What a weekend it has been! As I write this, I am officially in the "30's Club!!" Yesterday was my 30th birthday and we celebrated all weekend with several different groups of our friends and Costa Rican family.
I'll post more pictures of each day in spearate posts as I have time this week...but here is an overview.
Saturday, Matt and the kids and I along with our friend Ale, took off for Playa Hermosa. We had the use of a car, so we drove the two hours it took to get to the Pacific Coast beach. It was a fairly easy trip.
Once there, we unloaded the car and lathered everyone up with sunscreen. The surf was pretty rough and the riptide was strong, so we had to be careful and the kids couldn't get in to far. This is a well-known surfing beach, so we expected this, but it was a beach and we were happy to be there.
The kids spent all day playing in the sand and running in the water. We collected a bucket full of shells and pretty rocks. The kids found tons of crabs that they kept for pets for the day.
It was such a great day! I even had the chance to lay and read for awhile. It was very relaxing and a nice way to spend the day together.
Sunday we went to church as usual. Matt and the kids and I have been spending a few hours each Sunday afternoon with Pastor Rogelio and his family and sharing lunch together for several weeks now. We really enjoy this time together. This Sunday. they had planned a surprise party for me. I walked in their house to a Happy Birthday sign and decorations everywhere and a beautiful cake. It was a wonderful afternoon and a very special time for me. I unfortunately had forgotten my camera, so I have no pictures of the day...
That evening, we ate dinner with Mark and Meg, Marianna and Valeria. Meg had gotten a super yummy chocolate cake from Fresas (this great little restauraunt here and everyone loves the cakes!!!) After supper, we headed outside for the event Ethan has been waiting about a year for- getting to crack eggs on my head! It is the Costa Rican tradition to receive an egg cracked on your head for each year you have been alive. Thankfully, I didn't get 30, but Ethan got me at least three times! It was a messy thing to clean up- but it really was fun!
Yesterday, we headed out on the bus with two other families to Parque Diversiones, a scaled down version of Six Flags America amusement park. This outing was in celbration of Isabelle's birthday and her friend Ally- who shares the same birthday with Isabelle. It was a great day and all of us had a great time! We caught the bus about 8 am and got home around 6pm. It was a long day, but really fun!
When we got home, our friend Ale was waiting for us with dinner ready! She had cooked a traditional Costa Rican Semana Santa (Holy Week) meal for us (sorry, I can't remember the naem right now...) It was DELICIOUS!!! Our neighbors and friends from school, Jake and Amy came over for supper as well. And then, about 6:45 or so, I heard something outside. I peeked out the window and saw a bunch of people getting out of a van. I thought "What is going on?" Matt had enlisted the help of Ale and arranged singing Mariachi's to serendae me for my birthday. This is traditional way to celebrate a person's birthday here. It was fantastic! They were great and it was a wonderful way to be surprised!
I had wondered what it would feel like to be leaving my twenties and entering my thirties...I can honestly say this has been one of the best birthdays of my life! It will always be hard to be away from family and close friends in times of celebration like this, but we praise the Lord for giving us our Costa Rican family and close friends here.
Our Vonage phone has been out for close to a week now so I wasn't able to talk with my mom or dad of the rest of my family and friends...but hopefully we'll be able to get it fixed soon...
Until then, enjoy the photos in the next few posts!
Just a glimpse into our lives following JESUS as He leads us to serve Him in the nations. Thanks for stopping by!
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