rica had been on my mind before my Chile trip as a way to check off South America, but now I would get South America and start on the "not really continents, but distinctly different geography" which include Central America, sub-Saharan Africa, and the sub-continent of India to name a few that I haven't been to. But now, save Antarctica, I've visited all the continents.

We had an incredible, relaxing, and adventurous time in Costa Rica. To start off, we rented a house in Playa Hermosa for the group as a whole, where we enjoyed a swim-up tiki bar, vast black sand beaches, refreshingly cold Pacific water, and a few local surf spots, and post-surf watering holes. Our housekeeper even made us a homemade dinner, which was both delicious and rancorous with our fun-loving crowd.

The tiki bar is open. Great daiquiris and fish tacos

Our homemade Costa Rican meal followed by Cards Against Humanity

Trying to chill by the beach while reading about Pakistan

Our evening walk to the post-surf watering holes

After Playa Hermosa, which is just south of Jaco on the Pacific side, our group split up as planned, with some exploring the underwater treasures of the coast through scuba diving, and others, including me, off to explore the Monteverde Cloud Rainforest and Arenal Volcano.

Our first stop was the Monteverde cloud forest, where we embarked on an awesome zip-line canopy tour and jungle swing adventure; I was skeptical, but this one outshone my Australian experience by far. That evening we took a guided night coffee plantation and jungle tour. We learned some pretty interesting things about coffee and how is grown and processed while running into night animals, including three huge sloths high in the tree tops, and had a great view of the stars and constellations.

Our zip-line / Tarzan swing crew

Some very long and very high zip lines through the rain forest

Coffee!

SLOTHS!!!

After dinner and delicious Chilean wine in a treehouse in Monteverde we headed to Arenal Volcano via Jeep and boat. At the Volcano we treated ourselves to some hot springs pools and relaxing dinner as we all tried not to think about our thesis projects which were due Tuesday upon our return. Rain the next day alleviated the need for more adventuring, so we succumbed to Harvard stereotypes and each worked a little on the last day waiting for the plane, though we did walk a couple miles to the nearby town to enjoy a last dinner with some soothing Costa Rican chocolate.

Inbound to Arenal Volcano

Margaritas under refreshing hot springs waterfall

The springs at night were surreal

Our crew, relaxed and well-fed

Sunday church service in town next to the chocolate shop

We had a great trip that, as always, was too short. I'd love to go back to experience the Gulf Coast or even spend more time on the Pacific Coast, so I wouldn't be surprised if Costa Rica becomes a repeat adventure spot in the near future.

Delayed Blogging - Work in Progress!

Hello blog readers. I have been remiss in blogging about my travels, as I may or may not be constantly reminded by the most avid reader of this blog.

Not to fear though, the travel logs are works in progress. I will post them with appropriate dates for our own archiving purposes, but if you're interested in reading about my summer in Australia, the post in all its glory can be found here: Summer in the Sunshine State

Its tough to keep up with the adventures of P, L and new addition A, but we non Orlando residents do what we can!

RBDIII

Party at The Plaza

Whoa. LDL just called us out. I really have no defense EXCEPT that I have made myself 100% available to help her growing family whenever she needs. Since she is SO MUCH BETTER than me (and the rest of her siblings at this parenting thing), I typically need a tall adult beverage and a nap most evenings after Adventures with Aunt T.

Lately I've been traveling quite a bit to New York City. I think it averages to about once a month over the last year, but since S keeps all these details on his spreadsheet, I'm not going to guess exact numbers. You know, just in case the visits to each other's respective cities is a bit lopsided. Lucky for me, he doesn't care that he travels to Orlando way more than I do New York. Whew.

On our way to put on jeans

This particular trip to NYC was longer than usual (because who wouldn't want to spend 5 days in arctic like conditions?) which led to more adventures! S likes to plan things out when I visit and this trip was no different. Thursday evening we were booked to attend a fundraiser dinner for The Bowery Mission. Because it was a formal affair, S and I rented some formal wear and S witnessed his first ever FTD wardrobe crisis meltdown. He's a champ, but I really needed LDL in that moment. Who else would understand that yes, the dress looks great but I just don't feel good in it and now I will be uncomfortable all night and oh yeah I am meeting a bunch of people that I don't know in formal wear and it is snowing outside so I will be freezing and are we supposed to donate any money???? Thank goodness S knew better than to laugh at my ridiculousness. He just complimented my style, told me I looked wonderful, and we made our way to The Plaza. The food was excellent, company even better, and enough dancing to tide S over for a few months. We had such a great time but my most favorite line of the night (besides making a joke about the box of chocolates sold at auction for $1,200) was this one from S to me: Hey, T. You want to head back, throw on some jeans, and grab a beer at the pub down the street? We both felt a bit out of our element but it sure was fun pretending to be fancy! Plus, S is pretty awesome making sure that I feel comfortable and well taken care of. He's good like that.

Next up, Valentines Day! I'm a lucky gal because it was a pretty amazing day. I got to spend the morning getting a tour of the NYC Googleplex from an old buddy from the neighborhood. Then (after putting in a few hours of work myself) I met up with a friend and mentor who was visiting NYC with her family for lunch at Nobu. S was a big hit, as people were excited to meet him. He apparently felt comfortable enough with them to spill his big plans for the evening -- a plan he had been keeping from me for 8 weeks -- while I ventured to the ladies room. I tried so many times to get him to tell me, so that I could adequately prepare, but secretly I was enjoying how excited he was to surprise me. I feel like I should mention that I was presented with the following e-card prior to arriving in NYC:

Ha. Ha. Ha. No Groupon could have put together this itinerary. We left lunch (it was a late lunch) and tried to take a quick nap before dinner (it was an early dinner). Just as I was dozing off, I was awoken with a frantic "T! We have to go!". My only instructions were to not wear jeans; that's cool, cause I've started to enjoy looking nicer for date night. We sat at the Chef's bar at a wonderful place called Perla, in the West Village. The food was really spectacular and it was entertaining to sit and watch the food being plated directly in front of us. S broke with tradition and order a non-pink, flourish-less cocktail for the evening. Also, we shared. That's right ladies and gentlemen! I shared a plate. It was like lady and the tramp when they share the spaghetti (except he's a dapper fellow, not a tramp and we didn't have pasta). The night was full of surprises. 

And then. . . the mother of all Valentines Day surprises. . . the cab takes us to Broadway. . . and we walk to see: !!!! I'm pretty sure my face lit up with excitement (at least, I hope I did). One of my first visits to NYC, I mentioned to S that I had heard it was a good show and would be interested to see it. There was no mention of the show after that until now! S is awesome that way, remembering things I mention and then executing on a plan. It was awesome and hilarious and just such a joy to watch. I highly recommend it. It's so much fun to be in a crowd full of people being entertained by the same thing, laughing and gasping in unison. And because it was Valentines Day, the cast waiting around at the end of the show to hand everyone Valentines Day cookies. That might be the last time S and I ever get handed a cookie from a Drag Queen (but I guess you never know). It was one of the best presents I have ever received. A well thought out, experience gift picked out just for me. 

Just when you think the weekend couldn't get any better, we also managed to squeeze in a trip to see our mutual friends in their new house in Connecticut. The race to catch the train was pretty humorous and I had to remind S that this was Grand Central and I had no idea where I was going. So, he held my hand as we raced from Subway line to the main terminal and still, even with just 3 minutes to catch the train we did a little divide and conquer and managed to snag both tickets and a newspaper before the doors shut. Whew. We walked through a beautiful neighborhood covered in snow to get to the house, literally laughing all the way. Later, I got to sit and catch up with a buddy while S climbed the roof to knock off ice. Always be adventuring, right? Sadly, no pictures from that sweet little reunion. 

We wrapped up the weekend with a small little CGA reunion as Danita came up from Philly to join Rache Hadle and me for some boozy brunch at Calle Ocho. Never ending (while you are eating) sangria's can never be a bad thing (just make sure you read the house rules). We do have a picture from that one. I'm not sure what prompted the facial expressions -- what happens at brunch stays at brunch??

So yeah, I'm on the road, living in two different cities sometimes. It's been worth it so far, this always be adventuring thing. 

Not much happening here...a 3 part series. Part 3. Alternatively Titled: She's Here!

I bet you guys could hardly handle the cliffhanger I left you on last time...What could possibly happen next after so much excitement over Thanksgiving and Christmas!?? Duh, it was playlet set-up day!!  Whoop whoop!  The WHOLE family came over to our house to help construct the playset...that is the 2 grandmothers, 1 granddad, 3 uncles, 2 aunts, & 1 boyfriend and I promise you that all of those hands were needed for construction (side note, that corrected to contraction...foreshadowing!!! :) ) and child wrangling.  We laid out all of the pieces...my job was to write down the serial numbers in chalk on the concrete which required lots of bending up and down.  I quit after about 7 minutes.  The Aunts entertained the kids in the cardboard boxes playing zoo, & boating and after one airport run and a hectic lunch I quietly retreated to my room for rest time around 1:30pm.

Oops.  I knock on the window to Brendan to tell him to get in quick and throw some clothes in a bag because we are off to the hospital!  Baby girl isn't due until January 2nd but she has decided she wants in on the action and she's coming early!  Her sister made her debut 9 days late...so this was a surprise.  We said goodbye to Grandma & Aunt Tess and put Uncle RBDIII in charge of getting them to the airport (also, credit where credit is due...he constructed nearly the whole playlet by himself...long after everyone lost interest..and did most of it with a 4 year old on his back or insisting on helping).  We were off! I'm really not one for TMI so let me just say that if any of you readers are expecting your 3rd baby...I recommended getting to the hospital as soon as you suspect something might be happening.  It was a little crazy town and a tiny bit scary but sweet Adele Elizabeth was born at 4:42pm weighing a whopping 8 lbs 4 oz and was 20 inches long.  She was the smallest of all of our babies but the nurses continued to comment on her large size :).  I love the big babies!

Meanwhile, back at the zoo, the grandparents & aunts & uncles & boyfriend & now girlfriend have all been put in charge of manning the 4 & 2 year old...no small adventure!  B and I were so so grateful to have family in town to help welcome little Addy and also to entertain P & L who didn't skip a beat when we brought their new sister home.  L showers her with hugs and kisses and wants to hold Addy constantly.  P is a little more hands off, but asks questions about A frequently and can be found holding her hand or feet when he thinks I am not watching.

So here we are, a family of 5!  Addy is about 2 1/2 months old now and doing great!  We're adjusting with a lot of help from yay yay and our new play set!  Pictures below...

Adele Elizabeth "Addy"

8lbs 4 oz 20 in

Sisters!

Our first visit to our pediatrician...and I think our first mother/daughter photo.  Oops...3rd kid.

As we like to say "The Gangs All Here!"

 I know, this looks like of cheesy posed...but it actually happened :) Mom and Dad so thankful for adorable Addy!

Angel baby.

One of only a handful of times P has taken interest :)

One of Addy's namesakes...the Great Grano!

And finally, one shot of all of the babes...Valentines Day 2014.

Thanks for tuning in!  I guess my siblings have a little too much going on in their busy lives to do any blogging.  Don't worry sibs! I've got so much free time I'll take up the slack!  wink wink.

Not much happening here...a 3 part series. Part 2.

Do you mind if I just scoot right past Thanksgiving? It was wonderful, the brothers & sisters were all in town together (also for Christmas...it feels like this is the first time that has happened in YEARS.)  Everyone was in charge of making one dish for the big meal so we started ours at 7am when the kids woke up and finished it right about 1030a...yikes.  Delicious...but took too long to put in rotation!  We all headed north a couple of hours to spend some time together in the woods.  Some of the boys went hunting while the rest of us hung around the lodge and hunted for pinecones, fed the fish, went exploring.  It was a peaceful holiday!

Here is Uncle Mack helping P ride his strider bike.  For some reason P has decided he doesn't like riding his bike, which is not helpful for me at all since I need him to be out of the stroller and out on his own - I want to get him on a pedal bike asap but am having no luck...any suggestions!?  Also, I wish I had the video, maybe one of the other brothers/sister will post it.  P made everyone race in the street to grab a flag from his hand - and you had to keep running the race until the last one standing.  I can't remember who was the biggest loser...but it was hilarious.

We picked out Christmas trees with the whole family.  P thought it was a huge forest.  Kind of sad really...since it was off the side of a busy street...but he loved running through all of the trees and accidentally made one fall over.  He had no idea that it was his fault, or that it almost crushed him.  His uncles helped save the day.

And here are the November birthdays for our yearly calendar..look at who is cheesin...quite unlike him.

The happy happy grandparents...P is playing the choking game with granddad and L is probably about to throw herself backward for fun, never a dull moment with these two (four!)

Ok.  So I guess Thanksgiving wasn't that hard to remember...yay yay took a lot of pictures to help.  Also, P went to his first UF football game in the swamp!  He loved it...next up, a trip to NC to cheer on the Wolfpack!

Christmas.  This picture was too perfect to not send out as a Christmas card.  I decided baby #3 would be here closer to her due date and so I could do a Christmas card and then a birth announcement.  hahaha.  Oh the plans we make...stay tuned.

Every year we put activities or books or fun events in our advent calendar...here are a few examples.  Gingerbread teepees / Christmas trees (P chose the neon colors) instead of gingerbread houses.  These were so much easier & the kids loved them and could do it themselves...less clean up, less candy etc.  awesome.  thank you pinterest.

The Holy Land.  P LOVES this place.  Though as a 4 year old he was more observant of the crucified Jesus & the scary parts of the Easter story so we had to steer clear of that.  But it was just as much of a success this year as it was last!  Except Jesus didn't talk to Peter this time...that attraction was broken. :)

Sweet P got to be Joseph in his school nativity scene.  Probably because the only requirement was to stand next to the manger.  Since that is all he would be doing.  He did shake his jingle bells when it was time, which is improvement from his Thanksgiving worship performance where he stood with his hands in his mouth the whole time.

Cannonball Express to see Santa!  One of our favorite adventures...cookies, hot chocolate, Christmas songs...the weather even cooled down a bit for us.

The first thing P says when he sees Uncle Bale is "can he throw me in the air like his helicopter!!??"  Pretty soon he will be too big...but Uncle Bale will probably throw his back out first.

Santa & the whole family on both sides pitched in to get the kids a playset for Christmas...the elves were up late in the night moving it from Santa's drop point at yay yay and grandad's to our house.

Happy boy discovering what Santa brought him.  Thanks to Aunt Theresa for doing the decorating!

It's not a Christmas day celebration without crackers & party hats!  I am unbelievably close to having a baby at this point. She is supposed to arrive in less than a week...

And so begins playset construction day...Aunt Theresa and Grandma Sue are perfect entertainers...but you will notice that our playset is not quite complete...our plans have gone awry.

Tune in sometime in the next month for the final installment of "Not Much Going On Around Here..."

as usual.  unedited and typed quickly.  At least there are pictures.