pura vida!

today was a chill day. the girls woke up at the crack of dawn (as usual) and wanted to go swim. they spent about three hours in the pool this morning, then we ate our simple breakfast of toast, fresh watermelon and pineapple out in the sunshine.

after spending half the morning outside swimming and eating, we came inside and the girls spent some time coloring and watching the disney channel en español. we don't have cable at home, so it was a treat for them to watch a few shows. the girls are doing really well using their spanish; ama has been collecting colones, the local currency, just so she can barter with vendors!

later, we decided to go into town to explore. it's super hot here and the girls could not resist putting their feet in the ocean at the edge of town. we spent some time playing at the beach, eating over-priced snow cones and typical costa rican meals. we ended up walking past a little shop that had a couple of rides in it- you know the ones you see outside of the grocery store- they decided that they could spare some their colones to take a few spins.

after that, we came back the the apartment and the girls decided to take one last dip in the pool for the night...in their undies of course! ;)

we've got some exciting plans for the next few days...i can't wait to share them with you!

¡hasta pronto!

costa rica!

my frozen princesses only days ago in MN

hello, blog, we haven't spoken in awhile. there's really so much to say and catch up on, but i'd rather talk about costa rica! 

yes, we are in costa rica! it's been a long, harsh winter in minnesota, and i swear that bloody polar vortex was getting the best of me- we were in desperate need of some sunshine! 

not only were were in need of the sun's rays beating against our skin, we were in dire straits for a stamp in our passports! 2013 marked the only year since 2001, that i had't left the country at least once. i know, you're all pulling out your violins and lamenting with me. i'm over the distress of it all, and keep moving forward in my wanderlust. 

i've been to costa rica once before in 2007. this is jossue and the girls first time here and they are loving it! costa rica marks ama's sixteenth country to visit and lili's thirteenth! it's insane. my original goal was to try to take them to a different country at least once a year until their 18th birthdays, that way they would have visited eighteen counties by then. i would have NEVER guessed that we would potentially reach this goal well before their tenth birthdays. and i could have only dreamed of destinations like thailand, malaysia, iceland and laos, never thinking that we would actually have the opportunity to see these places. 

if you could only see the trips i've been dreaming up in my heart as of late... i'm not sure how they could actually be possible, but all things are possible to those who believe, right? ;)

one day soon i'm going to share my "traveling on a budget" tips; one of the top questions i get concerning our travels is, "how do you do it?"...very cheap is the answer. obviously, jossue's job is a HUGE asset for us, and i can pull a deal out of the sky! our nicely furnished apartment with two bathrooms and a pool outside -wonderful neighbors were also included- was only $250 for the entire week. and this is  high season in costa rica; i could have gotten it even cheaper if it wasn't peak travel season... again, i'll share my secrets and travel philosophies another time. 

we've been having a great time! we've already met tons of sweet people, and ama even commented that we always meet the nicest people when we travel. the girls have had a blast swimming in the pool with papi every morning, exploring the town and enjoying the beach. we've even been able to eat breakfast outside by the pool every morning- it's been great. 

i already have so many stories to share, but i'll let the photos speak louder than words for this post. 

we have five days left here, so stay tuned!