Away From The Big City

Isn't it interesting that most of the time we're doing one of two things: either we're working hard to establish a routine that serves us well so we can feel familiar, comfortable, settled, etc.; the rest of the time we're looking for ways to escape the routine, relax, change pace, change settings, etc. We human beings are silly, aren't we?

So, we've had the chance to break out of the 'routine' in different ways over the last couple of weeks.

For one, Anders' mom made an appearance in our little tropical world...

...and we did our best to fully take advantage of that blessed time. There was an altered schedule at the institute, so Mom watched the kids each morning while we put our brains to work. Then each afternoon, we explored a little bit. Strange that one of the experiences we just had to demonstrate was going to Wal-Mart (otherwise known as HiperMas). Boring? Oh no, adventurous, trust me.

Then the good stuff. We rented a car. Mmmm, that's a little different too. Praise the Lord for those extra diligent 'first-time-driving-in-a-foreign-country angels' (I think that's Joshua chapter 2 or something). And where did we go? To the beach of course! Not only that, but also a national park with beaches...and monkeys..and sloths...and more! I like the way pictures tell a story, so I'll let you make your own conclusions about whether or not this was an enjoyable time. Jessica has said that she's heard Costa Rica is a beautiful country but didn't really believe it based on our city-life perspective...let's just say that now she's convinced! Don't you just love those 'then sings my soul' types of settings and experiences? I will say that indeed it was a refreshing time: we were rested (despite one rather strange night that involved several transformer explosions right outside our window, which caused a loss of power, loss of a.c., which caused a rather dark and jungly night right there in our hotel room...a hotel room with sand crabs and geckos rooming with us) we worshiped and we fellowshipped, we ate at a restaurant built around an old plane (with a smashing view I might add!), we walked the beach... Take a look:

...Nice huh? Now check out this video that shows how close (and nimble) those funny little monkeys actually were: