Costa Rica

I feel like I dust this old blog off maybe twice a year for a post. My two little munchkins keep me pretty busy, and my youngest loves to bang away on my keyboard. So while they are engaged in a tea party right now, I'm going to try to pen our Costa Rica trip for you.

We've had a lot of people ask us about this trip and want to know where we stayed & what we did. This trip was fabulous, and I would actually take Anne Elise (3) back after visiting. It was fun and safe, and I think she would've enjoyed this area. The flight was also short enough for her to endure. It was also a very romantic place and would be more than amazing for a honeymoon. Our friends Martha and Eric are there now for just that reason.

So to the point (these kids are starting to get a little messy with the tea set over here). We flew into San Jose and rented a car. Make sure to also rent the navigation system. Don't be cheap about this and try to forgo this item. You WILL NEED IT! You will! Costa Rica doesn't have addresses. Seriously, these people address letters with "the yellow house on the corner next to the vacant brick building." And they give directions about the same way. So get the navigation. You can enter the name of your hotel or destination and it will give you great directions. I actually drove in this country. I think that's the first time I've driven abroad. It was really easy and safe, but be prepared to go slow. There are only 2 lane roads and no one is in a hurry. People also stroll on main highways with 6 kids in tow like they are on a walking trail.

So we drove to La Fortuna the first day. We stayed in the volcano / hot springs area known as Arenal. We stayed at Arenal Springs Resort. Another good resort in that town is Tabacon but it was booked and a bit more pricey. We went to the hanging bridges and walked the entire route, we also hiked down to the waterfall (wear a swimsuit). It was beautiful. Around the Tabacon resort, you can walk down a little hidden trail on the opposite end of the road and it will take you down to some natural hot springs a lot of the locals and hippies were visiting. It's interesting & worth the quick walk down.

PSA: Costa Rica has extremely hard mattresses. I had to get a massage at Arenal Springs Resort after a rough sleep. Just pile the pillows up or pack your own.

NEXT STOP: Jaco. Beautiful town. Here we stayed at Villa Caletas. It was gorgeous. Great view, beautiful infinity pool overlooking the ocean, great food, and even if you don't stay here, PLEASE stop by for sunset. They have a gorgeous amphitheater for viewing the sunset every night. GORGEOUS!

In Jaco, we went to Del Mar Surf Camp. I forgot the guy who owns it, but he was fabulous. He was very patient with us and has a great success rate at getting people up on their board. We had a great time with him. The water is beautiful and a perfect area for beginning surf. We also went on the Crocodile tour here. That was interesting but more of a personal preference type thing. It wasn't romantic but amusing. These guys are entertaining and fearless to say the least.

NEXT STOP: Manuel Antonia. Beautiful town! We stayed at Parador hotel. Request a room with a balcony that overlooks the ocean. We somehow lucked up and ended up with the only balcony on the entire grounds that had 2 sides for viewing both sides of the peninsula. I have no idea how we happened onto this treasure, but it was BEAUTIFUL. We also saw howler monkeys and a sloth from our room. WOW!

In Manuel Antonia, we went to the national park which was fabulous. Our guide, Manuel, was extremely informed and had a fabulous eye to spot all the animals. You wouldn't believe all the animals he spotted. Eye also had a great optic lens for us to see them with which you could put your iPhone up to and take National Geographic style photos. Seriously, these are off Arthur's iPhone. The beach inside the park is beautiful as well so pack a swimsuit if you want.

Arthur is very knowledgeable on Costa Rica, so feel free to shoot us any questions you may have. It was a great trip, and I hope all of you who have booked or planned on booking it lately enjoy it as much as we did. It's such a beautiful country, and there is so much to be enjoyed here.

Trick or Treat

I got the girls out in their costumes for a few pictures this week. Harvin isn't sure about her costume. . . . "All these feathers. . . really, mom?" I had to bribe her with candy corn to stay in it for pictures. Anne Elise on the other hand is thrilled about her costume. I have to hide it to keep her from putting it on 24/7 which would lead to a bedtime struggle of her wanting to sleep in it.

Happy Halloween from the Wood Crew! 

Jack + Courtney / Wedding Candids

Well ladies..... sad news: Only one Wood boy left for the taking! Uncle Jack is officially off the market.  I have to admit Aunt Courtney and I are 2 lucky ladies.

We had a great time celebrating with Uncle Jack and Aunt Courtney on their special day. She was a stunning bride, and our crew had a fun time. Between getting ready, rehearsals, hair, make-up, wrangling the cutest flower girl, and the most handsome groomsman, I had to take a few candids of the fun the girls were having at the bed and breakfast. Courtney's family made the long haul from Texas with 8 (maybe more) kids all under 5 (I think) in tow. They were troopers! It was so nice getting to meet all the Texas crew, and I hope they all come back soon. It was so easy for my crew to fall in love with Aunt Courtney, and now we see where she gets it from.

The wedding was beautiful. I can't wait to see all the pictures Ms. Sharon Ezell captured. She did a fantastic job, and wrangled the Wood crew like a pro. I think she's dealt with this bunch a time or 2 before. After their sweet ceremony, we all filled up on some fantastic food, and all the nieces and nephews tore up the dance floor.

Congrats guys! We love you.

Tri 4 Life - Sprint Triathlon

The last 6 weeks, I have been training for the Tri4Life triathlon. This morning, I did it! My first one. And hopefully not my last. This was a really fun experience, and I'm really glad I did it.

It was supposed to be a 1/3 mile swim; however, I forgot to set my Garmin until about 20 strokes into the swim. When I hit land, the Garmin said .55 miles. It definitely was longer than a 1/3 mile. Whew! And the reservoir was VERY choppy making the swim a little more difficult. But even with the obstacles, this was still probably my favorite part. I've really enjoyed the swimming.

The bike. . . hmm. . . not my favorite. I got passed. . . A LOT! Not knowing how into this I was going to get, I opted to purchase a hybrid fitness bike which isn't quite a road bike. I really didn't want to blow a ton of money on a pricey road bike if this was going to be another one and done style hobby (yeah, I've had a lot of those). So needless to say, it took a lot of effort to keep from being dead last. But I was fairly close to the end and had a pretty rough bike time. It was a 16 mile bike, but surprisingly it went by fast.

The run. . .it went well. I finally got to pass a few of those peeps that whizzed by me on their bikes. And this is where a lot of people started struggling. But, I felt like the run was pretty easy, and I finished it with a really good time.

Anyways, I'm so thankful for all my friends and family that helped me out with this. So many people gave me advice, showed me how to swim, went on long swims with me, kayaked the lake while I swam, ran with me, loaned me gadgets and equipment, and so much more. My sweet husband has been so supportive and surprised me before race day with a garmin watch (which was VERY helpful during the race). My sweet girls have endured 1-2 hours everyday of childcare, babysitters, daddy, etc while I trained for the last 6 weeks. They've even patiently sat in our jogging stroller while I ran them all over the neighborhood. And my snapchat friends have also endured picture after picture of my endless training photos. Thanks everyone! I had a great time.

Sorry, no pictures of the swim. My crew didn't make it out that early to see that part. I can't say I blame them. 5 am came early this morning.