Everyone has a different definition of Paradise. The following definitions are courtesy of Dictionary.com par‧a‧dise  ˈpær əˌdaɪs, -ˌdaɪz - Show Spelled Pronunciation 1. heaven, as the final abode of the righteous. 2. an intermediate place for the departed souls of the righteous awaiting resurrection. 3. (often initial capital letter ) Eden (def. 1). 4. a place of extreme beauty, delight, or happiness. 5. a state of supreme happiness; bliss. People often ask why we moved here or what we like most about being here [View Full Entry]

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Festejos Patronales San Ramon 2006, August 24 to September 3. Our little town of San Ramon came alive. The preparations for the festival began while Craig was here earlier in the month. Roofs were built above the sidewalks surrounding the central park. ICE, our electric company strung electrical wiring all around the park and installing extra lights where needed. We were not prepared for what was about to hit our quiet, sleepy town. Wednesday, August 30th, Callista and I headed to town leaving Bill at home with the yard work. Our local friends had told us it was the ‘big’ day [View Full Entry]

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I must admit the stress of living in a foreign country hit yesterday. With summer visitors gone and 7 months behind us it’s time to really get things going on the house project. (My Dad wants us to name the property…we’re open to suggestions) We figured it was time to check the national registry to make sure our names were recorded properly for the purchase. The day went downhill from the minute I checked the National Registry at 5:30 a.m. We are new to the whole realm of buying, selling and certainly building a home. (Just ask G’ma Donna, the one [View Full Entry]

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Today is Sunday... we left Craig at the airport on Tuesday at 6:30am. Each family member mourned in their own way on the rest of the day. Bill had a marathon movie day watching all 5 we had rented at one sitting. Callista melted into the cartoon channel and her miniature toys; I found solace in the computer uploading pictures of our time together. Letting go is so hard. This has been one of the hardest blogs to write. I’ve started it several times and walked away. It’s time to move on now. We’ve spoken to Craig several times this week [View Full Entry]

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We shared quality time at home after returning from La Fortuna and Volcan Arenal. Craig and Callista made brownies together. The kids and I made luminaries out of cans. I thought it was a nice idea but it will go into the “don’t try this at home” category. What kid wouldn’t like to bang a nail into a chunk of ice? The Mot-mot even decided Craig was worth getting to know and made quite a few appearances. What a treat! It was nice to have time to just hang out at home before we headed out again. Craig even walked up [View Full Entry]

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Arenal Volcano, Jardin Zoo La Marina, Termales del Bosque, Manuel Antonio, Playa Dona Ana, Las Musas and the town of San Ramon… These are the places we visited during Craig’s first visit to Costa Rica. He experienced the climate changes throughout the country and got to see wildlife in native habitats, in a rescue center and in and around our home. He made friends with the local kids near our house and spent time with them getting to know the culture. All in all Craig’s first experience in Costa Rica was diverse and exciting. Craig, our twenty year old son, [View Full Entry]

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What an exciting day for us. Craig, our 20 yr old son arrived from Florida today for his first visit to Costa Rica. This will be a short blog to let everyone know he arrived safely and for family who haven't seen him in a while to get a look at him. :) Steph... does this guy look familiar? We'll start our two week adventure today, Wednesday, by heading up to Arenal for two nights. We don't know exactly where else we'll end up while he's in town but I'm sure it will be a grand adventure for him as well [View Full Entry]

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Our friends invited us to go fishing with them on Sunday at Los Alpes. It's a tilapia fishing area with kayak's and horses for the children as well. As you can see by the pics a good time was had by all. Los Alpes is a beautiful place just 20 minutes outside San Ramon. From our house we took a right and headed thru Piadades Sur. The drive was good even though part of the way was on a gravel road. With nine of us loaded in our car it wasn't an uncomfortable ride to my surprise. I like my space. [View Full Entry]

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July has been a strange month for us, an emotional roller coaster of sorts. We reached our six month mark in Costa Rica and still couldn’t be happier with our decision to relocate. That doesn’t mean it’s all been an easy road. The month began with our friends the Eury’s returning to the states. As their departure date neared we learned our friends and neighbors, the Dyck family we returning to Canada. The leaving of friends caused unexpected sadness. The Eury’s represented a connection to a former life. The Dyck’s represented a part of our new life. It& [View Full Entry]

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Wednesday, July 5th the Eury's made it up to San Ramon for a visit. With their time in Costa Rica nearing an end we feared they wouldn't be able to come up and see what our life is like here. We were thrilled that they were able to make time to visit "our world". They arrived just around mid-day and after unpacking and settling in we decided to go to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, La Isla Del Sabor. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, we always enjoy ours there. After lunch, the men took all the kids back [View Full Entry]

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