Andres comes to Costa Rica

My best friend/boy friend came to visit me in Costa Rica for 2 weeks and what a GIFT it was! At the end of every day I just sat back and thought, seriously God is so generous to give us this time together! We had such a blast as we adventured Costa Rica in San Jose and Montezuma beach, visited with all my close friends and host family and hung out with students at WyldLife and the Ladies Valentine Tea Fundraiser.

here are some highlights and gifts from our time together...

 thankful for our sound tech at the Valentine's Tea event (andres!)

thankful for a crew of 7 middle school boys who came to serve the ladies! here they are learning how to pour the pitchers with Alex :)
 side note: we raised more than our goal at the Tea! we had a great turn out and it was a beautiful event! i had the privilege to help organize it with Ali. thanks to all who attended and donated!!!

thankful for Feb. 12th, Andres' 25th birthday, when we traveled to Montezuma, Costa Rica located on the peninsula. We traveled by bus including an hour long ferry ride with stunning views!

 thankful for this yummy bday dinner after a fun day playing in the sea. we even shared a piece of chocolate cake and watched the Grammys on a big screen at the restaurant!

thankful for the amazing hostel we stayed at, Luz en el Cielo, and all the interesting and fun people we met and stayed with! I recommend it to anyone going to Montezuma. Pictured above is a howler monkey outside the balcony with a baby on its back. These things are LOUD in the mornings!


thankful for this epic Valentine's Day...

 i overflow with gratitude for the sweet valentine God has gifted me with!

thankful for this fun day tour we took to the beautiful Tortuga Island (it gets its name because its supposedly shaped like a turtle ["tortuga" in spanish!], there are no turtles..). we rode a boat, snorkeled and swam with fish, had lunch on the beach with our group and hung out on the island for a couple hours. not too shabby!

 thankful to have had the opportunity to see a Saprissa soccer game in the National Stadium and spend time with my close friends in the Rica!

so thankful for all the time we got to spend with my closest friends and family from my life here. Andres also was a guest speaker at one of the best WyldLife clubs in my experience doing ministry. everyone, including him, was so blessed by this opportunity! i don't have pictures of all the places we went with all the lovely people we spent time with, but i assure you that every day was full of fun, great conversations, adventure and just normal life (Costa Rica style) stuff.

some of the many gifts i recorded....

1086. singing in the shower, loving being in Latin America

1093. fresh flowers in my room from Dina

1099. walking hand in hand down Costa Rica streets

1105. full breakfast at hostel with people from all around the world

1107. waking up to howler monkeys

1110. my first cup of straight black coffee

1115. playing in the ocean. no fear of the "red tide"

1116. sitting in silence on the shore side by side

1119. joy and thanks that brings tears

1125. a day to celebrate love

1126. sunrise on the beach with my Valentine

1132. tight grip of his hand as we stand near edge of waterfall cliff

1135. wet clothes hanging all around hostel- sign of a fun day

1140. unexpected routes and adventure

1144. sunlight hits the tree with such beauty

1145. he spots VFGs in nature

1154. best gelato in the world in Montezuma..who knew?

1159. bug nets over our bunk beds, princess style

1168. when scripture just clicks for your talk

1177. sleeping in a queen size bed with a fan

1188. a missed flight- grace and gifts abound

1200. sunlight beaming on the mountain and we are taken back by the beauty

~N