Villa Caletas, Costa Rica Pt 5 - Monkeys Included

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Packing for Costa Rica

Villa Caletas, Costa Rica Pt 1

Villa Caletas, Costa Rica Pt 2

Villa Caletas, Costa Rica Pt 3

Villa Caletas, Costa Rica Pt 4 - Surfing

Villa Caletas, Costa Rica Pt 5 - Monkeys!

Villa Caletas, Costa Rica Pt 6 - Last Day

Traveling Home from Costa Rica

Friday was our fifth full day at the resort, or the sixth day if you count our first afternoon. By this time, we felt totally "in the swing" of the luxurious life at a Costa Rican five-star resort. God must have wanted to balance out all this luxury and fine dining with some gritty rainforest adventure, because we finally decided to make the trek to the national park to see some wildlife! We had heard people at our resort raving about seeing monkeys up close and personal at Manuel Antonio National Park, so we decided to get in on the action.

We hired a driver to take us to Manuel Antonio National Park, which was about an hour to hour and a half drive down the coast of the country. We drove through towns, palmolive tree farms, and mountains. Occasionally, our driver would hear us cooing over how beautiful the scenery was, and he would just pull over and tell us to go ahead and get out and take a picture.

Once we got to the park, we debated whether or not to hire a guide or take a group tour. My husband pointed out that if we didn't have a guide, we could move entirely at our own place. Plus, call me ignorant if you must, but I am simply not that interested in knowing each individual species of plant. Truth be told, I WAS JUST THERE TO SEE THE MONKEYS! 

We wandered around, guideless, for a while and started wondering if we had made the wrong choice. Despite keeping our eyes peeled and being in a rainforest, all we had seen in that first hour was a pair of monkeys that was extremely far away (and not picture-worthy because they were hiding) and a large red bird. 

Eventually, we got to a somewhat secluded beach. The water was gorgeous and clear, and a few other people had found the spot. We decided to lay out for a bit, take a rest, and enjoy the view.

Ultimately, though, we were there for adventure. So, when my husband spotted some awesome rock formations that went out into the water, we decided to do some rock climbing.

It sprinkled a bit as we were scrambling around the rocks, but my husband was determined to get to a certain point in the rock formation, so we continued onward. I was surprised by how tiring it was!

After rock climbing, we saw a small bridge that was somewhat hidden, and decided to take that path. It lead into the rainforest, and I was still determined to get some monkey pictures, so we decided to do it.

This picture was taken in the rainforest just before we rounded a corner and came face to face with... you guessed it... monkeys!

We were extremely close to them. By that, I mean that if I would have reached my hand out, I could have touched it. A group of monkeys was making its way across the trail, crossing from one side to the other, directly in front of us.

To our surprise, they actually hung around for quite a while and let us take pictures of them. My husband got really into it and even took some video on my phone. It's neat to see the way the monkeys were working together to make sure everyone was safe from the humans.

After seeing the monkeys, we continued down the path and crossed a small river (on foot!) before meeting back up with our driver. We had mentioned a restaurant we found online called El Avion, which was literally an airplane that had been connected to the side of a cliff, and he took us there for some post-hike refueling.

Told you it was an airplane! A B-52, to be exact. Even inside, the historical integrity of the airplane had been preserved.

We wanted to eat outside, so we were seated at a table under one of the airplane wings. It had a wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean.

We ordered a round of drinks and recapped our hike, gushing over various wildlife and details. 

And then we had another round of drinks... and some delicious Mahi Mahi.

We soon left and began the drive back to Villas Caletas. It poured rain the entire time, so I went ahead and passed out (a special talent to make the time pass) and woke up when we were arriving at a souvenir shop close to our hotel. My husband contends that my nap time missed me some decent views, but I saw them on the way down, and I had three drinks with lunch, so I'm going to go ahead and give myself a pass on that one!

It took us almost an hour in the souvenir shop to find a few mementos to bring home as well as a few small gifts for our parents. Eventually, we headed back to the resort for some R&R (Rest and Room Service!).

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Do you get excited about seeing wildlife on vacation?
• Have you ever seen monkeys up close and personal?

Engagement Coasters - DIY Photo to Tile Coasters

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**Don't Forget!  I'm giving FOUR winners a set of NuNaturals, calorie-free flavor and sweetener drops, so don't forget to enter the Giveaway! It ends tomorrow at noon, CST!**

Happy Thursday, friends! It's been a while since I posted something DIY (though most of it seems to relate to weddings, nowadays...), so I wanted to pop in on this wonderful, warm Thursday morning and show you something fun and fancy.

I wanted to share with you an awesome gift I got from my cousin, Clara. She gave this to me after I got engaged, and it has been such a fun and exciting thing to have in my home.

On the day of our engagement, we had a bunch of pictures taken. I gave Clara access to the images online, and she surprised me by transferring the images onto a set of coasters.

One of my favorite things about these coasters is that they are lined on the bottom with felt. My fiance and I have a few furniture pieces that are mid century modern (not just the style - they're actually vintage), so we try to be very careful about not scratching the wood.

Another tip from Clara: The "tile sealer" mentioned in the tutorial below is not cheap (it will run you around $30). Instead of buying that for one project, she just bought clear waterproof rustoleum, and they're holding up perfectly.

Ready to make your own? Here's the tutorial she used!

QUESTIONS:

• What was the cutest hand-made gift you've ever received?

GRATITUDE: 
Dear Chicago,
Thank you for finally being kind of warm. And thanks for doing it on a Thursday, so that Friday Eve can already feel like the beginning of the weekend. You're so sneaky, Chicago.
Love,
Carly

Be My Bridesmaid? Pt. 2

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Last week, I showed you how I "proposed' to my bridesmaids. It was a crafty gesture that combined dorky, sweet, and awesome (if I may say so myself).

While I'm sure you can appreciate cuteness just from the pictures of the box, I wanted to share some of the extra cuteness (squeal! ...seriously) that evolved because of the boxes. Pictures taken of or by the real girls in my wedding party who received them!

Note: I asked my girls in the order of how long I've known them. So, I started with my sister on Christmas morning, then the next day asked my cousins, then my girlfriend from High School, and then my girlfriend from College.

First, here's a cute series of images of my sister opening up her box... 

The funny thing is, we were staying in the same house this week, because my fiance and I spent a few days up at my parents' place. So, Ailie (my sister) knew I was up to something. I even borrowed a few supplies from her. I pretty much just holed up in my bedroom and got crazy with the hot glue, if ya know what I mean. :)

Next, I asked my cousins, Clara and Maggie, at a big family gathering. While everyone was distracted (probably by food), my sister and I snuck out to the car and grabbed their boxes. I pranced back inside and pretty much plopped them down in front of each of them. Sneaky Carly!

My cousin Maggie Instagrammed the above picture of her box, right after opening it, with the caption "Of course I'll be your bridesmaid, @createliveblog!" So cute.

Next, I met my friend Emily for dinner and popped the question there. She later insagrammed this picture. Instagram, meet my wedding. You're going to be on very close terms, I guess!

To ask my friend Kelsey, I had to mail the box to Texas. After receiving it, she texted me this picture...

Because I put the scrabble tiles spelling their name (or a nick name) in their box, Kelsey had the tiles to spell Y-E-S. So cute. I had no idea she even had the letters in her box to do it - it wasn't something I'd thought of - so it was a clever surprise when I got this text from her!

Anyway, now on to all of you...

• How did you (or would you) ask your bridesmaids to be in your wedding party?
  

And now, as I've promised to start doing, an exercise in gratitude...
Dear Melted Brown Snow Water that is all around Chicago,
Sometimes, when I'm getting on the bus, I pretend that I'm hopping over lava instead of nasty, polluted, melted snow. Thanks for making me feel like a kid again!
Love, Carly

Hello Moto... Part 1

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Hello Moto Part 1, The Overall Experience
Hello Moto Part 2, The Food - You're reading it!
Hello Moto Part 3, The Wine 

I've been intrigued by Moto for about a year and a half now, and when my fiance sneakily (and far in advance, what a good man) booked us there for Valentine's Day, I was happy ecstatic.

After last night, I've got so many things to say about this place... so, to spare you a total brain (and photo) dump, I'll break it up.

First... the overall experience.




I worked from home yesterday, so public transportation time didn't get its normal chance to cut into my day (I'm really needlessly complaining -- it usually takes me 15 to 20 minutes). That meant I could hop in the shower earlier and let my hair air dry before curling it a bit.

By 6:30 or 7:00, I was prepped and ready. I'm wearing a cowl neck dress that I don't particularly love, but it was my fiance's favorite, and after all, it was Valentine's Day, so I wore the darn thing. I'm also wearing the shoes I wore for my Engagement Pics and toting my new Sam Edelman bag (Oh my gosh, you can fit so many things in there!).




Before we left, we snapped this pic in our huge, 7+foot tall Uber Mirror. Actually, we took 3, but this was the only decent one in which my fiance's eyes aren't closed.



When we arrived, we thought we were early. Our reservation was for 7:30 and it was about 7:10 (my fiance thought it would take longer to catch a cab, I guess). To our delight, Moto had us down for 7:00, so we were seated immediately.

Our table was in view of these chefs, who were hard at work plating our "tasting menu." They were using piping bags, scientific looking tweezers, etc. Seriously, it looked like they were doing food surgery over there.
  
A few minutes after we sat, after we'd had just the right amount of time to look around, the server arrived with the "tasting menu." Instead of giving you a real menu, they give you a small bite that is meant to tease you for the taste to come. These aren't just a smaller version of the larger plates - they're actually a bit different than what we would later taste. It was very exciting to get a taste of what was to come.

I absolutely loved what tasted like a carmelized onion jam. Onion is one of my favorite flavors, and this bite really brought it out. There was also a Cauliflower Panna Cotta, which my fiance thought tasted like sea food, but I thought was pretty delish.



After we tasted the tasting menu (ha), the wine director brought out our wine tasting menu. The sommelier at Moto put together this list of wines to accompany the courses.



I'm not going to go into all the details yet -- because the wines, themselves, deserve a post of their own. Which they will get. Trust me.

Buttt, I will tell you that we started out with some yummy pink champagne, and it was the perfect toast to start the night.



The restaurant really does go with their "sciencey" food theme. Check out the wall to my left - complete with tiles that are science inspired, test tubes and various items that look as though they belong in a laboratory.

Let's just say that food was had, drinks were ... drank? drunk?

And the night closed with a perfect, heart-shaped dessert (trust me, there were 3 desserts, this one was the best... more to come on that).



SOMEBODY devoured it :)

Don't worry, a real, picture-laden run-down of the food and wine is on its way to you soon!

We're Getting Hitched!

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That's right, we're getting married! This weekend, my fiance fooled me by fabricating a fake story about our Saturday plans, proposing to me, bringing me to an amazing post-proposal photoshoot, and arranging to have our parents meet us for a celebratory shoot and dinner! Read the full story below.

  

Last weekend, my fiance fooled me by fabricating a story for our Saturday plans. We have plans to meet up with my parents, he said. They're in town for Christmas shopping, he said.

So, on Saturday morning, I took it easy. We cleaned the apartment (seriously, how did he know I would enjoy this day more with a clean apartment!?). Eventually, I started getting ready to hang out with his parents.

I was just finishing getting ready, folding the corners on a smooth and perfectly made bed, when Justin called for me from the other room. Carly, he said, come in here!

But, I'm making the bed, babe! Do I have to come now? After a beat of silence, I heard Yes! You should come now!

When I walked into the living room, Justin put his hands on my shoulders and told me to stand in the middle of the room and wait. He left for a moment, and I heard movement in the other room (little did I know that he had gotten me out of there so he could grab the diamond ring he'd stashed in the closet!).

When he returned, I still hadn't caught on. Finally, he said, This whole day has been a kind of misdirection. We're not actually going to meet my parents right now.

I tilted my head and asked, Okay, then what are we doing?

My future husband smiled and said, We're going to meet a photographer at the Kinzie Street Bridge to take pictures.

At this point, I had an inkling of what was going on, but I still wasn't sure. A moment later, I had my answer. He was down on one knee, my heart was thumping in my chest, and the next five minutes were a total blur. I had to ask him the next day what he actually said to me, so clearly my brain was so flooded with pure joy that it forgot to take notes! I love you more than anything. You mean everything to me and I want to be with you forever. Will you marry me?

The poor guy must have been scared to death for a moment, because my response was hardly a whisper. Yes. He tilted his head and asked, Is that a yes? I nodded and shouted it.

When he slipped the ring on my finger, it fit - perfectly.

A moment later (you know, after fixing my hair and texting my sister, crying), we were on our way to the most genuinely smile-filled photo shoot I've ever been part of. We took hundreds - actually, probably thousands - and were kissing in almost all of them.

An hour or two later - I lost every concept of time, so it could have been more or less - we went to one of our favorite restaurants called TWO. It's down the street from the new apartment we'd moved into together and was one of our favorite date night spots. The photographer came with us to take pictures of us as we sat at the bar - and then, all of a sudden, Justin's parents walked through the curtain, followed by my own parents.

We took a few more pictures, filled with clanking glasses and hugging and smiles, and then sat down for a wonderful dinner with both sets of parents. It was a perfect day - from the intimate, quiet proposal, to the photoshoot that captured our emotions on the day we got engaged, to the inclusion of our parents.

Does this guy know how to plan a proposal or what?

Justin worked with my Aunt to design the ring, and I think they did a wonderful job capturing my personality. The piece is entirely custom, vintage and modern at the same time, and with just a bit of flair. Definitely unique - and exactly what I wanted. It even has a small aquamarine, which is Justin's birth stone, embedded in the top and bottom of the ring.

Holland [Not The Country] & The Best Day Ever

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WARNING: This post describes what might have been the best day of my life. Get ready for some happiness, here!

Last weekend, Justin and I traveled to the distant land of Holland. Not the country. It's a small Michigan town nestled on Lake Michigan, with another much smaller lake also connected to it. Two lakes. One boat. Two kayaks. One dog. Two Dunes. One extremely high energy Carly...



Kayaking is simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. Every time a large wave came by, I cursed the boat whose wake I was battling and silently said a tiny prayer. Lord, please do not let me tip over.





We were out in the kayaks for an hour or so. Half way through, my shoulders were burning. But the moment we turned around, everything changed. Funny how being on the home stretch can bring a smile to your face. Granted, the waves were still terrifying... but I was getting a good workout (reason to smile # 1) and I was almost home (reason to smile # 2).



To further capitalize on the sun and natural landscape... and to make a bright, sunny day on the lake even more romantic... Justin and I decided to pack a lunch and take the boat to the dunes.



With the water level so low, the boat was anchored out farther from the dock than usual. I've got to give Justin some credit and thanks here for carrying me to the boat. Then carrying the cooler. Then carrying my camera bag and our bag of sun screen, etc. And then the dog. I'm cracking up at the looks on their faces. It's as though he's carrying her to the top of Mt. Everest (which we later climbed... see below).







Dunes. I'd seen them before in Indiana. This was a whole different story entirely. I'm not convinced that these images even capture the height and magnificence of the dunes.



Justin referred to this particular area as the bowl. Instead of the large dune pushing right up to the water, there is a smaller dune with a huge (and not visible in this picture) bowl of dunes behind it.





The openness. The beauty. How could I ever find this in a city? Never.







And how could this high-energy pup ever find this much free space to run around in while in the city? Never.







We hiked up the first set of dunes. I'll be honest and admit that I had to stop a few times. This was almost encouraging for me, because it signaled that, on top of being in a beautiful place and getting some great sun, I was also getting a great workout.



Climbing the dunes was like being on a stairmaster... but instead of stairs, the sand is moving, sucking your feet in, and slowly falling backwards, as though an avalanche of soft, white sand is threatening to take you away with it. Not the easiest thing to climb. Again, this made me extremely happy. I love a good challenge.



Hazel had a similar experience. She would sprint part of the dune, then stop and sit, slide a bit, and start again.



She brought up a ball... which she promptly set down (you can do that on flat land, so why not?).



It immediately began rolling down the steep dunes. She watched it with a funny look on her face for about 30 seconds... then, shortly after I snapped this image, she took off after the ball.



How high were we? It's hard to do the height and steepness of the dunes justice in pictures. Here's how far away Justin was, while he stood down below. I'm pretty sure this was taken when I wasn't even at the top yet. See the tiny little human? Don't forget that he's 6 foot 7...



He then sprinted up after me. Show off. :)



Once at the top of the first dune, we were amazed by the view. One side was a panoramic view of Lake Michigan. Boats coming in to land at the dunes. On the other was a magnificent view of trees and dunes.







Suddenly, we looked up into a tree to see a wooden box. I figured it was a geocache and wanted to open it.





Turns out, it was a love letter! Someone had left it high up in the tree. What a climb their lover must have to do to find it someday, if they already haven't...


The front of the box was intricately carved. Someone spent some loving hours on this box. So cute to find.



We moved away from the lovers' box and hiked along the top of a few dunes. Some of the dunes were covered in what felt like a forest... giving the illusion of a desert on one side but a forest on the other. Opposites!

I should preface the next image by informing you that, no, I am not naked. I'm wearing the same swim suit I am in all the other pictures. Yet somehow, it doesn't quite show.





On the back side of the first dune, we could see various trails climbing high up into other dunes. The wall of sand on the right was so steep that I figured I probably wasn't even capable of climbing it.

Justin jumped/climbed/ran down into the center of the sand "bowl."

And, standing on one of the dunes, here's all I could see of him and Hazel. Click on the image to zoom in... I swear that's an extremely tall human being down there.

Before climbing the highest dunes, we had a bare bones picnic. By bare bones, I mean one huge spinach/strawberry/walnut/feta salad, which we split, and two Stellas... which we couldn't open, so we switched to trusty old Miller Lite.

After the picnic is where my personal version of this story really gets good. You might have to be a little sentimental to enjoy it. And we decided to leave the camera behind in order to make the extremely steep hike unscathed, so there are no visuals to help me tell the tale. Just my recollection.

We began hiking up the tallest dune. It took us about 20-30 minutes and, for me, was pure challenge. Every step I took required some serious internal coaxing. About half way up the dune, I stopped and turned my head to see what was behind me. I was already so high above the earth that I could actually see up and over the previous dune. I could see the beautiful, blue water of Lake Michigan and the dark green vegetation on other dunes. It was majestic. So suddenly, I raised my hands high in the air, and started to pray. To thank God for the moment I was having. To tell Him what a wonderful job I think He did and how beautiful everything was. To tell Him how happy I was in that moment and how much I loved Him.

Then, when I looked back at the dune, I was reminded that I was only half way through the journey. Every step was difficult. I felt God urging me to keep going, to make it to the top of the dune. So I kept pushing.

And then, near the top, I broke into a (very painful) sprint. I ran the last 10 yards and finally reached the top. I was greeted with one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. To one side, the bright blue ocean. But on the other side of the dune was something I couldn't have seen without finishing the climb. Miles of wilderness. Natural beauty, the way Michigan was made, long before we put up buildings and took down trees. Miles of tall trees, steep hills, and small lakes. All seemingly untouched.

Just as some lover had left the "I Love You" note in a small, wooden box, God had left that precious sight for me. To tell me that He loved me. Just as the lover would have had to hike the dune to reach the wooden box, I had to make a journey to find my gift. And, just as one of the lovers must have spent countless hours painstakingly carving the intricate details on the box, God had created something intricately detailed for us. 

I stood there for quite a while. Breathing. Sinking it in. Tearing up a little bit. With sunglasses on and no one around but Justin and the dog to see, tears were easy and almost invisible. I just stood there, appreciating the beauty of the gift I felt I had just been given. And every time I felt a gust of wind, I really did feel like God was hugging me.

When it was finally time to head out, I turned around and waved goodbye...

And we made our way back to the house, where I could tell that we had timed the day perfectly. Suddenly, a huge storm rolled in.

And, at the end of the day, I felt just like Justin's dog. On the way out to the dunes, Hazel had been anxious and couldn't seem to calm down. Justin had turned to me and said, "Just wait until you see how she looks on the way back. It's like a different dog."



And sure enough, on the way back, instead of anxious and unable to relax, Hazel seemed content and calm.



Content and calm is just how I felt. And, if you know me, that, in itself, is quite a feat. :)

See you tomorrow!