Life is Good

In the past three weeks I've enjoyed some much needed time off. In previous years, I have found that the best remedy for the after-season blues is to travel some where warm and sunny. This year, I found myself in the surf town of Malpais, located on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica with fellow ITA member, Zack Simons and some other friends. Now, I'm not much of a surfer but I gave it a good try until a shark was spotted on the third day! That was enough to scare me from going out in the waves. Instead, I enjoyed lounging on the beach and watching surfers from the sidelines.

Crystal and I soaking up the sun

My daily routine went a little like this: wake up, go for a little run on the beach, sip some coffee, head to the beach, seek shade by early afternoon, sip on a smoothie, head back to the beach, surf a little, enjoy the sunset, eat dinner, bed time! woa! It's surprising how a day of doing pretty much nothing can make you so tired!

A beautiful sunset!

A few mornings we were awakened to the sound of Howler Monkeys

The last few days of our trip, was spent in the central highlands of Costa Rica. When we arrived to the town of Monteverde, we were greeted with a much different climate, cold and rain. Luckly, I packed a pair of capri's and a raincoat! We enjoyed walking through the Monteverde Cloud Forest and saw several species of animals: monkeys, tarantulas, millipedes, tucans, the almost extinct quetzal, and a few other birds.

To end our trip, we went on a thrill clenching, nerve racking, extreme zipping, canopy tour. Now, there were several canopy tour companies to choose from but we picked the one with the most extreme sounding name, hence the name Extremeo Canopy Tours. This company had 14 zip lines, 1 rappel, and 1 Tarzan swing that took you through and over the canopy! The longest zip line was over 700 meters long and 500 meters high!!! I was a little scared at first, but then I decided not to think about what I was doing and just enjoy the view. To end out tour, they dropped us off a 10 meter high plank with a Tarzan rope attached and sent us flying on the rope. whew! I think that might have taken 10 years off my life.

Ready to go!

This isn't even the long one!

I am back in Sun Valley. It still feels like winter here, but I can tell that spring is just around the corner. With cooler temperatures and even some snowfall, I have been able to get out and ski, both cross-country and back-country. I took my nice, new, flip camera out for a try the other day with ITA member, Kate Whitcomb while we went back-country skiing. It was pretty fun!

Other than enjoying the outdoors, I've had a chance to help in the kids gym at the YMCA. I can't say that I work much... its more correct to say that I play in the kids gym. Kids never cease to get tired of guitar hero, the wii, or dance dance revolution. I have to say that my skills need a lot of improvement! Amongst the video games, we stay busy coloring, playing with play dough, playing board games, and climbing. There never seems to be a dull day at the kids gym. Its fun to be back and be involved with the kids at the YMCA.

For some reason, I am having troubles downloading my videos. Bummer! I will post another blog shortly with my videos.

Stay tuned!