Not that we ever went anywhere, and yet it feels like we’ve been everywhere. To be exact, since our last blog post, we’ve traveled to six countries and embarked on eight travel days. That equates to roughly nine bedroom changes in nine weeks. And still, we remain as excited as we were on day one. Okay, sometimes we are also annoyed and tired, and yet always excited.
Our whirlwind traveling over these last 2+ months included the end of our Central American travels (more on Panama in a future post), a surprise trip home to California, a magical cruise through the Eastern Caribbean, ‘Getting the Love That You Want’ in Orlando, and the beginning of a newly settled life in beautiful Cartagena, Colombia.
Welcome to South America, Queventurers.
I still can’t believe our last blog post was published in 20-freaking-17. At that point, home was a four bedroom ranch estate in Liberia, Costa Rica. It was home through the holidays and overall a truly magical destination. Shout out to La Familia Santos. This family entrusted us with their home for six weeks. It was our longest slated stop to-date and it literally became home for the holidays. The estate’s pets became our pets, the pool our daily ritual, and the view from the kitchen window – possibly the only place on earth I didn’t mind doing dishes. Who knew scenic sunsets and scrubbing suds could be so soothing?
If you followed along @queventure.abroad on Instagram you saw us tackle a solo Thanksgiving dinner for the first-time in our 36 years of life. I made a full spread – cornbread stuffing and all. Diego experienced his first-ever turkey day not spent with his immediate family.
It was a warm and quiet Thanksgiving as was Christmas. Somehow we managed to pull-off a truly practical Santa Claus visit, which consisted of small gifts the kids could easily fit into their 12 by 16 backpacks one week later. If nothing else, we realized then, our children were turning out pretty good if coloring books, new goggles, and a couple of 99 cent travel puzzles brought joy to their first Christmas abroad.
Our home in Liberia came with maid services 24 hours each week. Yes, three 8-hour days of what turned into one of our favorite aspects of the ‘Pura Vida’ life. However, it wasn’t the clean sheets, perfectly tidied kitchen, or constantly stocked supply of fresh drinking water that made all the difference. The difference was Ms. G. In those weekly visits she became like a third parent to the kiddos and a companion for two adults who usually only have each other.
We’ve lost count of the number of times one of us have joked about missing Miss G and hoping she could pop in one last time for a chat or a bashful hug. This woman was incredibly humble and a breathe of fresh air in a world that moves a gazillion miles a minute. Thank you, G. Thank you Costa Rica, and thank you to everyone reading this post who decided to come back for a read after several weeks off for this travel-obsessed family.
I will forever remember that ranch estate in Liberia, Costa Rica which was more like a wellness retreat destination. There we could bask in the absolutely nature-filled scenery of Costa Rica, and by night, escape the noise of this busy world. We lived surrounded by remote darkness lit only by a sometimes full moon and a sky full of the most beautiful stars. Liberia, I will always remember your stars – oh the many, many stars.
By now, you’ve hopefully noticed the redesign of our new page. A page we continue to craft with love so you’ll come back for more, because at this point, we have so many crazy adventures, recaps, surprises, and tips to share.
There’s lots to catch up on Queventurers…
Don’t Miss These Upcoming Posts:
“Homeschooling ‘Bout To Be A Breeze…”
“Panama & Scary Marriage Ups and Downs.”
“A New Year Full of Surprises.”
