1 Month Take-Aways

We have officially been in Costa Rica for 1 month!  We survived!  Here are our top 10 take aways from our first month here!

Gentry:

1.  Never leave the house without a water bottle, I always get thirsty.

2.  You have to have a fan, or else you will be to hot.

3.  Go to the beach everyday to cool yourself off.

4.  Rest a lot, you get so tired here.

5.  Never let Molly Paws bite you, it hurts.

6.  Be healthy.

7.  Don't Smoke.

8.  Abajo means down, arriba means up.

9.  Molly knows a little Spanish.

10.  I can surf, a little, probably more in like a day.

Jeff:

1.  Torialba Cheese is 80% water.

2.  Christian surfers organization in Jaco= youth group, not surfers of all ages.

3.  It's not hard to eat beans and rice everyday.

4.  Real Surfers don't surf everyday, only when the swell is good.

5.   You get used to having sand between your toes after a couple of weeks.

6.  Gringos who speak Spanish to Tico's sound like Tico's speaking English to gringos, we all have accents.

7.  You can't drink the water, you can drink the water, you can't drink the water, you can drink the water.

8.  It's not a good idea to buy real estate here.

9.  Fast food= lady with a cooler full of tamales on the beach usually on a scooter.

10.  Taxi rides are the best bargain in all of Costa Rica.

Ashlie:

1.  Grocery stores are not my friend, be prepared, on your game, and ready to cry at any moment while in them.

2.  I LOVE the beach life.  Relaxed, laid back, no make-up, hair in a pony tail, slower pace of life is fitting me really well!

3.  I will cry often being this far away from home and my sweet family.  It's okay, embrace the tears, feel what you gotta feel, and head to the beach after for a little pick me up.

4.  I really like walking or riding bikes wherever we have to go.  We talk the entire way to where we are going, spend more time together, get extra exercise, and just enjoy life at a slower pace.

5.  Be prepared at a moments notice to dunk Gentry under water, throw a towel over his face, or cause a big scene to distract him, because you never know when a devout young whipper snapper surfer (boys and girls) will throw off their clothes ENTIRELY to change at the beach.

6.  It's freakin, spankin, ridiculously hot all the time.  Wear the least amount of clothes possible everyday, tastefully of course.

7.  Always have an exit/kick bad guys butt plan wherever you are, you never know when I will have to bust out and hurt someone.

8.  Enjoy this special time with Gentry and Jeff, this is truly a blessing and a once in a life time experience for us all.  Relish in all the new, different, exciting, horrible, funny, sad, and happy experiences, they will all change us for the better.

9.  Give me a fresh Mango smoothy any day of the week, and I will do cartwheels up and down the street, I'm flat out addicted.

10.  Relax and trust God, He brought us here, He's teaching us, protecting us, and watching us walk through this journey.  He loves us.