Six Flags

We finally checked an item off our summer bucket list. We had this on last summer’s list but it didn’t happen. It might have been better because Keely has now grown tall enough to ride every single ride with no exceptions, a fact that makes her so happy and makes it easier for us. We arrived on a Sunday right after opening to almost no lines on the coasters. We rode 8 of 9 of their major coasters in under 2 hours, some of them more than once because there were no lines. It was dizzying and a lot of fun, but it’s hard to keep up with the kids who seem not to be bothered by motion sickness at all. James didn’t fare so well, having to sit out for a few coasters but I continued to ride with the kids. 

We even let them ride one together by themselves, something that now makes me cringe because of what happened later that afternoon – that same coaster was stuck at the top of the ride at an angle for over 5 hours with 24 passengers. It was a high angle rescue that required many fire trucks and police and medical support. Luckily, no one was hurt but I can only imagine how I would have felt on the ground as my kids were stuck up on the coaster. Luckily, that wasn’t the case so our only affect was that they closed many of the coasters because of the trapped riders – understandably. We were mostly done by that point and so we headed home happy and having had a lot of fun. Our next amusement park is King’s Dominion; a little further away but a lot of fun from what I remember when I visited each year in college.

New Jersey

Summer wouldn’t seem complete with a trip to New Jersey. This one was in early August and was timed to coincide with Lois, Ryan and the girls traveling there for a week to see Grandma and Grandpa. We drove up on Saturday morning and I came home early Tuesday morning, but James and the kids stayed until Wednesday evening. There is not much to do in New Jersey, but thanks to the purchase of some slip and slides the kids had enough fun right at the house. They also took a trip to Allaire State Park where they rode the train, and we took the kids to Clark Mills and Milford Brook – our old stomping grounds from Manalapan Rec and the site where James and I met some 22 years earlier. It’s crazy that 22 years later, we were there with our two kids and Lois’ two kids playing on the same (loosely) playgrounds where we met and started to get to know each other. It was actually quite surreal. We also went to church at OLM almost 15 years to the day of our wedding, and it was again quite surreal to sit in the pew with our children and expanded family. I had no idea where life would take us, but we have been very blessed and I can’t wait to see where the next 15 years, 30 years and hopefully more (God willing) takes us.

Our anniversary itself was celebrated back in Virginia when James and the kids returned home. We went to dinner at Matchbox - very yummy - followed by ice cream at Boardwalk Ice Cream. Keely made us her own handmade gifts and it was very thoughtful. She wanted to have this hanging in our room when we awoke, but instead it was hung during the day. Notice the artist peeping out the closet door :)

Costa Rica Trip Days 4-5: Monteverde

The trip from Arenal to Monteverde can take up to 3 hours by car or van, or you can choose another option to break up the trip – a boat ride across Lake Arenal, followed by a van ride straight up a mountain. We chose the second choice but it still took us about 3 hours (maybe a little less) to get to Monteverde. The boats were quite hilarious, and we wondered if we’d even make it across the lake. We were one of the last to arrive to the boat and because of that, our party was split up between two boats – one larger and one smaller – because of both limited seating at that point and distribution of weight (between luggage and people). Anyways, James, Keely and I ended up on the larger of the two boats and Nana, Papa, Annie and Quinn were on the other smaller boat. I joked that they let the smaller boat go ahead so that we could pick them up if it sank. Joking, I think but these boats were pretty dinky! In any event, we made it across to the other side of the lake where there were 6-8 vans lined up ready to take parties to Monteverde based on various hotels. This part was again quite hilarious as they tried to fit all of the luggage into the back of these vans that were packed to the gills with people and two staff members. Let me tell you, these guys are talented to get that many bags into these vans…and also that most Americans (most of the tourists there were from Texas, it seemed) overpack. Our group’s luggage was tame compared to what others had with them. In any event, we were told that it would be 1.5 hours until we could stop for a siesta…err, bathroom break…so James decided to use the facilities of nature J Luckily, no one seemed to care! The road up from the lake is so curvy, and so narrow. I can’t stress that enough. I was quite shocked that the vans didn’t fall off the side of some these steep hills, or break down as they seemed to labor up each hill. It was crazy! At one point, we reached a larger road that had actual concrete shoulders for drainage – but even that would have been a minor road in the United States. 

When we reached Monteverde, we were dropped off at the Hotel Fonda Vela. It was true to its photos, think Swiss Family Robinson. And the weather was quite different! We went up about a mile in elevation…and instead of summer, it felt like Fall. What a change. For many reasons, Monteverde was my least favorite part of this trip and I think the weather was one. But you can’t go to Costa Rica without experiencing the cloud forest (at least on your first trip) so we had to do it, and I don’t regret it. It actually provided the most fun experience of the trip with zip lining. After our morning, we took a bit of time to settle in and explore the very lush grounds. There was a pool and hot tub – honestly the only thing you could do was the hot tub because it was so cold. And it was always misting in the cloud forest…you are literally up in the clouds! So cold, and damp. Not a great combination, but a very unique environment that is a can’t miss experience.

Later that afternoon, we set out for the Don Juan Coffee Tour which was a most enjoyable experience. We learned all about the process of growing, roasting and selling CR coffee and also had some of the most delicious bananas and chocolate I will ever eat. The bananas were fresh off the tree, and you will never eat another banana so sweet. Quinn loves bananas and must have had 4 at least. After the tour, we enjoyed the free coffee and picked up some gifts to bring back home. A word about CR coffee…it is all Arabica now, they do not allow any other coffee to be grown and exported because they chose quality over quantity. They are a small country and they have to be judicious about what they export so that it is successful. They also serve coffee to small children (starting at age 2) and Costa Ricans drink their coffee black or with warmed milk and sugar. The milk is warmed so that it doesn’t cool the coffee before you drink it. Quinn had some coffee each morning, and really enjoyed it (he’s not had it since we have been back in the States, though…when in Rome, I suppose).

The next morning we set out for our experience on the hanging bridges and zip lines. First, we did the hanging bridges with a guide. The guide was very helpful…even if we didn’t see wildlife or exotic birds (I never did see the infamous quetzal) he was informative about the plants, trees and cloud forest environs. There were eight bridges in all, some more than 300 feet high. In between, there was walking on trails that connect the bridges. A good bit of walking, and in some very damp conditions. On the last bridge, Nana had a spill and sprained her ankle. We were worried but she persisted and managed to push through to do the zip lines. Papa was a maybe for the zip lines, but I think male ego chipped in when he saw that Nana was going to do it, he couldn’t chicken out! That may or may not have been the smartest decision, but he made it through the whole zip line course. The kids loved the zip lines! I was a little nervous about the heights, but really it was pretty exhilarating. To be on top of the tree cover, flying through the air at relatively high speeds is a pretty good adrenaline rush. We also did the Tarzan swing, which was probably the most outside of my comfort zone. Imagine stepping off a platform in free fall…not knowing when the rope will catch you. All of us did the swing besides Papa who gratefully watched from ground level. Again, the kids loved it! If you ask them what their favorite part of the whole trip was, they will most certainly say the zip lines! Our guides were also great here, and they really made everyone feel safe. They took special care of Nana with her busted ankle, and they always made sure the kids and Papa had a guide with them on the longer zip lines. After that exhilarating experience, we had our driver drop us in the town and we ate lunch at the Tree House Café which literally had a tree growing through its two levels.

That night, we set out on a night tour of the forest with a guide. It was actually a bust…we only saw a couple of creatures roaming the night including a coati (raccoon like animal), agouti (large rat type animal), tarantula, and the leaf carrying ants. No sloths and no monkeys. It was quite windy and when that happens, animals head out of the trees and down for cover making it hard to find them. Another point of interest here is that the internet lines went down for a good portion of this day, making it impossible to pay with credit cards for anything. We had to borrow cash from Quinn to pay for the night tour! It’s something that you can never imagine happening in the United States, and something we take for granted but in a small country you need to be prepared for all kinds of things.

The next morning, we were set to leave for our last destination and final four nights on the Pacific Ocean in Tamarindo. Insert ominous sound here…dum, dum, dum. The exit from Monteverde to Tamarindo might also have contributed to my dislike of Monteverde although most likely it had nothing to do it. On the van ride (about 3-4 hours) I suffered from what I call Monteverde’s revenge. I don’t know if I drank some bad water, ate something bad, had car sickness (the roads were once again quite curvy and we were traveling at high speeds), had reverse elevation sickness (we were now descending from a mile high to sea level) or was overheated (the weather now was changing from the 60s to the 90s with beach humidity) – or a combination of the above – but it was a bad, bad combination. I started to feel bad right before we made what was supposed to be our one and only stop – I thought I was just hungry so I ate plantain chips and drank a Coke to try to calm my stomach. It did not help, and we had to stop for me to use bathrooms every 20 minutes or so. Our driver was wonderful, always finding a bathroom just in the nick of time. I would feel slightly better after each stop, but get progressively worse. In the last 20 minutes or so to the hotel, I threw up in the van. Not good! When we arrived at the hotel, I could barely walk because I was so weak and I was still needing to use the bathroom every few minutes. The hotel staff was so nice…bringing me homemade tea and a fruit tray (for when I could stomach the idea of food). I don’t remember exactly what was in that tea, but it did wonders for my tummy. They said they see this type of thing a lot so they knew exactly what to do for me. And they were right…I was able to keep the tea down, and even venture to the pool later that afternoon. When I walked through the lobby, I was like a celebrity because they were so glad to see me up and walking! I was worried it was a 24 hour thing, but whatever it was – it ended as quickly as it started and for that, I am so grateful. It only managed to ruin part of my travel day, and I even managed to eat a light dinner that night. Next up, our last 3 days in Tamarindo on the Pacific Coast. 

Costa Rica Trip Days 1-3: Arenal & La Fortuna

We awoke before the crack of dawn, and departed Newark early in the morning for the five hour flight to San Jose. The flight was smooth – I slept a good portion of it – and we landed on time and were greeted by our driver immediately after leaving the airport. Our driver was very nice, although a little limited on English. Because of our limited Spanish and their limited English, our interactions with drivers and others in the country were somewhat limited. That said, all of the people we encountered were very nice – of course, they are in tourism so I guess that’s their job. In any event, despite being very hungry at this point our driver said it was easier to eat on our way to La Fortuna, which is about a 2 hour drive. This meant an hour or so before we stopped to eat, but when we arrived we were refreshed with some typico almuerzo – typical Costa Rican lunch. Beans and rice are the typical staple, and normally a protein is added (chicken, fish or beef) and accompanied by plantains and salad. We also had some patacones – plantains sliced very thin and served like tortilla chips with pico de gallo or guacamole and some excellent ceviche. This interaction was funny though with our waiter – I think we confused him by ordering some appetizers first – and then ordering main dishes. In Costa Rica, they are used to ordering everything at once.  We also got our first taste of the traditional CR beer – Imperial. The kids had their first of many, many sodas…typically Coke for Quinn and orange for Keely. After our lunch, we browsed the adjacent souvenir shop and then headed down the road. While I’m on the subject of roads, they are not much like what we are used to in the United States. The roads are windy, curvy and can be narrow. In many parts of our trip, they were rock and not paved. There was no curb and gutter or shoulder, and in the mountainous parts of the country you literally felt like you could fall off the side of the mountain. Actually, they were similar to Ireland. CR is a country the size of West Virginia yet it takes between 2-3 hours to travel from place to place, even though the mileage is typically under 100. It takes some getting used to, and quite frankly I was in awe that they do the amount of tourism with large buses and plenty of vans traveling the roads day and day out.

We arrived at our hotel for the next three nights, Arenal Manoa and settled in. Settling in mostly means checking out the pool. We ate dinner at the resort that night and explored the grounds a little. It gets dark in CR between 5:30 and 6 PM so it was quite strange for us considering at home in the summertime we’re used to that between 8 and 9 PM. What it did for us though was mostly keep us on Eastern Time. It’s only a two hour time difference – but we were getting up early because it’s light out at 5 AM and going to bed early because we were tired from the day’s activities. It made for a very smooth transition back to home.

The next morning, we decided to venture off on our own to the national park and hike to the La Fortuna Waterfall. While there were tours to do this hike combined with other activities, we didn’t think it was worth the extrea cost and we were right. We were able to do this excursion for just the price of a taxi each way, and the cost to enter the national park. The hike is mostly on a set of stairs down to a gorgeous waterfall where you can swim and relax. That means you have to walk back up the stairs afterwards, but I would say it was worth the trip. We didn’t swim in the main waterfall pool because it is very deep, cold and the currents from the water falling can be strong – so they do not advise children in that section but we did swim in one of the downstream areas where the current was less strong and the water less deep. It was refreshing to say the least.

That afternoon, we took a trip to tour an adjacent farm. On the walk, we saw a family of baby armadillos right off the bat. We also learned about the no-touch-me plants (they curl up in a ball when you touch them to protect themselves) and the leaf cutter ants (they carry leaves to build a home for themselves – we will learn much more about them later in our trip while in Monteverde). They are red ants which means they bite – a la Tucson – so we avoided them but watched them with curiosity. We also saw one of many perros (dogs), milked a Costa Rican cow (well, me and Keely did) and saw the cleanest pigs ever. No joke, they were really clean and I have never seen a pig’s eyes that clearly. They actually look a lot like human eyes. Why do they keep them so clean? Because they are selling them.

That night, we took a trip down the road to Eco Termales Hot Springs. I should mention at this point that this little town sprung into existence because it sits at the foot of an active volcano. Arenal was active over 500 years ago, but recently because active again in 1968. Once that happened, tourism started in earnest and the town used the volcano to become a hot spot (pun intended) for eco-tourism and activities a plenty. What also springs up because of an active volcano is hot springs. The ones we visited consisted of 5 pools, one super hot pool (which was the source of the spring) and one cold pool. We spent 15-20 minutes in the hot pools and then a few minutes in the cold pool to keep our bodies from overhearing. For me, hot water is wonderful and I personally really enjoyed the pools. We spent almost four hours at the pools, including a wonderful Costa Rican dinner served family style with the most delicious rice pudding for dessert...I may have finished any unfinished portion at our table and stuffed myself with that pudding but it was worth every bite!

Our last full day in Arenal was spent doing a morning tour of two local rivers by kayak and then relaxing poolside in the afternoon while watching the Costa Rican soccer match. The kayaking tour was very fun and ended up being our best chance at seeing animals in their natural habitat. I went with Quinn, James went with Keely and Papa was with one of our two guides. The guides were both very informative. My favorite memory of this trip is Pablo shouting ‘family, come over here’ and then having to paddle upstream as fast as possible, sometimes cursing Pablo a bit because I thought, this better be worth the effort! We saw howler monkeys, a sloth (our only one!), a crocodile, bats, rattlesnake, Jesus Christ lizard (so named because it can walk on water) and lots of birds including the laughing falcon, kingfishers, tiger heron and the flycatcher bird. We also stopped about 3/4 of the way down river to visit a local farm and visit with the family that owns and cares for it (Peter's family) where we were served fresh Costa Rican coffee and sweet treats.  

That day, the Arenal volcano was finally visible. Fitting since it was our last full day, and thus last chance to see it in its full glory – but also fitting because (in our guide’s opinion) it came out for the Costa Rican soccer match. A word about being in Costa Rica during (a) the World Cup and (b) one that their team made it to the Round of 16. It was really quite awesome to be in a country that embraces and loves their futbol. Even after their team lost (a quite heartbreaking loss in penalty kicks where they were duped by a ringer of a Dutch goalie who was brought in specifically to defend those final five shots) the whole country was still very into the rest of the Cup. Everywhere else we went, they were watching the remaining games and enjoying the high quality of soccer. They were so proud of their team for making it as far as they did, the only team in the CONCACAF (North American countries) to make it that far. Quite an accomplishment for a country so small…and one that was missing their best player to injury.

That night, our last dinner in Arenal we took a taxi downtown and first visited the local church to donate a vestment that was gifted to our family when my grandmother passed away. I am glad my parents took the trouble to pack it, because I believe it was a gift much appreciated and I know it would please both of my grandparents to know that it was given to a country that needs for so much. After that we tried a restaurant that our first driver recommended and it was really good. Also very affordable – though not as affordable as we first thought upon conversion from Colons. A word about money. They will almost always take American dollars, in fact I think they prefer it and they probably end up getting more from you because they claim not to have change. One US dollar is equal to about 500 Colons. So it was quite interesting to see a bill of 100,000 C (about $200 USD). We figured it out most times and often the bill was presented in both Colons and USD. Tipping was also interesting – it is not as big as it is in the US. So we tried to be respectful of that and tip about 10%. It’s hard though when you know it’s a poor country and the tourism is so much of their economy, so you want to be generous.

The next morning, we awoke and had breakfast in the hotel – our last at Arenal Manoa. I should say at this point that this was a great hotel, I would highly recommend it. The pool and hot tub, and hot springs pool were very nice and the staff was always friendly and helpful. Breakfast was included and it was good every day. Each day, we were served the traditional Costa Rican breakfast – eggs, gallo pinto (rice and beans mixed together with some spices), queso blanco, and fresh fruits including papaya, mango and plantains.  There was also a serving station where they would make pancakes, waffles, and fresh tortillas. One of the classics from a breakfast – question to our server, how do you say pancake in Spanish? Answer – pancake :)

After breakfast, we packed up and departed for our next destination where we would spend two nights – Monteverde. I will cover the boat trip and van ride in that next summary, because it deserves its own story. 

End of the School Year

Quinn finished up his first year of middle school with a flourish. He earned all A honor roll for the 4^th straight quarter, with all As for his final grades. He also earned a Special Achievement Award for his performance in Band playing saxophone. He is looking forward to making the switch to tenor saxophone and got to try it out at school towards the end of the year. Lastly, he earned an award for excellence in Math. He was one of only a handful of students to get this award in sixth grade and it is a nice accomplishment. He was accepted into Algebra 1 Honors for 7th grade so he will be taking high school level math and earn high school credit upon completion. 

Keely got all 3s and 4s on her final report card and ended the year on a very positive note. She really liked her teacher this year and is hoping to get a male teacher for her last year of middle school. Boy, have we come a long way since she was devastated to see a Mr. on her teacher assignment letter. It just seems she does better with male teachers, so she has been lucky to have one for the last two years. There is also a male teacher in 5^th grade so she is keeping her fingers crossed. Regardless, she will most likely be going to his class for math as he is the advanced math teacher and her teacher has recommended she be moved into that class next year based on her stellar math work this year. Math doesn’t seem to come as naturally for her, so this is a nice accomplishment. Keely finished the year with viola, and although she liked it she decided not to continue in 5^th grade. She is torn between joining band or chorus. I think chorus would be perfect for her, but it is her decision so we will see what she chooses come the beginning of the school year.

The end of school also meant the end of sports. Soccer for me and Keely ended, and Quinn finished his second season of basketball. We were glad for the break. Keely’s team came in first place in their division and continues to improve. Their team also played in an all-star tournament and although they lost all three games, they played well and it seemed to be good experience for them. Keely was scouted by a travel team coach with some nice compliments on her play, but we will stick with her recreation team for the time being. Quinn liked playing basketball but he seemed happy for the break and I think he will wait until ABGC starts up again to play (winter). 

Friday Update...three is the new five :)

I always have good intentions with keeping the momentum going on these updates, but I just didn’t have five things last week nor did I have time to write too much. Another week though and a few more things to discuss, so here’s the latest update. Since we are on the verge of the first long weekend of summer, I will make my next update a preview of our top 5 (or maybe more) summer plans. In the meantime, enjoy the top five from these last two weeks…

-Mother’s Day 4 Miler – We had visitors for mother’s day weekend this year – Nana, Papa, and Aunt Annie. That meant three generations together for Mother’s Day. What better way to celebrate than with a 4 mile run? Keely has been asking to do another 5K for some time, so this seemed perfect. It was in Reston and we got tech tee shirts, a pin and all moms got a flower at the finish line. I would definitely run this race again, although the course was tough with all its hills. Most importantly, the four of us got to be together which is as it should be. We then met up with the boys at Silver Diner (where else?!?!) for breakfast. It was a fun morning!

-Quinn’s Band Concert – Quinn had his spring band concert. He, along with the rest of the Intermediate Band, played four songs including the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark (a fun choice!) and it sounded very nice. We couldn’t see Quinn from our seats as he was in the 4^th row with the other alto saxophones but we couldn’t hear him which means he played well and was in tune with the rest of the band. He also got some very exciting news about next year…

-Symphonic Band – As a member of the intermediate band in 6^th grade, there are 3 choices for Quinn next year: Concert Band 2, Concert Band 1 and Symphonic Band. He performed last week for the two band teachers, and we found out this week that he has qualified for Symphonic Band! That is the highest level he can attain and he will have reached it in only his second year of middle school. There is only one slight snag. One other student received higher marks on the performance for alto saxophone and there is only one spot for that instrument. BUT…Quinn qualified for Symphonic Band as well – a quote from his teacher…”his tone is great, his rhythmic accuracy is spot on, and his knowledge and understanding of articulations is superb”. So in order to have Quinn participate next year, they offered him a spot on the tenor saxophone. Quinn doesn’t have to learn an entirely new instrument and the added sound will complement the band. And the school will pay for his instrument for the year since he is being asked to fill the spot. SO…Quinn is excited to try something new and has accepted their offer to play tenor saxophone in the Symphonic Band next year! We are very proud of him and his aptitude for saxophone and can’t wait to continue to watch him grow as a musician :)

Five Things Friday 5/9/14

I’m behind on my updates…not surprising, but things are busy and there were a few noteworthy items this week so I’m using that a springboard to get back on track.

-Quinn earned All-A Honor Roll for the 3^rd straight quarter. We are proud of him and the hard work he puts into school – we almost never have to nag him about homework, he just does it on his own. He takes pride in his work and has really caught on to the time management skills needed in middle school. I am very spoiled opening up progress reports (teachers send them every two weeks so there are no surprises) and seeing average grades near or sometimes even over 100%. I attended his Honor Roll ceremony on Monday, and he’s among less than 40 who earned all-As. On top of that, he is in all honors classes. Middle school is treating him quite well!

-Keely also had a great third quarter report card, earning all 3s and 4s. She also took her field trip to Jamestown last week. The weather was iffy but it turned out to be fine with no rain and warm, humid weather (typical for SE Virginia). She was so excited the night before – almost worse than Christmas Eve – and sprung out of bed that morning. I think her favorite part was the bus trip – coach buses and they watched 3 movies – but she enjoyed the ship and fort tours. She does enjoy history and often asks us to visit such places (Gunston Hall as an example). Someday I will get to Jamestown, now that my whole family has been there.

-Keely had her annual orchestra concert this week. She has been playing the viola since September. She did well in their 4 songs. She seems to like viola, and says she may stick with it for 5^th grade. It would be nice to see her progress over two years, instead of switching to band (she says she would pick the flute). We’ll see what she decides come September, but it’s been nice for her to continue her musical talents with a strings instrument this year.

-I ran my 5^th half marathon on Sunday morning, the Frederick Running Festival. I signed up back in January with a nice discount code (under $60!) and figured I’d be in good shape by May. Ha, the best laid plans…well, you know how those go. Soccer got in the way of my return to running…and the move to a new office further from home makes less time for working out during the week. So the longest runs I could get in were 6-7 miles. Yeah, not too good of a base for a half. I should have written a post called ‘How NOT to train for a half marathon’. In any event, I considered deferring but decided to do it just to cover the mileage – and hey, it was a nice t-shirt so I wanted that :) I ran with two friends, one of whom is 3 months pregnant and we did a 7/1 interval (7 minutes running, 1 minute walk). It was perfect for me, I honestly don’t think I could have done it much faster without really tearing up my body. The course was fairly flat with good scenery and excellent crowd support for a small town. Afterwards, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for a much deserved breakfast. I would definitely do this race again – I am even considering signing up now to get the best rate for next year. I think with proper training, I could PR.

-Sports continue in earnest for our house. Keely has had 4 soccer games – her team is doing well this season, 2-1-1 so far. She plays mostly midfield as she is the speediest on the team. Quinn has played 4 or 5 of his basketball games with three remaining in this spring league. He continues to enjoy it, but I think he will be ready for a break come June. I have played 4 soccer games – and my body seems to finally be adjusting to the rigors of a soccer game. I have also learned that I can’t play without warming up my quads and other leg muscles.  It’s still a lot of fun, and I enjoy playing – and my team is undefeated so far :)