The plan was to go to the beach for the weekend to visit our friend, Jared, who we met last summer during the Spanish intensive classes. He has since moved to Dominical to partner with ministries to Costa Ricans, tourists, and ex-pats that live there, and he has been asking us to come visit even since. So we finally went.
Trish, Jared, and I last July saying good-bye.
Plans never go as you think, so the first thing to go wrong was Tricia... well, got sick. Like, diarrhea sick. Yuck. There was no way we could take a three-hour bus through the mountains with Trish in that condition. So we waited it out and then went to the pharmacy, where they sell pills in only the amount you need right then. Two pills later, Trish was good to go. We made it to the station for the 4:30 bus, only to find out there was no space until 6. Soooooooooooo we got comfy on plastic chairs, borrowed someone's cell phone to call Jared to tell him we'd be late, and finally boarded the bus.
Saturday was wide open, and we had no expectations. We thought we (Jared, his roommate Chris, Chris's sister Sammie, Trish, me) were headed to the beach for a laid back day, when Jared called his friend Dan who has a jet ski. Dan and the jetski joined us, so we launched off the beach. 4 people on the jet ski, 3 people on the tube. Lots of fun. Somewhat scary, considering we were jetskiing and tubing in the ocean... with only 4 life jackets. Whoever was on the tube had a jacket, as well as the person who had to sit backwards to ''spot'' the people on the tube. Yes, Mom, I am okay!
So after the ocean jet skiing fun, we went cave exploring. The tide was high so waves were washing in and we were diving and riding the waves... until we realized waves plus caves equals really harsh bruises form cave walls. That realization made me more hesitant, but the others kept going at it for a while. Later we had a whose-bruise-is-bigger contest. I lost.
After cave-wave diving, we went to The Refuge restaurant, where Jared works 5 days a week. It's a ministry started by a family who moved down to CR just about a year and a half ago. They rent out surfboards as they are right on the beach and host church and Bible studies. Jared connected Trish and I with a free surfboard rental, so we tried and tried and tried to surf. lol, You get the idea. So we kept trying until the sun went down. I wore out quicker than Trish so then I witnessed her first stand-up on the board while I was sitting on the beach. Yay Trish! :) I never actually stood up, but I felt accomplished in saying I had tried.
Then Sunday was another adventure as we went to The Refuge church and hitched a ride with some missionaries heading to San José. We feasted at The Outback Steakhouse and stopped by the Costa Rican version of Wal Mart on the way home and finally arrived around 10pm.
All in all, a good weekend. An exhausting weekend.
I wasn't inspired to take photos... and it was impossible to take the camera with us on the jet ski on into the caves... or surfing, for that matter. Maybe next week I will be inspired while we spend Holy Week in Panama.
So I was physically exhausted this morning and then we arrive at school, only to hand our students over to substitute teachers and head to a funeral for the secretary's sister. Needless to say, it was an emotionally exhausting day. So here I am. Exhausted.