¡Pura Vida!

Weddings happen to be one of my favorite things on earth. They exude pure joy, happiness and a whole lot of love. What's not to love about them? Add a beach, constant sunshine and a week with some of your favorite people and it truly is pure perfection.

Mitch and I had the honor of attending my friend Paige's wedding in beautiful Costa Rica. Paige and Noah did a wonderful job planning an unforgettable trip for all of us, and Costa Rica has jumped to the top of my favorite places list. 

We arrived at the Villas after a bumpy van ride from the airport. The van stopped at the security gate where the guard advised our driver not to drive up the hill. Some of us had been warned about "the hill" before the trip and it didn't sound like something you'd want to conquer while toting around suitcases. Words were exchanged with the security guard, the driver and the grooms Dad which ultimately resulted in the gates opening the our trusty van driving up this monstrous hill. As we putted up the incline, all 30 of us held our breath. Against the security guards better judgment, we made it. Suitcase were unloaded and we all flurried to our villas. 

Villa 4 was our home for the next 7 days and to say it was beautiful is a complete understatement. All three couples declared bedrooms and somehow Mitch and I got the ocean view. The scenery from our bedroom balcony was breathtaking. Just a look at the picture below. We woke up to that every morning, for an entire week. Amazing, right? 

After a long travel day and nearly 10 hours without food we had one thing on our mind - dinner. We left the villa and walked down "the hill" realizing we'd eventually have to walk back up. I think we all tried not to thing about it. Before choosing a restaurant, we strolled along Tamarindo Beach, dipping our toes into the cool salt water and breathing in the ocean air. Ahhh, vacation! 

Dinner was delicious the first night. I'm still not sure if it was actually amazing food, or if we were all just starving. We each grabbed our cocktails (a smoothie for Kel :)) and cheers'd to the start of a great trip! 

Wednesday morning we all woke up ready to explore Tamarindo. A group of us walked down to the French Bakery for breakfast and so the bride-to-be could get her much needed cup of joe. We all quickly noticed there is no sense of urgency while dining, which us Americans can struggle with at times. Sadly it made me realize how impatient we've all become. Our culture has such a "we need it NOW" attitude and waiting seems so inconvenient. Isn't that awful? I feel bad even typing it, but it's the truth. 

We were sitting outside, in sunny Costa Rica. We had no where to be, no schedule holding us back. Why would we try to rush out of this place? It was a friendly reminder to sit back, relax and enjoy so that's exactly what we did. 

Once we finished up breakfast we broke away from the boys and us girls walked to the supermarket to get food and drinks for the week. We wandered the store with a mental list, throwing things like Doritos and PB&J ingredients into our cart. Assuming we'd be going out to dinner most nights, our plan was to get food that was easy for breakfast and lunch plus plenty of snacks. After finishing up in the liquor aisle, we were all set.  

We took a cab back to the villa with all of our goodies, where we found the boys sitting in golf carts outside our garage. Mitch and Noel had giant smiles on their faces when they informed us we had them for the entire week. This meant our walking up "the hill" had come to an end. Hallelujah! Call us lazy, but it truly was the best thing ever. 

That night, Paige and Noah hosted a happy hour at the villas. It was a great opportunity to meet some new faces and catch up with familiar ones. After happy hour, we took our golf cart into town for dinner where a mariachi band came in and serenaded the bride and groom. They even played Jenna's special request, La Cucaracha which she danced to in her seat the entire song. 

When we got back to our villa, Mitch and I walked into our room and quickly realized we had left the balcony door open all day. We noticed a couple small bugs on the bed, but nothing we couldn't see here in Minnesota. I was kicking off my shoes when I heard, "TRISTAN!!!! Get over here. Look at this!" I turned around to see Mitch staring at a 6" grasshopper perched on our curtains. 

First let me explain that Mitch HATES grasshoppers. Working for the City of Maple Grove during his college years, mowing grass and having the insects jump and land on him caused this fear. He immediately said, "I'm not touching that." I quickly yelled for Jenna who was walking up the stairs. She also screeched while Mitch informed her, "Jenna, this is my worst nightmare." The three of us all agreed we were not tackling this half foot insect. So, naturally we screamed for Noel. :)

Thankfully Noel took care of it for us and threw it off our balcony. I had a hard time falling asleep that night, thinking giant grasshoppers were lurking waiting to attack me. I know, it's a little irrational but the sight of that giant bug was burned into my mind. After grasshopper-gate we realized it was important that we close that balcony door at all times. Noted!

Unfortunately I woke up in the middle of the night with awful stomach pains which lasted into the next morning. I had a hard time keeping anything down, which is not ideal - especially on vacation. Thursday was also the scheduled catamaran cruise with most of the wedding guests. I took it easy most of the morning, determined to make it onto the boat. 

There was no way I was missing the boat cruise, and went in knowing it was either going to be just fine or the worst 4 hours at sea. Since food didn't sound appetizing, I kept it safe with water and Gatorades. I even bought a coconut off the beach, hoping the coconut water would give me some energy. 

We took turns boarding small boats that would escort us out to the catamaran. Once we were all aboard, the crew went over the agenda and we were off on our adventure. The hour boat ride was pretty calm, considering the rough waters that started our trip. It was too windy to snorkel, but plenty of people still took advantage of the opportunity to swim in the ocean. 

I spent most of the cruise napping in the sun. I may not have been the most lively or energetic person, but I didn't get sick - which was really my only goal so I'm going to go ahead and chalk that one up as a total success. We arrived back in Tamarindo just in time to watch the sunset, which was stunning. Although the day didn't go exactly as I'd hoped, it was still an absolute blast.  

We woke up Friday, which was wedding day! Paige was getting ready in the villa right next to us, so all morning Kelly and I popped in and out to see how things were going and to spend time with Paige. We drank mimosas, laughed a lot and even cried a little during some super special moments. 

The wedding planners brought over the bouquets and flowers, and the hairstylist was busy at work. It was all going completely as planned, until the power went out. Not just in our villa, there was no power in the entire city. Apparently this is super common, or that's what the wedding planners and stylist told us. It happened to be extremely windy that day, which they say can cause this sort of thing. 

We quickly moved the flowers to the refrigerator to keep them cool, and hairdos were put on hold. Paige stayed very calm, cool and collected. There was a little bit of pacing, but overall I was extremely impressed with her positive outlook. Within 2 hours the power was on and we were back in business! 

I'm so glad we were able to spend the morning together. We've all been there for each other the morning of our weddings, so to share this exciting time with Paige in complete paradise was extra special. She slipped into her dress and looked absolutely gorgeous, ready to marry her man! 

 

The wedding itself was right on the beach at Pangas Beach Club. The intimate setting was stunning. Paige walked down the sandy aisle with her Dad which was one of the sweetest moments. Noah couldn't take his eyes off her, which was equally as heart melting. Paige and Noah exchanged words of intention (which made me cry), traditional vows (which also made me cry) and sealed it all with a kiss (third times a charm, cried again). The pastor presented them as Mr. and Mrs. Petersen and we all hooped and hollered!  

The rest of the night was just magical. I don't know how else to describe it. With the sunset in the background we all enjoyed cocktails and an amazing dinner. Dancing quickly followed. The bride didn't leave the dance floor once, which was really quite impressive. Waiters passed around trays of drinks and shots all night and as it grew darker more people gained the courage to bust a move.

It was the perfect wedding, for a perfect couple in a perfect location. Cheers to Paige and Noah on a life time full of laughs and love! Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Petersen! 

 

We woke up Saturday and declared it a lazy day. We hiked up the hill a little more to see a better view of Tamarindo. (Even the golf carts couldn't make it up!) The walk wasn't super fun, but the views were stunning. After the sweaty trek, we jumped into the pool right after which was exactly what I needed. We hung out at the pool for a bit and then wandered down to the beach to watch Ryan surf. A couple other guys had rented boards, so Mitch gave surfing a try. He stood up once, and Kelly and I cheered for him on the beach. The one time seemed to be enough, because he came in shortly after. He may have done it just once, but that one time was awesome. :) 

As a group, we decided the rest of our trip was going to be spent doing a whole lot of relaxing and eating great food. The last days of our trip, we laid by the pool all day. It was exactly what you should do on vacation - absolutely nothing. It was relaxing, calming and super hot. Everyone had a drink in hand while we had the ultimate pool party. 

We had amazing food with some amazing company, not to mention my fair share of margaritas. As vacation came to end, we reminisced about our wonderful week in paradise and how Costa Rica has a special place in our hearts. As they say, pura vida! 

Just 12 days ago I had never heard the two little words that make up that phrase, "pura vida." Soon after our arrival, I quickly observed the locals and veteran tourists using it in everyday conversations - not to mentioned seeing it slathered on every ounce of memorabilia. So what did it mean?

Pure life. The translation is exactly that. 

This Costa Rican motto promotes a carefree, laid back, positive outlook on life. In a world where technology consumes us and our patience is growing thin, the simple thought of "pura vida" seemed like the ultimate mantra. I left thinking of it as a simple reminder to appreciate all that we have and to continue to create the life you want to live. How beautifully simple.

Although 7 days away from reality was wonderful, Mitch and I were both eager to get home to see the kiddos. They spent time with both sets of grandparents and it sounds like they had a super fun time while we were away. We can't thank our parents enough for the help and support which allowed us to share this special time with Paige and Noah and create some new memories of our own. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

Until next time…

The Helleens