Costa Rica!

We actually both had time off of school, and it was the middle of the Michigan winter, and so we made our escape to the warmest place we could! Vamos a Costa Rica!

First of all- we rented a house in the jungle through AirBnB, and it was just amazing!

It was so private and beautiful. We were woken up by parrots flying by every morning, and had to drive up the gnarliest dirt road just to get to it. 

Exploring our house's backyard- we found mango, avocado, coconut, and banana trees.

And the outdoor shower!

There was an indoor one too, but this was just SO nice to use in the afternoons.

Favorite place to start the morning with a bowl of fresh fruit- outdoor patio.

Our first day we hiked a few miles through the jungle to see all the amazing animals.

Sophia had SUCH a blast seeing the wildlife.

We saw LOTS of monkeys (howler, capuchin, and spider), iguanas, bats, and sloths (3 and 4 toe-d)!

There were monkeys EVERYWHERE.

Lunch spot on the jungle beaches

The monkey that came and stole our Doritos right out of our hand, and then mockingly ate them right above us.

Sophia is still talking about "the sneaky monkey that stole my chips"

The beaches were just so dreamy.

The water was like 80 degrees and felt like a bath.

We explored SO many beaches- it was amazing

After a long hot day in the rainforest, we had dinner in this cool restaurant that was in an old WWII plane.

Nothing like fresh fresh FRESH fish

And the view wasn't too shabby either

Sophia got delicious fresh juices every meal, and was on cloud 9 about it.

Next stop was Monteverde Cloud Forest up in the mountains of Costa Rica

A much cooler, more lush, rainforest that get's it's moisture from the clouds passing through the mountains.

Rick's little tag along pal

Amazing trees enveloped by the strangling fig roots

Little Ms. Explorer

The cool rope bridges

Just living Pura Vida!

Tour of the butterfly house

Very friendly butterflies

Ready for the funnest part of the trip!

Zip lining! 

Up in the tree tops of the rainforest! 

No better way to see the jungle.

Sophia ran to be the first in line for the zip lines and was SO happy the whole time. She wasn't afraid at all, and encouraged the scared ladies in our group to "be brave"- haha. We had a great group and instructors that cheered her on the whole time.

Eating fresh sugar cane and pineapple through our jungle hike

Up in the trees!

Brave little girl!

Another amazing sunset.

And family surf lessons!

We each got our own instructor and got incredibly sunburned.

But we had SO much fun.

Surf break!

Right back at it.

Favorite way to cool off- Pepas Frios! Cold coconut that they slice the top off with a machete and put in a straw. Tastes sooo good in that heat.

And Rick didn't want to waste the delicious meat after we drank it up.

Where we got most of our breakfasts.

We snuck away to the this amazing pool for the afternoon, and Sophia loved the slide.

Another perfect view from the pool.

What's a vacation, except an excuse to drink huge tacky drinks with umbrellas in them??

This trip couldn't have been better.

The people were so kind, the place was so beautiful, and it was everything a perfect vacation and adventure should be.

As all the Costa Ricans say - "Pura Vida"

California Trip

We took a last minute trip to California for a family funeral, and were able to enjoy a few days visiting and enjoying the warm sun.

Loved getting to see my beautiful sisters!

And we seriously couldn't have asked for better weather!

For February, it was amazing!

And Sophia had SO much fun with her cousins.

She hasn't stopped talking about them since we came home, and asking when she can see them again.

Her and Samuel were absolutely inseparable. 

Day trip to Hollywood.

Sophia 'The Ham' fit right in.

On the rooftops downtown to see the skyline and the Hollywood sign.

Hipster Hollywood Photo.

And we even stopped in our favorite vacation spot- Carpinteria!

It was so perfect, it could have been summer.

You can take the girl out of Michigan...

Unbelievable how beautiful it was.

And we fit in a sun trip up to Santa Barbara and Solvang

Little cousins on the steps of the big mission

Our UBER romantic Valentine's Day dinner- no seriously.

I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Our last stop was a very special breakfast at Disneyland with Uncle Matt.

Sophia was SOOO enamored with the characters while we ate. It was beyond adorable.

Of course, her favorite person to meet. 

Pure childhood magic.

And one last childhood wish- a stop at the "giant donut" shop on the way home.

Neighborhood Winter Olympics

We had a LOT of snow. Like 18 inches at once.

And so of course, we paired with our wonderful neighbors to have the best snow day in our backyard ever!

Behold the 6 1/2 ft tall snowman!

The puppy jump!

And our own luge!

after dinner puppet show.

I got treated to a wonderful impromptu puppet show after dinner, and sincerely could not stop laughing.

Love these two goof-balls. 

First Clinical Done

I have finished my first of four clinical rotations.

I have learned SO much from my amazing preceptor, and love finding a fellow nurse passionate about helping those truly in need.

We are already planning our clinic and humanitarian trips together.

A person and experience I will never forget.

Beautiful morning to enjoy the snow all together!

Of course, snow angels.

And sledding!

Something so serene hiking through the quiet of a snowy woods.

So beautiful and peaceful.

This cute Michigan baby loves the snow.

An evening full of nerdy goodness

We got a chance to go to a speech by Neil DeGrasse Tyson- and it was as wonderful as I had hoped!

I want to be as cool as him when I grow up.

Sidekicks.

Petra may not be as excited, but at least she's a good big sister.

Study Buddies

I love that Sophia wants to come cuddle and watch my renal lectures with me.

She is the best.

Dance Party!

Sophia went a super fun dance birthday party, and at the end all the little girls put on a show for us.

Love my little ballerina and how many friends she has made in school.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

For MLKJ Day we went to the Henry Ford and walked through their great exhibit on the Civil Rights movement. We even got to sit on the actual bus Rosa Park's took her stand on and talk about what she did.

I love that Sophia is old enough to kind of understand what we're talking about. We read a children's  book on Martin Luther King Jr., and the take home message was even though he died we can still remember what he said and stood for.

Interrupting Cow

We've been working on the timing of this classic Knock-Knock joke for a long time, and she's finally got it!

Art Day!

Some of our favorite places to explore are the amazing art museums in Detroit.

We went and spent the morning at the Museum of Contemporary Art downtown. I love trying to understand contemporary art, and it was fun to hear Sophia's take on things.

Our key to success with a preschooler and museums is to bring crayons and paper for her to document what she sees.

We also went to the Detroit Institute of Arts, and they had a fun handkerchief puppet making activity. Sophia decided she wanted to make representations of our whole family. I feel like her "Rick" is pretty spot on.

No such thing as bad weather...

A few years ago I heard a Scandinavian saying that said:

"There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing".

I love that. Living somewhere with a harsh Winter was a big adjustment for me, and I hate feeling stuck at home. But what I realized is we can go out if we choose to- get a good coat and go!

So yes, we'll be the ones at the park in 20 degree weather with the nice down coats.

Happy New Years!

This last year has been full of change and things we wouldn't have predicted.

I guess that's how life is!

Here's to 2014, and looking forward to 2015.

Happy New Years!