Bethany's Wedding

One of the main reason's I came home at this particular time was to celebrate Bethany's wedding! I had a great time seeing my college friends again, and was just blessed to hang out with them and catch up.

Here we are working on decorating the reception hall. There were a lot of lights to be hung. Carly did a good job of stringing them along. Below is also a picture of Bethany and I holding up the "party favors", small coffee mugs filled with chocolate covered coffee beans (fitting if you know them at all).

On the morning of the Big Day, the Isaacs family through a brunch for the bridal party and other women helping out with the wedding. We were spoiled- scones, muffins, fruit, and lots of coffee. Heidi, here with the plate of muffins, was the mastermind behind pretty much every one's hair. She was amazing.

Getting ready: Bethany smoothing out her dress, it looked amazing! And my hair, thanks to Heidi.

Pictures at the park. Bethany and I, and Hanna and I.

Bethany and Erick. Nerves? and Carly and Melanie stop in to say hi right before it all gets started. SO good to see them!

Bridesmaids (tallest bridal party ever!) and the whole crew. Yup, all 16 attendants.

The reception was a short open-house like gathering, where people were free to talk around, hit up the buffet, or snag a piece of pie. It was a great chance to catch up with friends from school and just relax after the wedding. After the reception, Carly and I hit up target and Leann Chin (a Chinese restaurant she has told be about for four years)... and, yes, I did all that in my dress.

The Dunes

One of my favorite things about going home (even when I was just coming from Chicago) has always been going to the dunes. It has always been a great place for me to go, relax, and de-stress. So, my trip to the states wouldn't have been complete without a trip to the State Park. Julie and I went early one morning and walked out to the beach (so much different than la playa at Manuel Antonio!). It was great to hike, chat, and just enjoy the beauty there!

Tsunami Warning

Last night, Nicki and I were eating at Tsunami Sushi (ironically enough), when we were told that there was a devastating earthquake in Peru measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale. According to calculations, the effects of the earthquake produced shifts in the ocean, which had the potential to cause a Tsunami. Quepos and other areas on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica were given warning to evacuate the coastline. Given that we live on top of a mountain, there wasn't a physical fear of the wave, but if it would have hit Quepos there would have been huge water and probably electical problems that would have left us stranded on the mountain. Phone lines were blocked, as people tried to inform neighbors and friends living on the coast to take precautions. By nine o'clock last night, the warning was lifted, but it was an eye opening experience to the different natural distasters we are exposed to on the Central American coast.

Gone Fishing

I love the water. I love being on the water. And I love most things that have to do with the water. Fishing, although I am no fisherman, is no exception. My Dad and I took the boat out to lake Michigan to see how the fish were biting. After a few dead spots, we finally found a spot where we were getting some hits. My dad caught a 13 inch perch! As you can see, mine paled in comparison. I had a similar size one of my pole, but instead of taking it into the boat, I tried to grab it with my hand (don't ask why, but at the time it made sense). We even pulled in three fish at once! We ended up giving the fish away, but it was an awesome night to be on the water!

25 de Julio

I know it is a little late for this post, but I thought you would like to see how Costa Ricans celebrate their history. The 25the of July, the country commemorates the Annexation of Nicoya. At the school, it was so small affair. The boys had to dress up in "traditional" Costa Rican apparel. You can tell from the picture that Drew was particularly excited about the change from the normal uniform.






They were also told to make "horses on a stick" for part of a school program. We made ours out of cardboard, rags, and brown dress socks. I was pretty proud of the creation, until I saw what the other kids came with. We are talking full out horses with eyes and ears and costumes. Ticos go all out! But, for the three minutes they were used, our creation did the job. You can see Cameron riding his around the playground. One of my favorite parts of the program was watching the elementary school perform traditional Costa Rican dances. They were decked out in authentic dresses, and the whole ordeal remindedme a little too much of Dutch dancing...

a note from nikki...

The only thing I was looking forward to in coming to Costa Rica for three weeks was seeing Anna. When ever I try to explain how I know her...I always have a hard time because Anna has played so many rolls in my life. She's been a neighboer, a babysitter, and a mentor for my profession of faith. I can't remember not knowing her, since she's babysat me since I was born. As Logan and I have gotten older and grown old enough to not need a babysitter anymore, when Anna was still in Michigan, we'd still go for breakfast about once a week, and she'd still stay with us whenever my parents went away for a couple days. But even still, it was really weird going from being with someone so often, to only communicating with someone by emailing. The past three weeks have been amazing. The highlight, as I expected, was to have time with Anna. Theres nothing like having a face to face conversation with someone after spending months only being able to email. Like always, it has been sooooo incredibly good to spend time with her. She's constantly blowing me away with the way she has listened to God's calling as she's been here. Meeting some of her friends, the way I can see her impacting them is so reassuring to me. Seeing her and her life here has made it so clear to me that God has sent her here. I feel as if no matter who meets Anna, as long as you really get to know her one on one, you're going to be impacted by her. She's just, one of those people, that is so easy to fall in love with. And even though she has changed from being in a different country for 6 months, like the fact that she's much less afraid of bugs, she's a much more confidnent driver, and she is more daring and less picky when it comes to food, she's still the same wonderful and loveable Anna.



-nikki dykgraaf