Glow Party Craziness

I have been such a blogging delinquent lately! 

We have been going at warp speed in our house and we have some pretty exciting things coming up for our family that I will get to later. First, I need to go all the way back to September! In the beginning of the school year we were invited to the welcome back to school family glow party. The school had arranged a picnic BBQ followed by a massive dance in the school gym with a DJ and a bunch of photo booths. 

We opted out of the BBQ and instead headed down there after dinner. Dave was being proactive and had gone to buy a bunch of glow sticks before the party so that we could avoid the long line ups to buy at the school. To say the kids were excited is an understatement. Sydney was so ready to meet up with friends and Henry was loving all of the loud music. We danced, took pictures and had an amazing time. We are looking forward to going next year!

Mrs. E

Last Days of Summer

Phew! It has been suuuper busy at our house the last couple of weeks. 

We have been in full on Halloween and Marathon prep and the kids have been busy with school and activities. All of the rushing around has me longing for the last lazy days of summer again. So today, I'm taking a look back at the last few unseasonable warm days we had in September. Here's to sun tanning in the fall!

Mrs. E

Yoga Teacher Training ~ Favorite Moments

There are a few moments that stand out when I think back to my time in Costa Rica. 

Of course, the entire trip was incredible, but there are these moments that are like crystal clear pictures in my mind. The smell, the heat, the details of my surroundings.... are all so etched into my mind that I will probably never forget them. 

The first was the afternoon we did a group exercise in the pool. We had to float with the support of our group members and try to find a meditative state. I was practicing on my own before and Karyn managed to snap this picture of me. I have never been so relaxed in my entire life. 

The second was the night that we all became connected forever. We took part in a ceremony where we danced to Kirtan music for half an hour. We were told to dance without a care in the world or any feeling of self consciousness and we did just that. The dancing was followed by a half hour of meditation as the sun set on the Palapa. With our knees touching in one big circle, we sat in silence feeding off of each others energy. The last part of the evening was a string ceremony. A single piece of string was passed around the circle until we were all holding part of it. Then one by one, glass beads were strung along the string until each person had one. We cut the string one person at a time, tying the string with the bead on it around our wrists, tying us together as we go out into the world. It was incredible. 

My next memorable moment was on the day that I had my emotional breakdown. Yoga teacher training brings a lot of things to the surface and this particular day I was forced to face a lot of my own personal struggles. I cried a lot that day and spent some time on my own in the small palapa hanging in a hammock. That reflective time, among the monkeys meant a lot to me. 

Another of my favorite moments was the night that we went into Puerto Viejo to celebrate completing the course. The town had a serious island life vibe and beautiful little shops and restaurants. We ate, we shopped and we enjoyed our time. 

Mrs. E

Yoga Teacher Training ~ Puerto Viejo

There is nothing better than finishing up a grueling program and taking the time to celebrate. 

On our last day of instruction at Yoga school we spent all morning in a three and a half hour yoga class taught my our peers that was so challenging it made me promise myself to take a yoga break when I got home. We wrapped everything up before lunch and headed back to our rooms to shower and get ready to go into Puerto Viejo which is the closest larger town to the Goddess Garden. 

We split up into groups and took taxi vans into town. The drive was about half an hour on some pretty bumpy unpaved roads and a little bit of paved highway. We were given free reign to run around town wherever we wanted to as long as we were back at our pick up location by 9pm. 

Karen and I were on a shopping mission. We went to a bunch of small shops and spent quite a bit of money before taking a break at a little dessert place called Bread & Chocolate where they make everything (including the chocolate) in house. It was amazing! After more walking and shopping we met up with everyone at Koki Beach for drinks and dinner. It was the perfect way to celebrate our last night together as a group and the ultimate release after two very challenging weeks. 

Mrs. E