SNOW!

Welcome home! It was quite the adjustment going from the start of a Costa Rican summer to Blizzard 2008 in West Michigan.

We had a little bit of trouble getting in... from airplane delays which left us scrambling to get Elliot home for a rehearsal dinner to a car breaking down on the highway in Chicago, to a four hour train ride due to ice on the wires (apparently the horn was also frozen, a liability which lead us through intersections at 15 mph...)

BUT, I made it home! And had the chance to really welcome weather, bundle up in snow gear, and pick up a shovel (my dad might say that only happens once in a great while :) but I got out there!) .

Puntarenas

While I was house/dog sitting for the owners of the hotel I worked at, their cruise ship passed through a port off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica on the way to the Galapagos Islands. Luly, a friend who works at the hotel with me, and I rented a car and drove up to meet them for the day.

The boat stopped in Puntarenas. It was an exciting trip for me to take, because I had gone to Puntarenas with the Ridge Point group about eight years ago. I was flooded with memories as I drove down the streets, past the neighborhood where I had stayed, past the church, and past the beach where we played pick up soccer games in the dark sand (I remember because it burnt the soles of my feet!). It brought back a lot of memories from when God first brought me to Costa Rica!

While we were there we went to the Marine Park. They had crocodiles, turtles, fish, and other sealife. This was the first time I had ever gone to an exhibit like this in Costa Rica and was really impressed! We had a great time with Chip and Jennifer! ... check out the pics

Chip... the sea man

Luly the Mermaid, Anna the snorkeler

This sign explains the huge mass of fishing wire that Chip is standing next to. This was made from fishing line collected from illegal fishing expeditions.













We almost lost Chip in the grip of the crab claw. Don't worry, he made it out with only a few scratches :)

This is a type of shark.... I'm pretty brave huh?

Pelicans

Turtles

Crocodiles

Thanksgiving!

"Feliz dia de Gracia! Happy thanksgiving!!"

I greeted the other employees at the hotel, in a very festive mood Thursday morning...

the response... "we don't celebrate that here..."

Well Praise God for a group of expats who do! Our church got together out at the finca (the Blue Banyan Inn farm) to celebrate thanksgiving together. We had almost 50 people come, and everyone brought a dish. I made a make-shift green bean casserole... and because you cant buy cream of mushroom soup in a can, I made it from scratch! I know. Impressive.

We had a wonderful time sharing and playing at the finca. The farm has mountain views and an incredible pool, as well as beautiful facilities. Jim and Barb, who go to our church, were gracious enough to host! We couldn't have asked for better accommodations!

The Buffet: Everything from turkey to cranberry sauce!

We ate in the dinning room of the Blue Banyan Inn... it was incredible!

Moxi, our pastor, enjoying his rib... he's Scottish, didn't really get into the turkey and gravy

All of us at the bar, stuffing ourselves!

The BEAUTIFUL pool at the finca.... we swam BEFORE we ate, everyone was way to bloated to hope in after dinner!

Barb, the hostess, made Sangria with fresh fruit! Cata and I enjoyed!

This is Tiki... resident parrot at the Inn.
He knows how to say "Barb" and "Hola" and how to do flips.

6.2 Earthquake

Before moving to Costa Rica, I had never experienced an earthquake before in my life. Over the past two years, it has become normal to feel small shakes that rattle the windows for a few short seconds.

Last night, an earthquake registering 6.2 on the Richter Scale hit the near the Pacific Costa Rican/Panamanian border. Even though that is over two and a half hours away from Quepos, we felt the effects! There was a good 30 seconds of shaking... the biggest I have experienced. I have heard that there were very few injured by the quake. They are projecting more core movement in the next few days... but nothing too serious.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j6U3SIe2xtJQdfeJ9zln57FfmRLQD94I1DJ81

The Cow Parade comes to Quepos

Many of you may have seen the Cow Parade that was in Chicago years back. These cows have become a favorite work of art at sights around the world. This past year, the Cow Parade came to San Jose, including cows "canopying" through the central park and painted as lime green rain-forest frogs. A smaller group of about a dozen cows is touring the country. Last weekend, these cows made it to Quepos, so Christi and went to the pier to check it out.

The Beach Babe... we thought it was the most fitting for us to take our picture with.

Mariana, our small companion was cashed out for most of the trip... but when she saw this cow....

... she literally started shrieking with delight. hilarious.

All of the cows were on display at the pier, which offered a beautiful backdrop

A cow using the gas mask of "life"....

Glam

The cow-Bull

The Cat-Cow

The Graffiti cow... Words like Esperanza (Hope) and Libertad (liberty) were spray-painted on

Okay. I dont know what this is. but I find it humorous that there is a back-trap door.

"The cows are works of art. Don't touch them. Take care of them."

The Green One

The Milk One

This one reads "Vaca Up"... Get it?

Work it!


And this... this is the cow that the owners of the Blue Monkey Hotel (where I work) want to buy to put in front... logical that it is blue... I'll keep you posted if it happens...

For more cows... Google Cow Parade Photos Costa Rica.

Or check out the official website...

http://www.gpovallas.com/cowparade/

The Chicago Marathon

Cross it off the life-list. Jonathan and Elliot both ran and finished the Chicago Marathon this Sunday! 26.2 miles and five aching bodies later, the Slenk family can breath a sign of relief. Even though there were only two registered runners, my parents and I rocked the spectator role, seeing the boys at the start, mile 2, mile 4.5, mile 10, mile 13, and mile 17. There was a lot of running: up and down El platforms, across city streets, and weaving in and out of the race route. At mile 17, we almost lost Jonathan (who looked delirious and was having cold sweats) so Elliot went on ahead and (after re-hydrating and resting a while) I walked the remaining 9 miles with Jonathan to the finish. My mom tried to keep up with Elliot his last 1/2 mile, but he decided to turn on the sprint (passing probably 100 runners in route to the finish like, I wish I could have seen it)... While walking in Chinatown, we passed a bank sign that read 89 degrees! There were red-high alert signs, and medics were encouraging runners to slow down their pace to avoid heat stroke.

The race itself is amazing, weaving through 29 unique Chicago neighborhoods, hosting cheering sections and bandstands. We saw runners dressed up in everything from Minnie Mouse costumes to Elvis outfits. There were over 45,000 registered runners and hundreds of thousands of spectators. Way to go boys! I'm so impressed and proud of you both!


above, the lead racers starting off the race. on the right, Jonathan and Elliot at the start (matching red shirts, bottom middle)


mile 2 and 4.5. Keep it up!


View of runners crossing the bridge, heading for Lincoln Square (from the EL) and Mom and Dad watching and waiting for the boys at mile 10.


So glad to be off his feet! Way to go guys!

Chicago with the Fam, the State game

Who would have thought that my last few days in the states would be spent getting sun-burnt in 80+ degree weather. True story.

Saturday, my whole family went to Chicago to watch my brothers run the Marathon. And, while we were there, we went to watch State play at Northwestern. It was a beautiful day. Shorts and sunglasses weather for sure! And State dominated... Le's Go...