Whale Watching and Surf lessons - Pura Vida!!!

FIRST OFF I AM LOVING ALL THIS BRITNEY SPEARS NEWS!!!!!....but this post was scheduled and in the que....Costa Rica Part 2!!

We loved the Arenal region, and we loved our hotel even more. The staff was amazing, the volcano was gorgeous (you can read about it here) and the rainforest felt relaxing and exotic all at the same time. We were sad to leave, and didn't think there was any way we could top those three days.

Wellll. Costa Rica had a few tricks up its sleeve. So off to our second city, Manuel Antonio we went. 

But first, another crazy drive. This drive took around 5 hours (shout out to Costa Rica ride! They were amazing). And this time, I had Dramamine. Thank god. I resisted, like the stubborn person I am, since Dramamine makes you sleepy. And who wants to fall asleep on vacay?!? Not me!! But after feeling like I was gasping for air and spinning in circles, we took a break and I ate half a pill. 

Then we took our second break. We stopped at the usual souvenir shop: 

Then our ride told us to walk across the bridge, but don't try to swim. 

And HOLY moly. This was what we were staring at: 

This should have been an indication.... We were headed to a real-life zoo.  Without cages. Seriously y'all! And our travel agent picked this city and hotel, so I was pretty blind going into it! 

We finally get to our hotel, Arenas Del Mar, and we took this long little road to the Eco-resort. This resort appealed to me, because it was where the rainforest meets the beach. I wanted a full week of rainforest :) The views were spectacular. And unlike our first hotel, the foliage was overgrown and just, well, wild. No perfectly manicured gardens at this place.
 

^this picture was taken from the hotel "lobby" - a completely open air restaurant next to the concierge. UM, PARADISE FOUND^

^This picture was taken from our Catamaran cruise- but it gives you some perspective as to where the hotel was located^ 

 We kept saying we felt like we were shipwrecked on some deserted tropical island. It definitely took a few hours to get used to. And then, we planned our activities - and I stacked those suckers. Back-to-back stuff!! 

First up on day 2 in Manuel Antonio: A catamaran cruise to whale watch. We were told we had a 95% chance of seeing them since it was whale season in Costa Rica.  Sold. This has been on my bucket list for forever, and I for sure had no idea it was going to be possible on this trip. And we found them! I was like a little 5-year-old shrieking all over the boat every time we saw one. I was in total awe of these creatures. 

^ a mama whale and her baby ^

^ as close as my zoom lenses would take me^

^every time we spotted the spray, everyone would gasp with excitement. We think we saw three whales total, but it's hard to say^ 

Then, surfing lessons! No rest on vacation! This was one of the activities The Hubs was super excited about. Surfing is hard stuff!! 

 

 What was crazy was that it started storming while we were surfing! We finally called it quits around 4:30 p.m., and retreated from what had been one of best days yet.

I shall return with a post on our last day. I planned to only write two posts, but these posts are becoming way too long for my taste. Hasta mañana! 

Tessy

Costa Rica - part uno

Ahhh yes. Finally. Time to sit down and write an ol' blog post. I've folded two loads of laundry so I feel like I've earned it! Which, how high this blog sits on the priority list is another story for another time; but generally, if I'm feeling behind in life, I don't blog.

Another weekend has come to an end, and it was a good one. I love the busy pace of fall, even though it is still scorching hot here in Houston. No hot pumpkin spice lattes for this girl yet - we are just gonna have to wait for the weather to cooperate. I'm a diehard iced coffee girl anyway :)

So before I forget, I want to tell you all about our trip to Costa Rica. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen - and we both left so incredibly happy with our choice. It's taken us a couple trips, but we've realized that we don't enjoy a vacation with too much downtime. Me especially. I'm kind of an adrenaline junkie, while my husband is a nature lover. Matt suggested Costa Rica, and I have an extreme fear of bugs that was making me very hesitant. But after some research into all the adventureous activities, I realized a trip to the rainforest was the perfect compromise for us! The options were seriously endless with zip lining, walking tours through the rain forest, hikes to volcanoes, surf lessons, national park tours filled with wildlife, and white water rafting at the top of our list. 

after two weeks of practically living on tripadvisor (they even have an app!) and talking to this travel agency in Costa Rica - we finally agreed! We were headed to Two locations in Costa Rica for our 2013 vacation and sorta-of-delayed anniversary trip. You can find details of booking the trip at the bottom of this post. 

First off - the drives in the country are a sight to see themselves. Once you are 20 minutes from the airport - you are staring at mountains and green grass for miles. Coffee, sugar cane, and indoor plant farms are EVERYWHERE. I really could have used some Dramamine on the first ride. But here are some pictures of the first car ride. 

After 3 hours of bumpy driving - We arrived at our first location: the Arenal region, in a town called La Fortuna. The main attraction in this region Is the Arenal volcano, which has been dormant for two years. It first blew sometime in the 60's, and experts say it may become active again in 100 years. The volcano is also what warms up the natural springs - which we never tested out because we ran out of time! 

Most hotels in the area have a view like this:

Or on a gloomy day, this view: 

Every day was kind of a toss up, and everyone wants to get that one view of the tip in broad day light sans clouds. We finally saw it clearly on our last day, lava steam and all :) 

We had no idea our first hotel, Nayara Spa and Gardens, was a big honeymoon destination. Which we found a little funny, but we met a bunch of brand new couples. I know every hotel has some kind of ranking, but just to throw it out there.. It's supposedly one of  top 5 most romantic hotels in the world, and rated one of the best hotels in Central America. Needless to say, I was most excited about our first stop, and hardly researched our second hotel and location. Here are some pics of Nayara: 

Each room was a private 'casita,' with a indoor and outdoor shower (see below). My favorite was the jacuzzi on your patio. It was so relaxing to sit on the patio and listen to the rain.

^lobby^

^patio^

^jacuzzi on the patio^

^pool with volcano view^

^outdoor shower^ 

We loved Nayara so much, and I would definitely recommend this hotel. I wish we had more time at this spot.  Our last day we didn't participate in activities because we felt guilty leaving  and not fully enjoying the hotel grounds. 

Now the activities portion of this area - I think you'll be happy with any activity you pick here. It was just so hard to pick and squeeze it all in!! We went zip lining at a place called "sky trek." 

And then a walking bridges tour called "sky walk," which was a three mile walk through the rain forest. You walk over bridges like this: 

This tour was definitely a favorite of the trip. Finding waterfalls was super exciting, and I can't wait to find some more around the world! 

Excuse my drowned rat look, but I just couldn't resist this funny pic! 

*********************************************************************************

1. I booked our flights, but used the travel agency for hotel reservations and all transportation. We did not want to rent a car once we got there. Roads inside the country are notoriously windy, bumpy, and improperly marked. 

2. We booked all of our excursions through the hotel. We couldn't pick from the Internet, and wanted to see how the weather would play out. 

3. Take Dramamine if you get car sick easily. 

4. Most activities in CR are in the morning. So driving days feel kinda wasted. We stayed 3 nights here and didn't feel we had enough time. 

And that's all I could think of for now! 

Toddles and happy Monday. 

Tessy. 

Back to reality today...

So, we are most definitely back from THE MOST (no, seriously) amazing. vacation. EVER.

 

I am just trying to ease back into regular ol' life. We had such a good time being off, but it came to an end today. I came back to work, and Matthew started his first day at his new job. Well, his job isn't scary new, because he is going to work for the family business. But nonetheless, it's a huge change for us!

 

If you haven't read here lately, we went to Costa Rica on vacation. It was above and beyond our expectations. Truly. If you like nature and adventure, this vacation is truly for you.

 

When we got back to Texas, we got right back on the road and headed to Austin, TX to see Mrs. Jessie get hitched. Then it was all about Football in the Cook Casa!

SIGH. I'll be back to reminisce later!!!

 

 

Packing for Costa Rica

I have to make this snappy, it's ridiculously late and I have to be up in 5 hours. But this girl is on vacation energy - so I had to squeeze in a post. Packing for Costa Rica has been interesting, to say the least. 

First off, I rarely travel for just pleasure. I hook on quick getaways before or after work trips, or simply find a 3-hour adventure while I'm on the road. That's why this trip is so exciting to me! i am finally the person in the airport wearing tropical clothes, and not frantically checking emails while lugging collateral and signage! Packing has been a tinsy bit fun.  AND then, the rain forest adventure is a little different from the typical beach vacay- which is also why packing has been interesting!! Just wait..  

So in no particular order.. What I've been doing for the last 5 or 6 days to get ready for our trip! 

^Turning off my work email at 6 p.m. Today.  I never do this, and this is the longest chunk of time I've ever had off.^^

^^^It took me forever to pick polish. I wanted a cool green with some crazy tropical name. Then I realized I just wanna be hot neon pink!!! ^^^

^^So many colorful workout ensembles! Our excursions will be pretty active, with one long hike and possibly a fishing excursion. So I want to look semi-cute, but no I refuse to buy lululemon for a thousand smackaroos. I hit up Marshall's and old navy for all my workout goodies! Also, lots of maxi dresses^^

^^Bathing suits, and I always always bring my Hana blow dryer.  You Never know when you need a blowout! Also, some tennis that I am willing to toss when we are done.^^

^^^And here is the interesting part....4 different kind of bug sprays, rain panchos, sunscreen, cortisone in case someone gets a rash, immodium in case you know what...cliff bars, band aids, neosporin^^^

^^And a water proof case for the Nikon! No way Jose that a little rain is gonna keep me from snapping those monkeys and froggies!!^^

Sleepy time Tea, and I'm out!! 

Bucket list: COACHELLA!

Last week I was super pumped about exploring San Francisco for a weekend. And then I saw my friends facebook post:

"Selling two Coachella tickets, second weekend,4-19/4-21" lemme know if you're interested"

And I said whattttt. I scrambled to find my iPhone calendar, and yes, that was the same exact weekend we were set to be in San Fran. Holy toledo, I texted Matt immediately. Then Kristen, who said "Text Chris the details" and BOOM.  Five minutes later we were booking our tickets to Coachella!!! Ok really it was like 48 hours, but you know same thing. We we're researching that shizz within 5 minutes!

It's funny because Chris and Kristen asked us time and time again if we want to go on trips, and we always said no for various reasons: saving to get engaged, then planning wedding which FYI ain't cheap! "oh, but we just got back from our honeymoon," "man we gotta save for a house," " but we're buying furniture," etc., etc., etc.

They had practically given up on us. and I don't blame them.

 And then for once we finally called them and said LET'S GO! Within 48 hours we booked the whole trip. Vacationing friends are the best of friends!

Now onto important things..

 Have any of you gone?? what did you wear?? Ahhh!

I love this look.. except I'm not blonde so that won't work..

how about this one! If you really know me, you know I love dresses..

  I also love these. Feminine and edgy, I could actually wear them again. Maybe.

headbands!!!

I haven't even scratched the surface in my outfit research. Hippie hair bands, neon ensembles and face paint, here we come! And you best believe I'll be bargain shopping, Coachella ain't cheap!

If you have gone seriously let me know! I have so many questions! 

I'm going back to Cali, Cali

It's official, Our flights are booked, and we're headed to California! I'm off for a work trip and Matthew will meet me in San Fransciscooo for the weekend. And since I am traveling to CA, I finally have an excuse to tell you allll about my California Adventures.

You see, I lived in California Once. I've kinda got a soft spot for the crazy place.

My dad drove me all the way there, and Emily came too. This was my "we're finally here picture!"

I was also 20 lbs lighter. Kidding, kidding haha.
Not reallyy, but moving on.

My dad took off about as soon as I could say Cowabunga. And Emily? She stuck around for a few days like a good friend should. And then it was just me out in the big scary world. Okayyy, Okayy, not really. I actually went for a school program called UTLA, met some rad people and friends I still talk to occasionally.
Now why did I Move to LA? Oh just a Texas girl with big dreams. I wanted to be an entertainment publicist. I listened to a lot of Feist.. I saw a handful of celebrities. Like Heidi Montag at the DMV!
They’re really just like US! Lololol

 

 I even couch crashed lived with this girl for 6 weeks. And now she's famous. Doesn't even remember me I bet!]

I also got this weird haircut, you know, to fit in better.
It only looked good in a ponytail. I sighed a lot.

 

Did I ever find my dream job? Nope.  Should I have tried harder to find elusive dream job? Maybe. Did I find Britney Spears, BIG FAT negative!! Was it worth it? Hell yes.  I wouldn't change the humbling experience for the world. And as I head back, I might get a little nostalgic.

Cause I'm going back to Cali, Cali.  I'm back to Cali. Bom bom bom.

Los Angeles and San Fransisco, here we come!!

Toodles ya'll.

 

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas

Or ends up on a blog!! DUH in the famous words of Kristen! Haha kidding Emily. I can't be that girl spilling all the bachelorette beans!! The weekend was a blast, I may or may not still be recovering. (Well, I am in fact recovering. The sinus fairy gave me a visit right before I left, and whatever cold or sinus problem I was having all trip is still with me.) I had to call in sick today at work, and slept for a solid 12 hours. and I still feel sick as I write this.

enough about snot and more about vegas!
I spent the weekend with these four lovely girls, including the beautiful bride to be in less than two weeks! We were college friends, coming from the (cough cough - see I told you I was sick) best university in the state.. UT of course..HOOK EM. 

Natalie and Patty planned a great party, so I had to share some of the things we did. In my humble opinion, here are some things you need to know about Vegas, specifically, bachelorette party style:

#1. Do NOT stay at Excalibur. I got to Vegas a day and half early and stayed here because it was so cheap. I then moved over to MGM with the girls. I know these trips are expensive, weddings are always expensive. But a saving a few dollars at you lungs expense? Don't do it! The place was truly an ashtray in disguise. .

#2. DO stay at the MGM! Almost as cheap and very fun, clean, remodeled, well kept etc.

Do carve out time to see the Hoover dam or Grand Canyon. I'm a nerd at heart, and when my dad tried to take me to a fatty beef buffet I said heck no, lets go the mountains! and to the mountains we went. It was a 40 minute drive out of Vegas, and we stopped in Boulder City for lunch. I used to watch 'Fools Rush In' on repeat as a tween and I couldn't miss seeing this spot where half the movie was filmed.

 

This little crevice scared the bejesus out of me. Don't fall!

Do NOT forget this self tanner. Everyone looks fabulous in Vegas so put in a few extra bits of effort. 

Werk it girls!

DO THISSS!! Book a stripper class, even if you aren't in Vegas. It was such a workout, and actually educational. All the tricks were so incredibly hard I left with a new respect for strippers. Which is odd, given I hate strip clubs. If you wanna see a funny video of yours truly spinning on a pole,  email me! .. I don't think the Hubs would appreciate me sharing it on this here blog...

Do shop for Vegas attire in Vegas. Shopping is awesome there, and the SYLK boutique had two Vegas- appropriate dresses for $35 a piece. Now that's a good deal!

Do pin the bachelorette's sash, so it doesn't bug her while out. That sash got us all kinds of freebies and attention, so it was a must have!

DO take the groom with you, everywhere you go. lol. Cutest wedding craft ever from Natalie, the bride's sister!

And last, but definitely not least. DO go to the Thunder from Down Under. Hands down the most fun night! And that's all I will say about that... lol..

If you really want some dirt... go see my videos on the vine app, my username is modersuburbaniiiite (4 i's) .... ..... and I'll stop there. LOL. Lets just say we saw some crazies while in Vegas.   

Love peace and chicken grease y'all. 

Tessy!