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Running from the Bulls


During our last day in Tamarindo we decided to leave the town to explore some of the smaller towns around and to grab a bite to eat. We stumbled upon an area where an entire small town was gathered together for a rodeo....bull riding only. People were sitting on the fence watching the riders, so we joined in. We began to notice that the bull riders were very different from what we know back home. First, they wear helmets, second, they can ride as long as they want, and third, anyone can go in the ring with the bulls...yes, anyone. If you had the guts to step in the the ring with the angry bull, then you were allowed. After a rider was finished, random people would go and have the bull chase them for an adrenaline rush.

After a while, Taylor and Tom decided that there was absolutely no way they could see something like this and not go inside with the bull. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. So, they climbed in and got a first hand view of the action and even were chased by the bull once! Needless, to say I was a little nervous about it, but in the end they came home safe and sound, so I guess it turned out all right. I'm just glad they don't let you do that here at home, considering we saw two separate people get trampled by the bull (both of whom were fine in the end.) It was crazy!

Surfs Up!

In the last weeks of being in Costa Rica, Taylor started really laying it on hard (guilt trip...that is) that I gave up on surfing after one bad experience. So I finally gave in and signed up for surf lessons with my friend Allie. Well, I was so glad he talked me into it because in just one day everything finally clicked, and surfing turned from scary to fun. Now I am hooked and cannot wait to go in Cali. Here are some photos of me....hanging ten.

Happy Birthday Bud!


While in Tamarindo, we celebrated Parkers 2nd birthday. He decided to spend the day playing on the beach, swimming in the pool, and painting his nails like his big sis. Of course I got a pic of that for future blackmale!

For his "party" I made a home-made cake with a toy car on top. His presents included a soccer ball and a tow truck that broke about 2.5 seconds after taking it out of the box. Then we all blew party favors. He loved it! Happy birthday bud....we love you.

My New Favorite Place on Earth


Well, we ended our trip on a bang! Taylor finished his classes, so this week we went to the town of Tamarindo, a beautiful beach town with clean water, nice sand, beautiful resorts, but still has that latin flavor I love. (Plus my husband was happy because the surf was amazing!) Our friends Allie and Tom from Pepperdine came to visit so we rented a condo together for a great price. Here are some pics of my newest favorite place on earth.

P.S. Thank goodness for Tom and Allie because my camera is still in-op so they let me borrow theirs. I found the battery to my camera in my closet but when I put it in, my camera wasn't working!!! Are you kidding me?


Where's my battery?

Well, I apologize to my readers out there....but it looks like for now I am reduced to text only posts. Two days ago I charged my camera's special battery and upon returning to my charger a few hours later I found that the battery had been carefully removed. It was missing. I questioned the two most likely suspects in this case, to find a 4 year old who knew nothing about it and a little boy who would just shrug his shoulders when I asked. I have torn up the entire house and it is nowhere to be found. Its not like I can just go down to Walmart and buy a new one, you know.

In the meantime I will keep looking, but until it is found you will have to deal with text and lousy stock photos.

La Sabana

La Sabana is the central park on this side of San Jose. It is huge and it is a great place to people watch. You can see women selling stuff that they carry on their heads, take a pony ride for 75 cents, buy and fly a home-made kite, or watch everyone practice their "futbol" skills. Not to mention the cool random statues and sculptures strewn around.
Here are some pics from our last visit.







Power Rangers: Operation Milk River


Lately Parker has been waking up extremely early, somewhere between 5 and 5:30 am. He will come in to our room, and say "mom....mom....mom....mom...." until I get up and turn on the TV to Power Rangers. So, in a daze I get up, turn it on, and get back in bed. Then, he will come in 15 minutes later and I will hear ".mom...mom...mom...mom...." at which point he makes the "come here" hand sign, takes my hand, drags me to the kitchen, and points to the cereal. Every morning I pour him his cereal of choice, and then attempt to go back to bed once again. Inevitably these event steps repeat again and again with a cup of juice, a blanket, or something else he wants, until I finally lose my morning daze, get up, and watch Power Rangers with him.

Two nights ago, while we were getting ready for bed, I was talking to Taylor about this pattern. Somehow, Taylor found it hilarious that Parker only comes in and wakes me up...but whatever. He mentioned to me, "Why don't you combine steps in hopes that he will have less to come in about?" Good plan, I thought. I will get up tomorrow and get the juice, cereal, Power Rangers, blanket, and anything else he could possibly want up front in hopes of increasing the number of minutes between "snoozes" on my "mom...mom...mom..." alarm clock.

So that is just what I did...got up, got everything, and returned back to bed before my morning daze wore off. Around 5:30 that morning Abby had come in to snuggle. It wasn't minutes later when I hear in the delicate voice of my 4 year old...."mom...Parker has cereal in the bed." "Its okay", I said. "Go back to sleep." (Obviously, I wasn't all there.) She responded with,"Okay....but I am sleeping in a river of milk." Leaping onto my feet in an acrobatic fashion in which I know the Pink Power Ranger would have been jealous of, I find my bed covered in soggy cornflakes and milk. Parker was sitting at the end of the bed laughing. Since this is not our bed, nor our mattress, I thought I needed to clean it up immediately before I was charged for a new mattress on the basis of the rotten milk smell coming from it. I started running to find a towel in the kitchen, anxious to get the mess cleaned before it soaked through. However, as I crossed the threshold of our bedroom, milk spillage from Parker carrying his bowl was on the floor, and like a cartoon character foiled by an evil plan, I slipped and landed on my back onto the cold tile floor.

Pain rippled through my body as it never had before. I wanted to scream. I laid there a few moments trying to regain composure. As I did so, Parker got out of my bed, came and stood over me and smiled. Cornflakes were dried onto his face and clothes, he was soaked in milk. I had to laugh. I got up, got the towel, and stood over the river of milk...Abby and Taylor were both asleep in the bed....Abby having moved to drier land. Ah, I thought....the joys of motherhood.

Needless to say, this morning when my "alarm clock" went off I decided it would be best to avoid the snooze button and to get up to enjoy the ever-so-talented and overly dramatic stylings of the Power Rangers. Our morning proved uneventful.