Celebrating 20 Years

On the 22nd, Jeff and I hit a major milestone in our marriage: our 20th anniversary. This momentous occasion called for a grand celebration, so we took ourselves to an all-inclusive resort in Costa Rica for a week while my amazing mom stayed with the kids and got them to all their various activities. Costa Rica was a new country for us (country 43 to be exact), and we loved it! We spent most of our time relaxing at the resort and indulging in the wonderful food and beverages, walking on the beach, watching the local wildlife, participating in included activities, and visiting the spa. On our actual anniversary, we spent the day away from the resort, hiking in the rainforest at the Rincón de la Vieja National Park, which was amazing. I am including picture collages of the highlights of each day.

Jeff and I are proud of our marriage and the life we've built together. I'm so incredibly thankful that he chose me all those years ago and that we still have forever to look forward to! 

Day One:
A pic from the plane as we approached the coast;
A welcome drink;
All the desserts;
A walk on the beach;
The first of many iguana sightings;
Sunset on Playa Conchal

Day Two:
Iguana entertainment at breakfast;
A special towel animal;
An anniversary cake delivered to our room;
The most amazing sunset of the week;
Thatch-roofed restaurant;
Celebrating a few days early

Day Three:
A sunrise walk on the beach (after ordering off the After-Midnight room service menu at 4:30);
We found a little love on the rocky end of the beach;
Restaurant floral arrangement;
Two-toned squirrel busy in the tree outside our room;
Another awesome sunset;
Our first coati spotting

Day Four:
Our first time to see a calabash tree;
Pedicures at the spa (Jeff's first, and my first at a resort);
A howler monkey making his way across the resort grounds;
Spectacular views of the golf course;
Cocktail making class;
A poisonous yellow-bellied sea snake

Day Five:
One of the huge strangler fig trees in Rincón de la Vieja National Park;
20 years of adventure;
One of many Blue Morpho butterflies;
La Cangreja waterfall was our reward for hiking through the rainforest;
Turtle towel friend;
Sushi dinner at Bamboo

Day Six:
Sushi making class;
The chocolate bomb dessert at Catalinas;
Incredible night sky;
My happy place

Day Seven:
Our last walk on the beach;
A beautiful send-off;
The rainbow was an added bonus;
Wrapping up the trip with a spa package that included a massage, reflexology treatment, and manicure;
Palm tree in paradise;
The big daddy of all iguanas. Man, he was huge!);
Costa Rican coffee class;
Crème brûlée and a "French Kiss" last hoorah

Bío-Bío and Our Last Hurrah

This morning we visited the Bío-Bío market, which was an interesting shopping adventure, as foreign markets often tend to be. It was both intensely fascinating and slightly disgusting, and we wandered around through the winding labyrinth gawking for the better part of an hour.

Bío- Bío Market

Afterwards, we headed back to the apartment to work on some laundry and to watch the World Cup game between France and Belgium.

Later, we decided to celebrate our last night in Santiago with a wonderful meal at the rooftop restaurant at the Sommelier Hotel. Every bite of every dish was absolutely wonderful! And, Clay caught the attention of last year's Miss Teen Venezuela while we were there!

Dinner at Antaño

We stopped for ice cream on our way back to our apartment and then rushed home to eat it in front of the heaters because we were so cold. I'm sure we'll find that laughable in a few days when we're roasting in the Texas heat!

Ice Cream from Mò

I can't believe our time in South America has come to an end! It has been a wonderful trip, and we have made so many fantastic memories! Thanks for following along!

Lima, Peru

We arrived in Lima around 6:30 this morning, and by the time we got out of the airport and our Uber driver arrived, we were just about smack dab in the middle of the morning rush hour. Our apartment is only 9 km (5.5 miles) from the airport, but it took us more than an hour in harrowing traffic to make our way here. But we did make it and then immediately crashed since most of us didn't get any sleep on the plane. By about 2:00, we were ready to explore. We are staying in the  Miraflores district, which is a lovely area right on the coast with a ton of parks and a wonderful malecon (walking path) that winds through many of them. There are workout stations and playgrounds sprinkled throughout, and the views are amazing! We walked and played and walked and rested and walked some more. Eventually, when we were worn out and starting to get a little hangry, we made our way to Mangos, an all-you-can-eat buffet with an expansive patio overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We enjoyed getting to try lots of local foods as well as Peru's famous Pisco Sour drink. The view, the weather, and the sunset were absolutely amazing, and we had such a wonderful time!

The Peruvians aren't messing around when it comes to produce!
The mangoes and papayas are gigantic and so good!

We loved the beautiful tile wall around Parque de Amor.

 

Parque de Amor is for lovers!

Views from the malecon

The boys insisted on stopping at every
workout station along the malecon.

Faro La Marina

We also stopped at several playgrounds.

Dinner at Mangos

Sunset over the Pacific