Lights Shining Down........

Sunday, after working in the garage some, my husband came into the house and said "I want to hire some people to do some various work on the house." I about fell over. I don't think these words have EVER come out of his mouth. LOL. Since he is SOOO handy, he hates spending money on service people because truly, he can do most of the work himself. Our issue though, is time. We have no time to do anything like that. I don't even have time or energy to clean this place most of the time. Anyway, I was thrilled to hear him say that. And, I need to get ALL over that because he may change his mind soon.

I have a guy coming tomorrow to look at the fireplace. We have a gas fireplace in the great room, and it has not worked since two winters ago. Yea, we never called anyone last winter. Whoops. Anyway, hopefully it is a simple fix and I can light the fireplace again this winter. I love the fireplace.

I ordered the ceiling fans I wanted today, and talked the place down on price with the use of price matching. Also, got a free table fan with purchase, which I will put in my office. They should be delivered within a week or so, and then I am going to call the electrician to fix various things in the house.

We are also going to call some people about painting inside. I really want to paint the great room and entrance to the house a dark brown color, and paint the kitchen a darker red, as well as the bedroom some shade of blue. I normally would not pay someone to paint, but with the bad economy in MI, it may be worth it with the discount service prices we can get. Plus, the ceilings are crazy high in the foyer and great room for Kurt to paint. He would most likely harm himself, haha.

We stayed home all day Sunday and relaxed. Well, relaxed in between cleaning, laundry, cooking. I made an awesome apple crisp, yum. Kurt did some fall work in the garage, we put the cover on the one car and parked it for winter, and hooked the other car up to the battery charger and it is not down for the winter as well. BOOHOO to no fun cars. It has not snowed yet, so I still get to drive the Saab until the first snowfall. :). Then it's back to the winter vehicles, BOO. Winter sucks. Cold weather sucks. Snow sucks......Why do I live here again? We are supposed to have an unseasonably warm November, so that will be kewl.

Saturday, I headed to Farmington Hills to see my Mom and other family. My mom and stepDad were down to drive my grandparents to Florida, where they live in the winter. It was also Carolyn's (my cousin) 13th birthday party. So, I got to see a ton of family and hang out with Carolyn. :). My Aunt bought her a gorgeous cake, which was eaten pretty quickly and she made dinner for everyone, including salmon for me.

Tonight, the office (minus Misty who could not go as she has other things going on), went to the largest haunted house in the world, Erebus. We had a BLAST. It was about 45 minutes inside, and it was scary! Everyone screamed a LOT and we had a blast. I highly recommend going to anyone in the area.

I bought a new watch online this week too, on my new fav site, Ideeli. I have a watch i love by Burberry, but it is "bracelet" style and it is very hard to wear while typing. I end up only wearing it while going out with others, which does not happen very often. I wanted a normal kinda style watch that did not hang and dangle like the Burberry. Anyway, I found the one pictured, and it is by Rotary. Never heard of the brand, but I love the style. Hopefully, I like it as much once delivered and tried on. :). i like wearing a watch and have not worn one daily in quite some time. This one is super cute, but nice at the same time.

This week is going by super quickly, for some reason. Which is awesome, as I can't wait for the weekend, as I get to see my Mom again! Yay.

I've Come to Realize That....

*Read this quick survey on a couple friends' blogs, and decided it is a good lazy Sunday post.....Or maybe I am procrastinating from mopping the floor. I did switch the laundry and dishes over, and am comtemplating making an apple crisp. :). Anyway, if you have not already done so, fill this one out and add to your blog!

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I LOVE: doing nothing. I remember, when I was youunger, I wanted to be doing *something* at every waking moment, whatever it was. I would be bored just sitting at home. Now? I cherish the time I have at home, doing nothing. LOVE IT.

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I SAY: things a little bit too harshly sometimes. I am a tell it like it is kinda girl. And while sometimes I should chill a little bit, I really think this approach is usually the best.

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I AM: more confident than I thought i was. When I was younger, like pre-6th grade, I was SUPER shy to the point that I would barely talk to anyone unless I really, really knew them. I have always thought of myself as shy, but have realized I am not so much anymore!

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I'VE LOST: my desire to buy most things house related. I think it's because I want to move out of the country and dont want to have a lot of things to deal with if I leave.

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I HATE: hunting. animal cruelty. child abuse.

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT MARRIAGE IS: amazing. And has been since the start.

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT THE BEST: friend one should ever have is their spouse, followed by their mom.

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I'LL ALWAYS BE: Blonde. ;).

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT LOVE: is how we get through hard times.

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT THE LAST TIME I CRIED: Was over a 90210 episode. Wow, I am lame. haha.

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT, WHEN I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING: I should just get up and stop hitting the alarm! :).

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP AT NIGHT: i need to wash my face. EVERY night.

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT RIGHT NOW: I'm relaxed and should be cleaning.

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT BABIES: are very time consuming and life changing.

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I GET ON MYSPACE: very rarely. More for work research. LOL.

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT TODAY: I am tired, but need to clean. See a theme in these posts?

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT TONIGHT: I will prob make dinner, work out, and chill with Kurty watching football.

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT TOMORROW: I will work. No court though, whoot! Well, we have court, but Jessica and Stacey are covering it so we can catch up on paperwork.

I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT I REALLY WANT: to retire soon.

Sizes BLAH

My new ring came in the mail today, the one I ordered as my anniversary gift? haha. Anyway, it is too big AARGH. But, I mailed it back and they are going to send me a size smaller. I loved it though, so I am glad about that! :). Wish it would have fit right though.

I have been looking for a black coat, and finally found one online that I like. It is pictured above, and is made by Betsey Johnson, AND I got an amazing deal on it. A friend referred me to this site, Ideeli, for shopping, and I get emails a couple times a week from them. they have designer stuff, for like 80% off. Men's, women's, home, etc. Anyway, I have never bought anything from them until today. We will see if it fits right when it comes in the mail. My fav part about this coat is the buttons, which are little hearts. Love. :).

Picked up our typhoid vaccine tonight and took the first pill. Does not seem to have any side effects, except I am tired! I am always tired on Friday night though, so can't tell if it's the vaccine or just normal! :). We had sushi at Dolce tonight, and have just been chilling the rest of the night.

Friends

Had dinner last night with some law school friends--Amanda and her son, Ajani, Nancy, and Jessica. We ate at Motor City Brewing, which I loved. I had veggie chili and a crab dip, and OMG, great food. I highly recommend. It was a nice dinner, catching up and seeing all of them. Tonight, had dinner with my friend, Melanie (Tammy was supposed to come too but ended up having to cancel). We met at our norm, Famous Dave's, and caught up and gossiped for a while....It was really relaxing and nice. Yay. I guess it's a week full of friends! :).

I was SOOOOOO excited to do this one particular court hearing this morning, and was bummed that the other side did not show. Well, not really, cuz it was their hearing and I had their Motion dismissed, which thrilled my client, but i was looking forward to arguing the case as the details are great and totally on my client's side. What also sucks is I had to sit down there for almost two hours in order to simply have something dismissed. AARGH.

Oh, BTW? Jennifer Granholm sucks. And yes, I voted for her.

Happy Birthday Jessica!

My arms are killing me. We had an appointment with the travel doctor today to get a polio booster and the first in a series of three shots for the rabies vaccine. Normally, shots don't hurt me at all, but for some reason, both my arms are sore, moreso the rabies shot. I think it is because the rabies needle is slightly different than the normal vaccine needles. Anyway. Ow. Hopefully they hurt less by morning.

Today is Jessica's 28th birthday. We had an office lunch, we sent her flowers at the office that were really pretty and all pink, and we all went out to Malarky's after work. It was a nice day. Pic here is of me and Kurt at the after dinner event. :). Happy Birthday, Jessica!

Happy ***** Day!

We don't celebrate Sweetest Day. I *thought* it was a lame Hallmark holiday, but then I was schooled by Rebecca tonight, who sent me a link to what Sweetest Day really was......and I love the real story behind it. It is kinda not surprising that America has turned it into a commercialized kinda day that has nothing to do with helping the underprivileged. But, to everyone who does celebrate, Happy Sweetest Day! I do think it's nice that couples dote on one another and spend time together. Spread the love! ;).

So today, I went with two of my Aunt's to Birch Run for some outlet shopping. I had a great day. I ended up finding some great deals. I got a suit at the Kasper Outlet, made by Le Suit. Marked down from $200.00 to $55.00. What a deal. I love deals like that. Also bought a pair of dress pants, sweater and heels at Ann Taylor, a pair of jeans at the Bass Outlet, PUG boxers for Kurt at JCrew (like I could not buy those), some kewl Pyrex bowls at the Corningware Outlet, and knee high nylons at the Leggs Hanes Store. I also bought this really cute apron at Le Gourmet Chef that is cobalt blue and says Kiss My Asparagus.

We had lunch at A&W and I love having their rootbeer, it's the best ever. The best moment of the day was when we were at A&W and heading out to the car and Aunt Marlene totally went to the wrong car and tried to get in while Aunt Karen and I were walking in the other direction. It was hilarious. I would not stop laughing.....

Today, I headed into Southgate to run some errands. we needed pop and Kurt needed Breath Right strips, which i only buy at Sams Club. There was NO LINE at customer service, which never happens, so I fixed my card which was having an issue. I bought these new vitamins, which I started taking today. Anyone take anything like this before? It is supposed to give you the nutrients from fruits and veggies that one needs in a day, and since I dont eat a ton of those, I thought this would help me out. I guess we will see how I like them. I headed to Petsmart after that because Gretel needed a new winter sweater. Ended up buying her a really cute pink one. Also bought her a halloween costume. Gretel will be a bee this year! :). Also, picked up some doggie food, a new kind that looks good for them. While at Petsmart, I kept seeing pug after pug, it was surreal! I finally realized that they have a pug Sunday one day a month and people bring their pugs to play in a backroom there. I probably saw like 30 pugs, at least, a bunch of them in Halloween costumes, the best of which, was a pug banana. I have to take the pugs next month, well at least Vito and Gretel. Oscar gets nervous in social situations. :). Headed after that to the mall. My sunglasses, the awesome Revos I got on clearance in May 2008, died. One of the lenses kept popping out, and this last time, it fell and cracked a little bit. So, they are being retired. :(. I became spoiled with the polarized lenses in those, so I went to Sunglasses Hut to look at only polarized pairs. I wanted another pair of Revos, but they did not have any styles that I liked this time. I tried on some I loved that were Dolce and Gabbana, but they were not polarized. I ended up with a pair of Maui Jim's. Never heard of the brand before, but I like the lenses. They have this weird policy at that store where you can "try out" the lenses for 90 days and if you bring them back, you can trade them for another pair. OK, seriously, I will do it just to get a new pair. What a weird policy. (picture above is of me in the sunglasses, taken in the car, so excuse the bad quality). Headed to Lady Foot Locker next to look for shoes. I had about given up on finding new ones. Everywhere I have looked previously, I either liked nothing, or they did not have my size. All my fashion tennies are OLD, like I think at least two years old, and I want to get rid of some and replace, but can't until I find new ones! Anyway, I lucked out today. I bought a pair of Pumas and a pair of New Balance (I did not even know New Balance made non-running shoes).

Did a bunch of laundry this weekend (still not done, UGH), and made a really yummy salmon pasta dinner tonight, and watched Desperate Housewives, which is the only show left on TV that I actually watch weekly. No court in the morning, so hopefully things are calm! :). Hope everyone else had a nice and productive weekend!

Happy Bosses' Day

I had no idea there was a Bosses' Day until today, LOL. Stacey sent me a text at court telling me that she and Jessica were taking Kurty and I to lunch for Bosses' Day, and I thought it was a made-up day by them or something, LOL. Stacey showed me in her planner though, it actually IS a real day! :). Anyway, we went to Mexican Gardens and it was a really, really nice lunch. We lingered because we had not scheduled any in office appointments this afternoon. Kurt and I decided to leave early too, so I was not at work very much today since I had court all morning. We came home and both of us fell asleep and took naps for part of the afternoon, and I enjoyed watching random afternoon TV that I never get to see. Maury was a great one with paternity tests, LOVE those. Tonight we had sushi and have just chilled at home.

Last night, I saw Legally Blonde: The Musical at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. I totally, and completely, LOVED IT. Not surprising at all, since the movie is my favorite movie. I would see it again I loved it so much. I highly recommend it to anyone who has the chance to see it.

I am researching buying two new ceiling fans for the living room. I think I have it narrowed down to the one I want to buy, but I am still looking just to make sure. the ones in the living room I have NEVER liked. Mostly because the guy who built our house had horrible taste in lighting. The one I like it pictured above, and is by Minka Aire, which I have never heard of before. Seems like a nice brand though from the reviews the fan gets on sites. We are going to have an electrician come to the house to fix some odds and ends in the house, and will have the ceiling fans put in then.

the heat was not working in our house this week for two days, and was finally fixed yesterday, which is awesome. We found a new guy to work on thte furnace, a referral. He is awesome, super fast, and best of all, CHEAP! Hooray! Three trips to the house and his labor cost was only $65. I almost felt guilty about it, but I paid him what he asked......

Vito has still been coming into the office daily to get his drops. I think his eye looks like it is improving, but the little mark from the cut is still kinda there. Hopefully, he is given a clean bill of health on Monday and we can stop bringing him in. I love having him there, but I dont get as much work done, because he likes to sit in my lap! :).

i am going shopping with two of my Aunts tomorrow. Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Staying Positive

A website/blog I was on tonight really made me sit back and think.

We, and society in general, tend to get upset about really trivial things. Get mad at people for stupid reasons. Get worked up, yell, get stressed out, over things that could easily be forgotten.

I try to live my life by seeing the positive side of things, the glass half full. I try to take bad situations and make them good, but I still to complain, and get worked up about things that should not really matter.

Anyway.

An attorney I know, who worked in the downriver area (and now lives elsewhere) was diagnosed with glioblastoma, which from what I read, is a very aggressive form of brain cancer. She had a headache that would not go away, and proactively had it checked out, and this is what was found. She had surgery, she is having chemo. Through ALL of this, she stays positive. I am sure she has her down days, but her journaling of everything is so upbeat and positive. I wonder what I really have to complain about, EVER. She has a potentially deadly cancer, deals with constant medical treatments, and is only 30 years old.

Does it really matter if a restaurant screws up our lunch order? Does it really matter if that person cuts you off on the highway? Does it really matter if another attorney annoys me on the phone?

I think we all need to step back, daily, and appreciate what we have. Our family, our friends, our significant other, our pets, our careers, our health, whatever. Cuz you know what? No matter what is going on in your life, it could be worse. And if this individual I am talking about can stay positive, then so can all of we.

Right?

So, when things seem horrible, think about the good things. Take a deep breath. And smile.

13 Years

How crazy is it that I have now been with Kurt for 13 years? Insanity. And our relationship just gets better all the time. I could not ask for anything more in a husband, and although neither one of us in perfect and we have our disagreements, I think we have both discovered some of the secrets of an almost perfect relationship, although really, I can't even share them because I can't really describe it in words.

I am truly blessed to be married to someone I consider my best friend, and get to spend so much time with him every day since we work together as well. I love that our relationship is soooo easy, and I am never one to say that our marriage is work at all. It just "is", and I would not have it any other way.

Anyway, HAPPY DATING ANNIVERSARY, baby! I love you, and can't wait to spend the next 13 years with you (and more).

Book Review

I read this book on vacay, and it was the first one I have read by this author. Loved it. Very cute, easy read, and the women in the book were around the age of my friends and I, so very relatable to situations of those I know and friendships I have. Nothing complex about this book, but that is exactly how I like my books. I think enough at work, I don't want to ponder the fate of the world while reading. Anyway, I ordered another book by this author, which I started reading the other night, and so far, so good! :). Happy reading!

Happy Anniversary to Me! And Kewl New Site.

I found this site, after seeing a ring I fell in love with in In Style magazine....who knew reading while working out would result in my spending money? :). Anyway, I went to the site, and tried finding the ring I wanted, and it was not on there in the color scheme I wanted. The one on there was this one, and I liked the one in the magazine (pictured here) because of the two tone colors. So, I sent an email to the site asking if they had the ring in the colors I wanted, and they wrote RIGHT back on a Sunday night (great customer service) telling me yes, just place the order and they would send the correct color to me. So, I did!

Can't wait to get the ring. I love jewelry, but I have a LOT of jewelry, so it's rare for me to find something that I really want, and I love the vintage look of this.

Secrets**

Weird Hearings.

Coupons

I heart coupons. Needed a new pair of jeans for winter, so decided to stop at NY and Co to see if I could find some that fit right. I hate shopping for jeans. I need them in tall generally, and most stores do not carry them. I am really picky about style as well, and I hate skinny jeans and anything tight.

Anyway, tried on three pairs and liked them all, but settled on a pair similar to these, but a darker colored wash. I also ended up buying a really cute jacket in black, a cute shirt to wear under my suits in cranberry, two bodyshapers to wear under the jacket I bought and another jacket i have (as well as under sweaters I have as well or suits), a necklace, and three pairs of socks. I used a coupon I had for $50 off! And, they gave me another coupon at checkout for use in November, where I get $45 off if I spend $90. Love it. I wore my new jacket and one of the tanks to dinner with the new necklace. We had dinner tonight at Nick and Nino's and watched some football. It was nice.

Also stopped at Best Buy today because I had $40 in rewards dollars to use that expire soon and I ended up buying a Spanish program which I started using today. Today, I worked on numbers, colors and time. I am going to try and do a little bit per week.

I had two interesting hearings on Friday, which I am going to private blog about.

Tomorrow, if the weather is OK, i may head to the state park and take some pics of the leaves changing colors.....Also really need to get some laundry done and mop. Ugh. Taking pics sounds better, I think. :).

One of my friends in northern MI said that they got SNOW today. It did not stick, but still, snow? NO. Mother Nature, please let the snow stay up there and in Iowa with Megan, or in Colorado with Alex, and leave me alone. I am not ready for snow.

Update on Vito

Vito had an appointment today for his eye, and the specialist said that although it is healing slowly, it IS healing and he will be fine. They gave him two other drops (now he has three) and he has to go back for a recheck on Monday. They did some other tests on his eye too, and Kurt said he was a perfect pug angel through all of them. He loves vets. He is so weird, but, that's why I love him! :). I am just glad that he will be OK and will not need surgery or anything. He is getting to be quite the fixture at the office though. He mostly sits in a chair next to my desk and snores through appointments. He is going to be mad at us when he starts staying home again. Poor guy. ;).

Had a massage last night. Loving the new girl I am seeing. She is crazy mean, almost to the point where she uses too much pressure, but not quite--which is perfect for me. Since my last appointment until this one, I had no migraines, nothing, and I did not feel like i *needed* a massage, before the appointment. During the apppointment, it became apparent that I did, but still, it's nice to not feel screwed up all the time.

This week has been pretty hectic at work, as I dont know if there has been one day where everyone was in the office at all times of one day. Jessica was out sick part of Monday, and all of Tuesday, and then part of the day today at the dr. Kory was out sick this afternoon. Misty was out with a sick daughter yesterday and took tomorrow off. Stacey was at a conference most of the day today (which was a good thing though since it was for the office). Vito had two dr appointments that took Kurt out of the office. And we have had court, like usual, every morning. There was a short time today when I was the ONLY one at work, which was SOOOO odd. I will be glad when everyone is not sick. I don't know how I avoid the sicknesses, but then again, even when I am sick, i am working, LOL. I have to pretty much be dying to not work. Such is life when you are self-employed. But, i got a lot of work done today, oddly, as I finished a Brief I was working on, and cleared off some of my desk.

Anyway, I know this post is random, but that's all I got! :). Pic above is from the Sansa plane going from San Jose to Golfito. Love the small planes that allow pictures to be taken like this......I miss Costa Rica already and we have barely been gone. :(.

Michael Vick Sucks

You have GOT to be freaking kidding me.

I can't believe he murders all those dogs, and NOW, we let him have a TV show.

Unbelievable.

Cd Rec

This is a great cd. Just got it via eBay yesterday and am almost thru listening to the entire thing. Really relaxing, and great second cd for Colbie.

Random Updates

Saturday was Lori day! OK, not really, but I managed to get a lot of things done, for me, that needed to be done. Headed to David Broadway salon to get my hair highlighted and cut, and my eyebrows waxed. Had 6 inches of hair cut off the back. This is crazy for me! However, it must not be too crazy as Kurt cannot even notice a difference, LOL. I, though, feel like a ton lighter without the longer hair. I would say it's mid-long in lenghth now. I love it. The color turned out amazing, as usual. Then, as I was checking out, I saw a sign by the door. They were offering 30% off services if you took the spot of someone who had cancelled that day. I saw a mani/pedi appointment 5 minutes later which I snagged. Had that done, then headed home. Bought new Aquage shampoo and conditioner while there (which I totally recommend, it is the BEST prroducts for my hair that I have ever used) and because I bought two products, I got one for free, another shampoo. I have been needing to do all the above, and was glad to have it done at one place in one afternoon! Whoot! My colorist told me, while I was there, that she is switching salons to this place called Studio 51, so now i have to decide if I am going to switch salons. Really, color is the most important thing to me, and I really like her, so I prob will. checked out the new place online, and it looks like their prices are cheaper too, so maybe I will try it once and see. Came home and spent the rest of the night doing stuff around the house, then went to dinner with kurt to watch some games. We tried this new sports bar near our house called Nick and Nino's, which I loved. Had fish tacos, really yummy, and the service was great.

Sunday, during football season, Kurt spends the bulk of the day watching 800 football games, so I decided to do things around the house, grocery shop, and go look for long sleeved shirts at Kohl's. I finally broke down and decided that it is cold here, and I cannot wear t-shirts and capris any longer. I had $20 in Kohl's cash and a 30% off coupons. Got some awesome deals there. Everything I bought was on sale. I bought Kurt two new sweathers and two long sleeved shirts, and bought myself 9 long sleeved shirts (which includes sweather and knit shirts). Also bought three rings that are super cute, my fav was one that cost $4 after all deals. Whoot. At the grocery store, I used a TON of coupons and saved a LOT of money there too. I heart saving funds! :).

Jessica sent me a text on Sunday that she has shingles! I had no clue what it was, but after researching, figured out it is not contagious if you have had chicken pox, which everyone at the office has. How painful though. She came into work today, but, she ended up leaving early and is now not coming back in until Wednesday, so we are down one until then.......Thankfully, court is not too crazy tomorrow and Wednesday.

Last night, I made Kurt a 7-layer dip (which I slightly modified taking out salsa and adding banana peppers, oh, and changing black olives to green) from a Kroger recipe I got in the mail. It was super yummy (I tried a bite)

Vito's eye is not getting too much better, so I had to make him an appointment with a specialist. I don't even remember if I blogged about this or not, but the morning before we left for Costa Rica, Vito was kinda squinting with one of his eyes and we took him into the vet. He got some kind of small cut on his eye, but they do not think it is anything horrible. They gave us drops to give him with a recheck appointment. They rechecked him the day we got back, and things had not improved so they changed th drops to new ones. We have been giving him those and took him back last night and although they think he has improved some, they suggested taking him into a specialist to be sure. So, we have that appointment tomorrow. Poor little guy! He lucked out though, since the drops are every two hours, he has been coming into the office with us daily. :).

Trip Report--Costa Rica September 2009

So, our Labor Day trip this year happened a little bit late…….at the end of September. This year, we chose Costa Rica again, but an area different than we have been to before called Golfito. We went to Costa Rica from 9/24-2/29.

Thursday, we left super early from Detroit and flew via Continental Airlines through Houston to San Jose, Costa Rica. We were staying one night in San Jose, as there are no later afternoon flights to Golfito, our final destination. We got there, and our hotel near San Jose, the Holiday Inn Express, picked us up at the airport. As soon as we exited the airport, they were there with a sign with my name on it, and we jumped on their shuttle and headed to the hotel. Got there, and we were all exhausted, so we took a 1.5 hour nap, then headed out to the Hotel Del Ray, as Kurt really wanted to show Kory the spectacle that it is. The hotel is known for it’s prostitutes (which is legal in Costa Rica). Anyway, it was crazy. We had dinner there and just watched the action. There is a casino there as well, but most guys go just to check out the “eye candy” and hire girls for the night. The way it works is so odd there though, the guys have to almost “court” the girls, hang out with them and get to know them, and then they head off to a room. It was great entertainment. Anyway, the food there was really good, considering that the place is obviously not known for good meals. After dinner, we played a little bit of blackjack, then headed back to the room. I was exhausted, so while Kurt and Kory headed next door to Casino Fiesta, I stayed in the room and showered, read a book, and watched TV.

Friday, we got up super early again to catch our flight to Golfito via Sansa Air. Got the small airport and checked it, waited with the other 8 passengers to board. Really small plane, but great flight. Arrived in Golfito at the airport and a taxi picked us up and took us to the boat dock, where the captain of the Golfo Dulce Lodge’s boat greeted us and took us on our 25 minute boat ride to the Lodge. Arrived at the Lodge and to breakfast, which was good. Fresh fruit, eggs, meat (for Kory), fresh squeezed juice, toast. During breakfast, a herd of peccaries was spotted nearby, so we all got up to go see them. Pretty kewl to see one of my fav animals within 10 minutes of arriving! The peccaries remind me of pugs--they look like large hairy pigs and snort like them too! After that, we were shown to our room and unpacked some. Our cabin was nice……two beds (one single and one double), with a bathroom and a living room seating area, and a large front porch with a hammock and chairs. Decided that day to head into the City of Golfito to meet with a realtor Kurt had contacted prior to our trip about seeing some property on Tower Road in Golfito (a 300 acre jungle parcel). So, the boat captain took us back into town, and on the way, we saw dolphins! Swimming and jumping right next to our boat. That was awesome. Found the Realtor, and she took us to that piece, as well as another one she thought we might like. The 300 acre piece ended up not being what we wanted. A lot of the property was this really steep drop, and would have been really hard to hike and explore. The other piece however, was pretty kewl, but more than we currently want to spend. It had a house, pool and two cabins, with 110 jungle acres. We will keep it on our radar, although, I do not think Golfito is where we will end up living. It’s a tiny bit too remote, I think. Anyway. Had lunch at this place called Buenos Dios in town, which is the ONLY air conditioned restaurant in Golfito. Food was yummy, I had shrimp with rice and black beans. We explored Golfito some, then met Kory at this bar near the ocean, where he was drinking and waiting for us. Kory fished some with the bartender at the place (called Samoa Bar and Restaurant), and we then headed back to the lodge for the night. Saw some macaws and toucans, had dinner (needle fish, which was a first for me and super yummy) and went to bed. Oh, we found out we were the Lodge’s ONLY guests for our time there. There were more staff working than us (the guests).

Saturday, we got up early to hike to the Tower at the Lodge. On the way, we saw agouti, coati, macaws and toucans. Went to the top of the Tower, which was really high and overlooked the entire jungle. Had breakfast, then went on a boat tour of the Rio Equinas. Wow, it was HOT. This was the day, even with sunscreen, the three of us got burned. I mostly only got burned on my shoulders and top of my back though, which was good for me because usually, my entire body burns from the sun there the first time exposed. We saw a lot of birds on the tour, as well as caiman and crocodiles. The tour was pretty kewl as we did not really see anyone else during the entire thing. Pretty deserted river. Came back and had lunch, then took a nap on the hammock on the porch. Headed to the beach at the Lodge, laid in hammocks there, and watched the macaws play in the trees and scream at us. They have the funniest call for such a gorgeous bird……Kory went swimming, and we napped some and I read a book. After that, headed to the house and property next door to the Lodge, which was for sale. Met with the owner, but the house only has two acres and she is asking too much for it. We also think she sells drugs or was doing them….LOL. Came back to the Lodge and took an awesome hike on this trail, where we saw capuchin monkeys, squirrel monkeys, scarlet macaws, and other birds. This was the closest I have ever been to squirrel monkeys ever. Saw them in the Osa last year, but from afar. Chilled and played Scrabble until dinner. Took a short night hike where we saw a snake, some frogs, and a turtle (near the pond at the Lodge).

Sunday, got up and headed on a hike to the Lodge waterfall. Glad we had a guide for that one, as we NEVER would have found it on our own. It was on an unmarked trail that went ALL over the place--walk in the river, go up on a trail, back in the river, etc. We wore large boots because the Guide said “sometimes snakes swim in the river we are walking in”. Yes, please, I will take the boots! :). On the way to the waterfall, we stopped and the Guide knocked some coconuts out of a tree and showed us how to peel and open them, and we got to try coconut milk, which tastes NOTHING like coconut. It was very sweet and good! And I do not like coconut. He also showed us how to take palm leaf and make it into little creatures. Although we all sucked at that. The waterfall was beautiful. We stayed there for a while admiring it and walking around looking for creatures. Kurt found a tarantula in a hole that was pretty freaky. Came back to the Lodge and had breakfast. We then relaxed a lot the remainder of the day, playing cards and Scrabble, hanging out at the beach. Took a short hike later that evening and say a tayra (which I had never seen before) and an agouti and various birds. Had dinner, then took another longer night hike through the jungle. We saw a kinkajou, heard owls, saw frogs, toads, turtle, various spiders and bugs, etc. After that, bed.

Monday, we got up and had breakfast and headed to a nearby town via boat called Puerto Jimenez. Explored the town, and bought some souvenirs and had lunch. Kurt bought a wood carving of a squirrel monkey and a painting of a red eyed tree frog. I bought a really kewl local carved vase with monkeys on it. Kory bought a soccer ball. We had lunch at a place called Juanitas Restaurant, which served Mexican food. Found an Internet café with air conditioning so we could check our email and such. Headed back to the lodge after that. Hung out at the beach and played Rummy, then headed on one more hike at the lodge. Kurt and I headed out ourselves and we saw a TON--peccaries (9), agouti, macaws, 4 green parrots (which was awesome, as they are really rare to see for us anyway), and squirrel monkey CRAZINESS. They were everywhere. We stood there for quite some time and watched them, and I think there was at least 15 of them playing above us in the trees. They are super adorable. I was in heaven. Went back to the Lodge, and Kory had seen a fer de lance while we were gone! Which is a really poisonous snake, if you are bitten you have to get to a hospital within 2 hours to get treated or you will die. The snake came right into the dining area and was just chilling near the pool. Had dinner, then went to bed.

Tuesday, got up super early (again) and headed to catch our flight. Took a gorgeous early morning boat ride, taxi met us, then we waited at the airport. Got into San Jose and had a long layover, so we checked our bags and did all the stuff with the tax you pay to leave the country, then headed to lunch at Denny’s nearby. Came back to the airport and did some shopping at the airport. Bought a really kewl wood carved bowl, and some postcards, then charged my phone and checked my email. Flight to Houston, then layover, then Detroit. In Houston, Kory got stopped by the customs drug dog, and had all his stuff searched. First time I have ever been in the customs area. They of course found nothing and we got to the Detroit flight just in time. Got home at midnight and that was the end of the trip!

Overall, another awesome Central American trip. Highlight of the trip was probably the squirrel monkeys and scarlet macaws, as well as the remote location of our Lodge and all the wildlife available for viewing right there. Oh, and the dolphins we saw. Lowlights would have been the couple early flights (I am so not a morning person), and the lack of Internet at the Lodge. It did not really bother me, but it was killing Kurt to now know the scores of several games going on, like the Tigers and Lions. He survived though. The weather was also extremely hot and very muggy, but it’s better than MI, so I won’t complain!

Click here to see the pics.