San Jose on Thursday

We left for San Jose around 8:45 on Thursday morning. We did most of our packing that morning, and since we already packed light for this trip to Costa Rica, packing for our family from our luggage here was quick and easy: "Kids, get your swimsuit, flip-flops, 2 underwear, 2 shirts, one short." Plus diapers for Lily. Done. Corey and I pack, we load up 3 loaves of bread and pb&j, oranges, apples, some dried fruit and nuts and we're good to go. We had one stop for gas after about 2 1/2 hours, then drove another hour and a half. Our first stop was Denny's -

We all enjoyed food from home - pancakes, sausage, eggs, french fries, and macaroni & cheese. Good stuff. We also had lots of heads turn as people saw and then seemed to be counting how many kids were walking in a line to our table. This Denny's is right across the street from the Holiday Inn Express at the airport where Corey, Ethan, Hyrum, and Wesley stayed for two nights after they arrived in Costa Rica in September. Room # 147, oh the memories! Ethan felt like he traveled back in time going back there - Only been 2 months, but seems like a lifetime ago!

We took a tour of the rest of the Inn, then got ourselves locked outside by the pool with no key. A security guard came over and we told him we weren't currently staying at the Hotel, but Corey had stayed there a few weeks ago and was just showing his family where he stayed. I think he trusted us, but he wouldn't let us back into the motel and we were shown the back exit...


See the big arrow in the background? Gotta follow where that leads.

Corey and I laughed and he said "I'm glad they take such pride in their work. Cause there's no sense being a security guard if you're not going to take your job seriously. Plus, there are all sorts of crazy couples with lots of kids trying to break into motels these days!"

"We've been ratted out, boys" Get those hands in the air! We've learned our lesson. No more sneaking around motels without a room key.

Back into the car, then off a little further to find the Marriott. A bit of advice - do not listen to directions from the cashier guy at Denny's. He told us not to take the freeway. We probably spent an hour driving around lost - we went toward San Jose and drove lost around Heredia, then back tracked our steps and stopped three times to ask people on the street and restaurant owners if they knew the way.

Finally we found it, and it was worth the wait. Thank you so much, Wayne and JeNeal, it was a beautiful place to stay. A beautiful view from our 6th story window. Of course, for a good chunk of the time, instead of enjoying the grounds we and the kids were taking a break and found ourselves doing this:

The hotel architecture was beautiful - the tile hallways were open to the outside, so there was a beautiful breeze as you walked around in the building.

The view from our other small balcony

There was hardly anyone there, we had all three pools to ourselves during most all of our stay. It was just beautiful. We wished all of you could have been teleported to be there with us. :)

Your Typical Family Soccer Game

So - We went to San Jose.

And we stayed at the Marriott in San Jose (Thank you W&J!!)

And there is a little soccer field at the Marriott in San Jose.
And there was a family that went to the soccer field at the Marriott in San Jose.

And there were lots of crying kids in the family that went to the soccer field at the Marriott in San Jose.

There was crying Lily...

There was wailing Abi...

There was whining Wesley...

There was pouting Hyrum....

There was moping Ethan....

Merry Melodie and Jovial Joseph were also there. They are invited to come to the soccer field at the Marriott in San Jose again. - (Nice shot Mel, good save Joe!)

(Lily, the little Goalie)

Corey didn't cry either, he kept the game going despite both teams falling apart. And Mom was laughing as she took pictures of all the crying kids. In your head or imagination is the way that you think you're family will play soccer together - oh this will be so fun, we can all play and have a good time! And then there is the reality of how your family will play soccer. At least it will probably be reality for another 9 or 10 years until they are all as old as Melodie and Joseph who know that "there's no crying in soccer" - atleast that's the new rule we've decided to enforce. No crying! Waaaa!!!

Oh well. :)

Abi, fed up with all of us - "I'm outta here!"

Last Week: Monday - Wednesday

Woah, I haven't posted for a week, sorry! That went by a little too quickly. Actually every week of October and November have been flying by. Ok, so here's what's up. Although now that I sit down to type, I feel like I don't know how to put everything in coherent form. But I'll try.

So, Monday last week we hung around the house. We were supposed to have the missionaries over for FHE with a family that is getting married and baptized, but they called and postponed till Tuesday, but since I thought that was coming I didn't feel up to going out and doing anything and we just chilled at home and I cleaned and stuff.

Tuesday - Corey worked during the day, Shirley called to say she'd come tomorrow, so no maid again which was good cause I was in the mood to not have her come, so we read books and played and the kids swam. Around 3:00 Corey went surfing - on his list of to-dos before Chile. He took Joe, Mel, and Ethan with him and I took the other kids to the store for a few groceries to stock up for our weekend trip to San Jose.

Corey came home from surfing with a lady from Nicaragua and her 12 year old daughter and 6 year old son who had been hitchhiking. He went to the store to buy food for dinner for them and us. He left them in the car with the kids while he just ran into the store. When he came back it hit him how bad they smelled and it was obvious they needed a shower. They had been walking for 9 days - they were walking from Nicaragua to Panama. Her husband had died 10 days previously and buying his burial box took the last of her money, so she was leaving to be with family in Panama. They asked Corey if he could help, so after bringing them home for dinner and a shower, he took them to Santa Cruz and gave them money to buy one way bus tickets to Panama. (Just in case ever runs for political office, don't tell anyone he aided and abetted illegal aliens! :) and I guess I should delete this part from the blog too, huh!)

He took them to Santa Cruz cause he was going there to pick up Brenda, Jose, their 3 kids, and the missionaries. He dropped them off at the house of Brenda and Jose, sending them off with some money to buy bus tickets to Panama. Then he brought them to our house - that's 5 adults and 3 kids in a 5 passenger car. Yes, they were very squished in there but all arrived safely for a FHE.

(with Elder Martinez)

So, then on Wednesday, Shirley came and made us lunch, I took her home and we said goodbye cause we were leaving to San Jose the next day, and then Corey might be leaving next week and I was going to have a young married couple from the branch stay here with me if that happened, so then I came home, we packed for San Jose, and that was Monday through Wednesday last week...

Then Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were busy busy... coming up next!

More Precious Than Gold

Isaiah 13:12 - "I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. "

On days like today, Corey leaves me feeling in awe. He's pretty remarkable. He worked much during the day, and after his brain had had enough of the intense exercises to which it is constantly subjected, he went wanted to go surfing. It's on his list of things to do before he leaves Costa Rica. So he went to Tamarindo. He took Joe, Mel, and Ethan with him. He came home at dark bringing along with him a humble woman from Nicaragua and her 12 year old daughter and 6 year old son. Her husband died 10 days ago, and they have been walking from Nicaragua on their way to Panama. Walking. They've been traveling for 9 days so far. He picked them up hitch-hiking (which both of us do regularly if the Spirit gives the okay - I'm never afraid to pick up ladies. I've picked up a guy once cause I felt okay about it. Corey frequently comes home and tells me what the person he gave a ride to today had to say. Anyway...) As he gave them a ride they told him of their plight and said "We don't know what we're going to do!" as a way of asking for help, then the daughter more directly asked "Will you help us?" And of course he was going to. He picked up dinner and invited them to eat with us, shower, we gave them a bag of clothes for the boy, some for them, and other odds and ends things that I thought they could use - scissors, pen, paper, crayons, and a Book of Mormon. After eating, Corey took them on to Santa Cruz where he was going to pick up the missionaries and a sweet family that is getting baptized on Sunday. Jose, Brenda, Rosa, Justin, and Cassandra. He has so much work that he needs to do, but always makes time for me, for the Church, and for others. He's always up and doing, anxious to bless and serve. I know that he will continue to be charitable and giving when he's got million$ cause he does it now when he doesn't have much to work with. The righteous desires of his heart will be heard. I know that the Lord trusts him. Corey is so good. I feel so lucky that God gave him to me. I'm excited for us to go on missions together when we're older and for this time we have now with little ones in tow. Corey is such a great Dad too. He really amazes me in so many ways. I love you Corey - so grateful you are mine and I thank the Lord for hearing and answering my prayers to have you in my life.

Saturday Outing

On Saturday we decided to go to the Monkey Park Foundation. It was a short drive there. I had called beforehand to see how much the entrance cost was but no one answered, so after driving there they told us it was $10 a person, including children except Lily, so it would have been $80 to walk around a small zoo of monkeys that had a butterfly garden too. I could have been persuaded I think, but Corey talked to the lady and she wouldn't budge on price, so he said it was not worth it and we left. What to do? Let's go to Brasilito for lunch at Victor's restaurant (he's a member). We waited at the beach while he cooked up our burgers and fries.

I've loved watching Melodie the past few days - she'll take Abi and Lily and go outside and they'll watch the ants. Melodie squats down, then Abi and Lily join her. And I just love to see toddlers squat - maybe it looks so cute cause their legs are so short? Lily can just pop up and down so easily, and her legs seem to disappear sometimes. Anyway, I love it, so when we were at the beach and Mel had called her little sisters over to see a hermit crab, it was a perfect time for a snapshot of my girls.

Then she joined the older kids who were being Monkees as they played with the approaching waves -

Ruuunnn!!

Lily liked this dog. I liked it too. I liked his USA bandana. I wonder if he has dreams of living in the promised land. I don't think he'll make it, but hold on to your dreams, dog. It would be worth it if you made it there. I love and miss the blessed US of A. It really is an amazing country.

Hooray for Laundry Night

The Royal and Meyers families came over Thursday night to dry their laundry, cause they have a washer but no dryer, and it's been so rainy that nothing could possibly line dry, although the sun did peek out on Costa Rica today. Hooray for a dryer, for warm water and clean clothes! Boo to moldy smells and stains. We will eliminate you!

So, the kids had fun swimming and playing.

Banging pots and pans

done with dinner

watching tv

(sorry I don't know hardly anyone's names still!)


Sitting on a couch full of warm clean blankets and clothes

We all enjoyed rice and beans plus a nice BBQ roast dinner - Hooray for PriceSmart in San Jose, big jars of peanut butter, and soy protein powder! But no hoorays for the police "Fuerza Publica" that pulled them over twice on the road for a bunch of non violations, $4000 worth the officers said - Booo! Can we say corrupt? Yes.

Back to last night - we mothers visited, cleaned, and got online - hooray for downloading General Conference and facebook posts and phone calls to family.

When you read their wall posts, you can imagine this on the other side. We'll try to get a picture of them using the computer at the office too. Such lovely smiles, and Michael is a cutie too. So while the mother's spent time online, we waited for laundry to dry, the kids took turns taking showers and baths.

All clean!

There wasn't anything good on tv for the kids to watch until 8:00, so they had pillow fights upstairs and enjoying outnumbering the adults big time, then we were grateful to find Horton Hears a Who in Spanish on tv. Here's how they all looked near the beginning of the show, sitting up and alert...

then after an hour...

getting tired... by the time it was over and the laundry was done, and they were o-u-t - OUT.

And this one was our favorite...

That's Molly there in the red shirt. Now you'd think that if someone saw someone in an uncomfortable position like that, with their face shoved into the floor and all, that that someone would hurry up and help them out, right? Nope, not a mother... I had to go get a camera first! Then I still didn't help her, cause I had to run and get all the other mom's and big brothers to come see - so funny!

Now that is tired.

11:00 p.m., the husbands called checking to make sure their loved ones were still alive. Alive and breathing, but most were dead asleep. Loading the dead bodies into the van. Leah was so tired and wanted someone to hold her, and I felt so special that she let me hold her and snuggled up on my shoulder. What a cutie.

Drive safely! They had an hour drive to Nicoya, plus a van to unload when they arrived, hope they got to bed before 1. We didn't get any phone calls here this morning from worried husbands, so we're assuming they made it home okay. It was fun to see you all, and we'll see you again soon!

Strike the Bell?

So Corey hasn't pushed the go button yet on this opportunity in Chile, but I'm 100% positive it will happen, mostly because he'd go crazy wondering "what if" for the rest of his life if he passed it up. As written by CS Lews in the Magician's Nephew...

Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger,
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.

I'll let you know when he pushes go and what the plan of attack is!

Something New

Well, at 3:00 today Corey got an email from StartUp Chile. The conversation went as follows. 

Me (in the kitchen making a bad version of tortillas): la de da 

Corey from the other room: Well, I heard back from Chile... 

Me: ...and? 

Corey: aaaand.... (brief pause) they said yes! 

Me: That's great! 

Corey (still reading the email): ...but I gotta be in the country by November 25th... 

Me (walk over to where I can see him and stare at him with a confused look of "What?!?" and "is this something you knew when you applied?" and "That is really quick and totally screws up a lot of stuff!") 

Corey (looking at me with a sheepish grin and innocent eyes briefly then throwing up his hands as if saying so sue me as he adds ... "I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO READ THE FINE PRINT!!!!" (see his "I'd like" wishes near Lily's picture below). Then standing up he walked to me and said with hope for the future in his eyes, "I won somethin'! 

And I admit, it's been hard for him to get stuff done here at home, which is why we both wish he had an office to escape to. October 18th was the day he made his video and completed the application. I tried really really hard to not enter the bedroom (even though I did want to go brush my teeth a few times and get my camera and other things) and I'm proud to say he had a full day with many hours of uninterrupted time. He had a 10 minute interview on Friday, the 22nd, which was also the day they announced on their blog that the 2010 application process was officially closed. He had an interview the following Wednesday the 26th, then my excitement for the opportunity has gone down during the waiting game (I don't do good at waiting to make plans, drives my stress levels up way high and fast). So anyway, there's something new. Tonight we were up in the bedroom trying to get the kids to calm down and go to sleep, and had talked a little about going to Chile when Joseph volunteered, "I'd like to go back to Utah first and see friends before we go..." then Ethan interrupted "I'd like to have another cookie..." then Corey interrupted "I'd like to never have to work again and have someone come and clip my toe nails when they get too long!" then looking out on the room of noisy kids laughing and talking he yelled "Anyone else have any requests?!?" Then he was on roll shouting out to the universe... "I'd like to have a clean house! I'd like to be able to sit at my computer without being interrupted with stupid questions about if they can have something to eat! I'd like Lily to never touch my computer again! I'd like to be able to go into the kitchen for a snack without turning around to find 5 kids standing there asking me if they can have some!!!"

The face of a trouble maker!

I was totally laughing.

It was good to have a laugh, cause I've been murmuring a little about this possibility. I was excited 2 weeks ago, it calmed down, then when we still didn't know yay or nay last week on Friday and I knew we were gonna have to wait through the weekend for news, then still no news on Monday! Boo on you! The waiting game kills me! So now I have to be persuaded by logic. But then to hear Corey's gotta be there in 3 weeks? I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by that, the logistics of it all. Should we all go down in 3 weeks, or does he go down solo and then come back and help us all go in December? I don't want to stay here by myself, but I guess I could fit all 7 kids in the car when I go for groceries? Does not sound fun. Plus I was planning on be going back to the US first and don't feel ready for 6 months in Chile!!!! So that's me in my panic mode or murmur mode. Blah blah this is too hard I miss Jerusalem!! Why are we doing this again? (see verse 11). I'm so much more of a Laman than a Nephi. I think the point is knowing what the Lord wants us to do. So we'll be fasting for that this Sunday. I feel like I have a hard time knowing His will sometimes, so I go along and end up complaining during the process. I need some revelation help, please! Corey says I'm impulsive, he is calculating. Ok, I'm done. Time to go look up airfare possibilities and see what prices out there are like. Yike

Nothing New

Hey there. Nothing to report, just rain right now. Maybe the final deluge is here. Stayed home yesterday and today. Had some visitors from the ward yesterday, Yesenia and Henry. Nice people. They were here with Corey and Shirley planning a wedding for a sweet couple from Nicaragua that are getting baptized after they're married. :) That will be on Saturday Nov 13th, I'm making 100+ cookies and 100+ brownies. Should be fun! Yesenia said people come ready to pig out, "Se creen Tongans" which made Corey laugh as she told us the horror from a ward Christmas dinner in 2009 - mistakes not to be repeated. aka - no buffet style, we will dish up their plates, only one plate to each person.

Today the kids played legos and made paper houses for them on the table. I took pictures but am too lacking effort to post them right now. I have energy for it, just no desire. sorry. I'm posting these which were before the rain came and cleaned our roof and sent all the dirt into the pool - we woke up today and you can't see the bottom anymore, the stairs sink into a dark unseen abyss. So back when the pool was clean on Saturday, Corey took a break and went swimming with the kids. He had me laughing so hard when he came outside in my swimming suit only up to his waist so it looked like a speedo and with goggles on saying "Someone stole my swimming suit!" I was wearing his shorts and a sports bra, cause I just hate trying to wriggle into that leotard thing every time, so I usually don't. So when he came out to join us he had wriggled into it plus was wearing his swim goggles, he looked like a wanna be Olympic swimmer standing there, I was laughing so hard! He let me take a picture of him inside before we switched suits, but he said I couldn't post it so I promised not to, but I needed the picture to help me laugh if I ever need a good laugh, so funny.

While swimming, somehow he got Abi's floatie on, but then it was stuck, so he kept trying to dive in to get it to float off. He had us all laughing.

Funny husband.

These pictures aren't uploading, The power went out tonight for a while, I think the internet is having issues. I'll try to get them on tomorrow...