Pura Vida!

Last week I treated Allison to the ultimate romantic getaway, Costa Rica. The trip consisted of the generic romantic elements, such as long walks on the beach, candlelit dinners, relaxing massages, spearfishing, rappelling 200 ft waterfalls, and in-laws. Y'know, the kind of stuff every girl dreams of. OK, who am I going to fool? I was able to convince Allison to join me and my family on a week long adventure vacation.

The first stop on the trip was the Pacuare River, but we could only reach it by going through the Tico Tourist initiation process, which consisted of a family member generously donating a passport, laptop, credit cards, and some mulah to an outstanding Costa Rican citizen.

The plan was to raft to our lodge for the night and then raft out the next morning.

The rafting crew didn't provide XXL helmets so I wore mine Rabbi style.

Along the way we stopped and checked out a couple of waterfalls.

After some moderate rafting we reached our humble, yet beautiful abodes buried deep in the rain forest.

The rain forest made a pretty good florist.

We stayed at the Pacuare Lodge. The only light we enjoyed that night was provided by the fireflies and candles. Our rafting guides became our hosts and served us the choice of prime rib or seared tuna. Muy delicioso.

We were told that our first day on the rapids was only preparation for our second day. We hit some pretty big holes the next day.

During one sequence I thought I saw a quarter in the water so I had to get in to check it out.

Nope, no quarter.

We managed to finish the trip without any drownings just in time to get ready for some rappelling.

i can do this

I wrote this past last week, but smart Sambo said I needed to not post it until after our trip to be safe since we would be out of town for so long. I didn't want to re-write it in past tense, so here you are with my thoughts before Costa Rica...

I'm going on an out-of-country vacation. It's an adventure trip with the in-laws and we're going to be doing a lot of fun/crazy activities that I've never done before. I'll admit, I'm feeling a bit anxious. Is it because we'll be repelling down a very tall waterfall? No. Is it because we'll be white water rafting for two days? No. Worried about the food? No. Concerned about what to do with my hair for a week with no blow dryer/straightner + humidity? Yes, but that's not causing the anxiety.

The reason is...well you see, packing space is limited. Sam warned me something just might not make the cut this trip. That something, would be my blanket.

It may not sound that worry-some to you, but you probably don't have the kind of relationship I do with my blanket. It all started with my baby blanket. The sweet white blanket with simple ruffle edges and baby pigs, lambs and ducks with blue and pink ribbons tied around their neck scattered about. I love that blanket. It went every where with me and spent every night with me, up until my wedding night when Sam said "You get either me or the blanket in the bed. Take your pick." When I say the blanket went everywhere with me, I mean it. Road trips, cheer camp, Argentina (almost lost it there, that was a close call), college....you name it - my blanket was there.

I once found a friend who shared the same baby blanket love as I have. At age 21 and 22, Amy and I both brought our baby blankets with us to Ghana while living there for 3 months, because...well, why wouldn't you?

So, I became a married woman and had to say farewell to my lifelong friend who now sits in a box. It was then that I adopted a new cuddly buddy...
Not Dani and not Sammy, but the brown zebra-striped and oh-so-soft blanket. It was a wedding gift to us. Sam couldn't turn down my desire to use a wedding gift, right? So, for the past two years I have slept with my new furry comfort blanket every night, but that will not be the case while on this trip. Bags are backed and my friend is still folded up neatly on the corner of the bed. I can do this.

Wish me luck.

*I made it the whole week sans blanket, however I told Sam I know I would've slept better each night if I had a blanket with me. Lesson learned. Costa Rica was amazing, posts on that to come.

california sunshine part 2

The whole reason we made the trip out to California was to see my cousin, Heather, get married. She and Austin make such a cute couple. The wedding was at the Newport Beach temple. It was wonderful attending their sealing and also being there with so much family!

Sisters...

Another set of Heyman sisters...

Our nieces and nephews...

Between the sealing and reception, Sam and I stole some more beach time with Matt and Brooke. (We really did take full advantage of beach access this trip!)

The reception was that evening and lots of fun. The food and desserts were amazing! And the dancing that night provided lots of entertainment!

Love this one of Sam and Grandma Heyman sharing some moves together!

The wedding day was also my brother, Curtis', birthday. Happy Birthday Curbo!

Now we need to find an excuse to get back soon!

california sunshine

Samuel and I recently made a short trip out to sunny California. We took advantage of the beautiful weather and hit the beach four times in the 3 1/4 days we were there. We also got to spend time with a lot of family which was wonderful and such a blast.

We got to Oceanside the first day, checked into our hotel, threw on our swimsuits and were back out of the hotel in less than 5 minutes so we could have some fun! The first item of business was finding Sammy a spear gun. We went spear fishing while on our Honeymoon and Sam has repeatedly informed me "that was the most fun thing" he has EVER done. Since we'll be making a trip to Costa Rica later this summer, he desperately wanted a spear gun to take and "have the most fun" again.

After some quality sun soaking and body surfing on the beach we hit up a local fish and chips place which was set right on the marina. Another thing Sam wanted to make sure to get was some good fish. Boy was he excited when he was served two monster sized fish tacos. I found other non-seafood options on the menu to enjoy! :)

The following day we headed out to meet Sam's good high school friend, Thomas, for breakfast. He picked a fun location for our meal - we ate on the patio of a restaurant that was right on Mission Beach boardwalk. I LOVED people watching while we ate. Mission boardwalk always promises some good characters.

We then were able to meet up with our friends who were in town as well and we haven't been together all summer since we've been split between Utah and Arizona! Ash and I had a good time soaking up the sun and catching up while the husbands spent all their bonding time in the water.

The day didn't stop there. We then traveled just a few beaches up and met with the whole Heyman gang at Montage. There was a lot of us! (And a even a few extras made it after this photo was taken!)

There was sand burying, building and digging. Water snorkeling, swimming, splashing and exploring while the tide was low...

And what would be a good day at the beach without a mini photo-shoot with the hubs?

PS. I didn't even ask for a kissing picture. Husband just went for the kill all on his own. So proud.

Next post, cousin's wedding day!

32 years.

I came across this gem earlier this summer while at my parent's house. It was tossed inside an old nightstand drawer which probably hadn't been opened in years. Since it seemed so randomly placed and no one was missing it, I decided the photo would now belong to me. (And I may or may not have been emotional at the time worrying about what it would be like while my parents were gone for three years and therefore felt more of a need to take this little keepsake with me).

My mother looks so radiant. My father looks so much like my little brother it scares me. They both look so young and full of life. I'm very grateful that thirty-two years ago today they were sealed as husband and wife in the Mesa Arizona temple and started a family. What a great example they have been for me.

I love you, Mom and Dad! I hope you get a moment to enjoy your special day while traveling the mission and meeting your missionaries!

4th of July

Family. Friends. Food. Fun. Fireworks. What more could you want on summer's best holiday?

This year we spent the day celebrating with the Nielsens and their good friends, the Kennedys. After eating a ton of delish food and some swimming (with an intense game of water polo), I remembered to pull out my camera. So all I captured was the home fireworks show, but what a great show it was!

We all lined up on the sport court for front row seating for the grand finale of the night's events

Bonnie and Sallee

Sammy so happy with the blow-torch in hand (thank goodness it didnt catch on to my wild mane of hair i had after swimming)

The little ones put on a good show with the sparklers and glow sticks

And there she goes...

I'm sure the neighbors didn't mind. :)

It was a great day and I am so grateful we get to celebrate this holiday. Living in a free country is a blessing and I am sure proud to be an American. Sammy found this article from President Benson about The Constitution and it was great for us to read and discuss together. I hope you can read it and enjoy as well!