Monday, January 10, 2011

Costa Rica or Bust

This year as a special treat Robert and I decided to take our children and a few boyfriends (not mine... hehe) on a trip to Costa Rica for their Christmas gift.  I had been thinking about this idea for a long time as I find that as the children get older I want to build memories with them rather than give them a load of material things they may not remember next week.  

Here we are after a lovely family dinner.

It turns out the idea was a fabulous one and I don’t think we could have expected the joyfulness generated by spending time together as we did for eight days.  Of course I still prepared and hosted a big Christmas dinner for 15 on the 25th but we were soon packing our bags and leaving Caledon even before we could finish off the turkey leftovers.  

This was everyone’s first time in Costa Rica.  The terrain was marvelous featuring not only the Pacific Ocean, which is the coast we visited, but also stunning mountains, geography shaped by volcanoes and a few rain forests as well.  Marine life was abundant in the sparkling ocean waters including some unwelcome jellyfish which attacked relentlessly during a surfing lesson.  Bob and I escaped that unpleasantness!  

Me and Bob on an ATV. I'm driving! But we're stuck!

Although we spent a good deal of time relaxing either on the beach or poolside, we managed to play a little too.  The first adventure included driving ATV’s into the forest and then ziplining through it all the while being serenaded by howler monkeys and noisy parakeets.  If you weren’t careful you would get a nasty splatter from the monkeys.  Thankfully we were all wearing helmets.   We were never dirtier nor had we ever had so much fun!  And how delicious was that ice cold Imperial cerveza afterwards?  Perfect! 

Here we are up in the Costa Rican canopy during our ziplining adventure.

A further expedition included a boat cruise to Honeymoon Beach along with snorkeling.  Honeymoon Beach was supposed to be private, but we discovered many other couples there when our little boat arrived.  Where else are you going to go when it’s your honeymoon?  There was a lot of honeymooning too, believe me!  The snorkeling was not the best I have ever seen but we did manage to see some colorful fish, an octopus, flying sting rays, sea urchins, eels, and a sea snake.  The coral reef was pretty much absent.  But the sunset was spectacular.  

Our New Year's Day snorkeling and sunset boat cruise to Honeymoon Beach.

It is a rule for us when we travel with our children that they must always join us for dinner.  We always dress up and enjoy the whole dining experience from cocktails to appetizers to the main course.  It was wonderful to have Kiersten’s boyfriend Julian and Rachel’s boyfriend Mat along to round out the bonding.  Bob was happy to have them along for male support as most of the time he is the only man in the harem!  Julian showed us how the surfing was done – up every time!  Mat is a scratch golfer having attending school in California on a golf scholarship.  The “Elsies” Chelsea and Kelsey lived the party life enjoying the club and disco, swimming and getting noticed by many young fellows also on vacation at Paradisus.


It was a sparkly New Year's Eve filled with dancing, champagne & amazing fireworks.

As for Bob and I, we enjoyed the relaxation of the trip by spending time with each other just getting caught up. But we also worked out almost every day.  My heart is full as I realize how lucky we are to have had this time together and with our children and friends.  

Please enjoy the wonderful pictures from our trip.

Keep it tight!
Tosca

17 comments:

Tania Daly said...

Happy New Year Tosca. I always love seeing pictures of you with your family. You look very happy and radiant.

Anonymous said...

love this tosca! always dreamed of going to CR, you look great and everyone looks happy! you could not have said it any better- memories are far better than material things!

AHOACammaert said...

I am so glad to hear that you loved Costa Rica...my best friend and I head there in about 5 weeks for a yoga retreat! We are looking forward to catching up and enjoying some quiet time without our hubbies and kids. My goal is to also zip-line, however I have a huge fear of heights...so we will see! Thanks for sharing.

CarolaD said...

What a fabulous vacation and gift to yourselves and your children!

Antonietta said...

Hi Tosca,
That was so nice that Bob and you treated everyone to Costa Rica for Christmas. I always wondered and maybe you can consider this, but hosting a get-away at some exotic place like Costa Rica where you would give seminars and work out sessions with a small group at a time. We could pay a price that would include meals and room and we can pay the flight there. Something to think about because I would so be interested in joining that!
Anto
a.mannarino@hotmail.com

Jessi Nagy said...

hey doll,
aaahh what a fabulous gift to all of you.
your family is darling!
Happy New Year!
oxoxox,
Jessi

Dawn said...

Thanks for telling us all about your trip, it sounds fantastic. Nothing better than a family vacation filled with sunshine and fun activities! So glad you had a chance to relax, Tosca! Happy New Year to you and your family.

Roxie Morrow said...

What a beautiful family, thank you for sharing a piece of your life with us.
Looks like you got a lil extra sunshine Tosca.
You look amazing in that silver dress and shoes! Whoa!

Roxie-Girl

Anonymous said...

I am so glad you visit my beloved and beautiful country! I am reading (and cooking) some of the recipes in the Eat Clean cookbook and I have to say they are really good and easy to cook! but specially I got a surprise recipe on page 95 - Rice and black beans - in Costa Rica we eat the famous "Gallo Pinto" for breakfast everyday and it's very similar to your recipe. We usually eat it accompany by scramble eggs and/ or sour cream...so to make it Eat Clean, I substitute the sour cream for you "Yogurt Cheese" and it works just as well.
Cheers!

Maricela

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Really great enjoyable moments you had. You would be missed those moments. Thansk for shared those.

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It is quite entertaining and encouraging to go through all the details of experience; fun, enjoyment and the great time in Costa Rica. It is a great trip.

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That is a wonderful way to relax, recharge and rejuvenate your system after a year long busy schedules. It is also worth an opportunity to enjoy in a natural way with your family and friends.

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A trip to these natural spots would serve a number of purposes especially the health benefits. It would relax your body and mind through fun and enjoyment among friends.

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The fun, frolic, relaxing, enjoyment and of course adventurous activities a person gets on this trips is beyond measure. It is really amazing idea to go no holidaying.

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Costa Rica is a great country. I hoped that you like your stay there. It looks like you did a lot of great things there.

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