Who's really in charge of this family ???

Trick question....

I'd like to think that the answer to this questions is undoubtedly Chris and I, but deep down I think most parents will agree with me that somehow, someway, the kids always have a pull in the decisions made. When the four of us are in the middle of something grand down here in Central America, and you ask the boys if they are having fun, they will tell you with a smile from ear to ear YES. They are doing so many new and amazing things here, everyday is truly something new. Today as we were walking around town on our last day in Costa Rica I asked Callym if he was excited to see Belize and if he wanted to come back here soon. He said he wanted to see Belize, but if we could please go back to Canada after that, he misses Baba, Gido, Baba, Twinkle and .......... the snow. SNOW? What I said, I thought we were happy to leave the cold snow behind? No, Callym said, I want to make a snowman and throw snowballs at Dad. Oh, I say. So where would we move, someone else is living in our house now.....

Edmonton or Winnipeg was his answer. And this is when Oscar chimmed in. I want to play in the snow........

I'm so confused. I miss the snow too, but the cold..... NO THANKS. We've only been here 7 weeks (Yes I know last time I made that seem like a long time), but really, only 7 weeks. I wonder if they can get over this. Will Belize change their minds about living somewhere exotic? Will Chris and I put 'our foot down' and say we're living here get use to it? Sometimes it both scares me and makes me wonder who really is in charge of this family............

Dreaming of a Green Christmas?

We have recently downloaded some Christmas music and enjoy listening to it in our little apartment. So strange to be sitting here in over 28 degrees, with no hint of a single falling snowflake. How are we going to do it this year? It's exotic to be here, but very very strange at the same time. I've never noticed that EVERY single xmas song talks about snow in one way or another..... The homes and stores here are all decked out in lights, and santa's and mangers. We also bought a small strand of twinkle lights that we plan to put up in Belize. Chris is determined to get us a tree too! Not sure if it will be a real looking xmas tree or a palm.... But something, and we'll have to decorate it somehow. Maybe pop-corn strands and paper links.... We've even seen some of those huge snowglobes with santa standing in the snow. Snow. Hmm. I really really don't miss the cold, but it will sure be different without the snow. Does anyone want to send us some, just a small little snow ball would do. Nothing big.... We'll try to send out some of our sun! Well, I'm sure the lack of snow will be easier to deal with than the lack of close family. (tear in my eye), We will miss you all so much. Please expect our skype calls not only Christmas day, but on it's eve as well...............

Lucky Lukies Strike Again....

I thought I would check in on a couple we met through the internet back in September. They are a family of 4 moving to Belize for a different life. We were hoping to all meet up and let our kids play, etc. Well, to our surprise this is what I found when got to their blog . Such a sad story, only 4 days in Belize and now what?


One more thing, please don't worry about us going to Belize, these things can happen anywhere in the world, (and we actually had the Jeep broken into twice in Edmonton), but as the title says, we are LUCKY LUKIES!!!!!

New Picutres

selvatoura pictures

Poor Little Brave and Clumsy Oscar!

A story told by Oscar...... (not really, it's Tamara)

Three days ago I was playing with my best friend brother around an empty jacuzzi. I jumped in not knowing that 5 feet was a long way for a kids like me. I fell. It hurt. I was crying and crying. My daddy came and found me lying there and took me back to the hotel. My foot hurt alot and it was really swollen, so mom put some ice on it. When daddy looked at it again, he thought it may be broken, so he called the insurance and got a doctor's visit covered for me. We went to reception, and to make a long story short..... Daddy and I went to the clinic, and then the hospital. We got an x-ray done, and were back within 5 hours! It turns out it's not broken or fractured, but it still really really hurts, and is still swollen. But the good thing is that mom and dad get to carry me everywhere now.

Yestaurday I started feeling a bit better and started taking some small steps by myself. We went for dinner while dad was watching the grey cup (Riders Suck, Bombers should have taken the cup), when a big huge wasp/bee thing was flying around our table. I tried to shooo it away a few times, but it wouldn't leave. Then it went into my hair, and when I put my hand there to get it away..... IT BIT ME! I cried again. My hand was hurting so much, and now it was getting swollen. I had to get more ice and medicine. (I like medicine!)

You may think that my story is done.......

But.......

This morning before we left for our trip to Heredia, I wanted to try kicking the football around. Mom said not to, but I really wanted to try my foot out. So I went outside and kicked. It was a great kick, I got lots of air, and it went all the way to the parking lot. So I limped over to get my ball. The ground was still wet from the rain last night, and so when I came back to the patio ( tiled patio), I slipped. My good foot slipped first, and then my bad foot came right out from under me. I tried to break my fall, but I didn't want to let go of my football........ so, my chin and face broke my fall. It's ok, I'm ok. Nothing is broken, I just bit almost all the way through my lip. It was bleeding, and I was crying again.

To quote Oscar correcty, In my arms crying all he could say was....

"mom, not again! Please not again!"

Little crazy man. We're keeping our eye on him now!

By the way, He is fine, just has a fat lip, and a cute little limp when we do let him walk. Just glad he wasn't allergic to the bite!

The TRUTH about Travelling with little kids........

Oh how do I start this blog? Does the title say it all? Does it give you a small hint as to what I am going to write....

Before I start, I want you all to know that the four of us are a strong family. We love each other to death, and will sacrifice and bend over backwards to do whatever it takes to make the others happy. Spending each and every day together is a treat that we wouldn't trade for the world. We are lucky lucky Lukies, and we know it. But.....

There have been trying, TRYING times. There are times when the kids actually wake up whinning, and it seems to continue for the entire day. These are the times when we want to run. Run far away!!! They are good kids, but at times seem very spoiled and unruly. They miss their friends and family. They want their Baba and Gido and Baba. They want their chocha's and Twinkle. They even miss our old Jeep. They want a back-yard to play in, not a small cramped hotel room with no privacy. They want some stability. There was a routine back home, although slight at times, when the kids knew what to do, what to expect. This is something that here they don't have. Dinner is never known, we know we will eat - but when, and where is nearly always up in the air. Sometimes they are having a siesta until 5 pm, and sometimes they are done at 2 pm. Are we changing hotels today, are we driving to a new town, are we looking for a home, or just spending the day at the beach. We miss the little things like : Kraft dinner? Bed time on time! Familiar faces..... Things here are different. In every way, the people, the culture, the food, the customs, the air and the surroundings. Although they are adjusting well, it's still different, and we all need to get use to it.

This is a strange and life changing adventure we are on. We're on our 7th week, but it sure feels longer. When we decided to 'leave' and try something new, it wasn't because we thought Canada was a bad place, we just needed to see what else was out there. I'm not saying we're moving back, but we haven't found our perfect paradise yet either.... It's hard. Leaving your family and friends. Leaving your home and not having a stable place to call your own. Not really having anything to call your own, besides what you have been able to keep in your suitcase. The kids are feeling home-sick, and I'll admit that I am too. What we're doing isn't normal, it's a great adventure, but far from normal. And sometimes normal isn't always right - but sometimes having something normal is good too.
We are in our 7th week now, and that is over 1172 hours where the four of us have been together. TOGETHER for over ONE-THOUSAND-ONE-HUNDRED-AND-SEVENTY-TWO! There have been no breaks. Maybe one or two where we just leave the room, have a beer or a smoke. But basically no break. This (I believe) is more of a problem then having no routine.

Belize is coming up quickly now, but I'm not sure if we should go there as a vacation, or to find a new life. It's a lot of stress this 'finding a new life'. You need to think about a million things all the while keeping your kids happy, fed, safe and not too spoiled. You need to make sure the area is good, there are good schools, kids to play with, things to do, and friends to be made. Friends, yes, that's a hard one, and family here means just the four of us. Here in Costa Rica we have met many many expats, and they all say the same thing. Whether they have lived here for 6 months or 10 years, they are all still expats, gringos, outsiders. Do we want to feel that way? Do want to just have other expats as our only true friends? Belize may be different. But who knows.

I'm a little tired of travelling (as you may be able to tell). And the kids are too. They tell us their having fun, and I believe they are, but they are still home-sick.

Change is good and change is hard. You need willing participants and a wonderful husband who shares your dreams and helps you see the rainbows after the storms. There are rough times, and times of pure bliss. We haven't forgotten where we came from, and we're not scared to come back. But we're not ready yet. There is still a wonderful world to explore and amazing adventures to be had. I think that in order to have a wonderful and fulfilling life you always need to re-evaluate where you are and what you want. It's an ever changing world, and the only way to know what you want is to go out there and look. Sometimes you realize what you had was what you truly want, and sometimes you find something better. We'll keep looking, but know that we miss you too.

Just a quick note....

our blog is still the same, I have just changed it from " Our Dream " to "This train is bound for glory" . Very significant. If you were at our wedding, or have heard of Sublime, this was our wedding song, and both Chris and I love the words. It has come to mean a lot to the two of us. When we are going through trying times, one or the other of us will always say ..... This train is bound for glory...... and it somehow makes us feel so much better.
Anyways, rambling here..... I hope you all keep enjoying the blogs, and keep emailing us too! We love to hear how it's going there! Love you all,
The Lukies!

p.s I'm catching up right now due to the lack of internet, so there will be a few new blogs up today.

Funny Story or Just Sad ???

When we left Canada I brought along 2 pairs of brown flip-flops. They were the same size and style. 1.97$ each at Superstore. A good deal I thought, even if they break, fall apart, or I lose them it would be fine. Well, as it turns out they didn't last as long as I hoped. 2 weeks ago both my left flip-flops broke. Not completely, but enough for them to be a hassle walking through the mud and rain. Anyways, I kept the best of the 2 pairs and contiuned on.

3 days ago I was crossing a river (this time it was an actual river), and lost both my flip-flops. Nuts, now I really had to buy some new ones. There is a small souviner shop next to the hotel we are at and so I went in to buy a cheap pair.

#1 they were not cheap. $$10.

At this time I would like to point out that Humor is very different all around the world. It takes a certain type of person to 'get' Monty Python, as well, there are perverts who think they are funny, and of course the jokes that just make you groan. On that note, I will now show you a picture of my brand new ten dollar flip-flops. I don't get the 'joke', but I'll just leave it with you, maybe someone out there will get it............





The quote on the shoe's says.... " My son loving you"
and there is a 9 1/2 on his shirt ??????

Things I've learned on our trip thus far...

You need to have a plan or you'll go crazy!

Too much planning will drive you nuts.

Finding a balance between the 2 is very hard.

The worst part about moving around is the unpredictable showers and matresses.

Packing, unpacking and repacking every 4 to 10 days lets you evaluate how many pairs of knickers and hotwheels you REALLY need!

Eating out 3 times a day for 5 weeks has it's drawbacks... you just can't beat a home cooked meal. (miss you mom, mom and baba!!!!!!)

Laundry service is better than fantastic! I may not be able to live without it now.

You can never get sick of finding new seashells or rocks on the beach.

The fresh smell of the Ocean and Jungle is better than a cup of coffee in the morning (Yes I said that!).

Sometimes finding things to do in a new place is harder than you think.

There are rude people all around the world. (there are nice people everywhere too though).

Wheels

Travelling is tough. It is beautiful here, don't misread me. I love it. The ocean, the smells, the other travellers, not many gypsies yet, it has all been another world and like we pictured it would be. What i want is to spend some time in one place though. 3 days before travelling again, even one week, we learned is not enough. I am looking forward to a month in Belize. There we can make supper, hang with people that are not gone in a couple days. Have a set home for a bit. I would like that. Give us a chance to actually evaluate our new life. I think that we need it right now. Experiencing this is brand new and we never knew how it would challenge us. Now we do. So one week in Playa Brasilito, then a couple stops the next week, before heading to Heredia for the final week of November. Cloud forests, volcanoes, and maybe turtles tonight. silly me set the alarm for 11:35am and not pm so we missed last night's viewing of one turtle I overheard. Is that worth it? maybe i'll find out tonight. I think that I will surf a little after the game. Go Blue. That is one of the freedoms of this chosen temporary lifestyle. So weird how things work out.

Rain

It's raining here again. No big surprise. Today it has rained 5 times, and all times they were heavy down-pours but for only an hour or so each time. It's late now and the rain tonight has a magical sound on the roof, it's calming and relaxing and soothing. At times the rain has been a welcome relief from the strong rays of the sun, cooling us off even for just a few minutes, like jumping in the pool on a hot day. The sight of a wonderful sun shower will make anyone smile, and rainbows are a thing unto their own. But at other times it's been a bit of a nuisance. Getting caught with the camera or lap-top but no protective case, or having to walk a few miles back to shelter through mid calf deep puddles in flimsy flip-flops, even having to re-route our trip due to closed roads. All in all, I must admit, it's much better than the cold. That is one thing we haven't had here, and I don't expect it either. So the rain, like buying a new home with a cat already living there. What are you going to do but feed it, accept it, and learn how to dance in it.

The sad Monkey.

We saw our first monkey here in Samara last night. We were just getting dropped off at our hotel by taxi from dinner and there it was, in the middle of the drive-way, just sitting there. Our driver honked, but it wouldn't move. He stopped and got out, and it didn't even run away. He thought that maybe it had fallen out of the tree and gotten hurt. He went over to the care-takers home and got a rake. He used it to try and get the monkey to hang out to the end. He wanted to at least get it off the road. The monkey had a hard time just holding on to the rake, and the driver told us that he probubly wouldn't make it through the night. He was the cutest, and saddest little thing in the whole world. Chris and Oscar went this morning to see if it in fact was still there, but it wasn't. Is this a good thing? Did it get away and is feeling better? We all hope so.

Money Money Money!!!

Not sure how many of you had the chance to read the post of Chris trying to call the bank. It's here if your haven't yet.... Well, we've learned a very costly lesson! DO NOT USE CREDIT CARD PAY PHONES FOR ANY REASON! I won't horrify you with the actual cost's involved, but whatever your thinking triple it (or just calculate about 10$ US a minute).
A word of advice from someone who has paid the price... use Skype It's a free download, and you can call skype to skype for free. Also, the charges for long-distance is very very reasonable (around 2 cents per minute). The only thing you need is internet connection. Now please, We do not get commissions for skype, but everyone we know that has it, loves it.
If you do travel, just get it. It will save you hassle's and money.

By the way.....

Just for any family that is wondering. Internet here is all the way in town. Poor us, we will have to walk the 10 minutes down and across a beautiful beach. But what I mean is that we can't just open the lap-top and chat on skype. If you can all be a little patient, we should have 24 hour internet when we get back to Heredia and we will be there for a few days. I'm not certain if we will get a hotel with internet before then, but we should be in Heredia the last week of November. Yes, I know it's a little ways away, but we will be checking emails at least once every 3 days. Honestly, it's quite nice to not have to run to a ringing phone, or have something turned on all the time that you need to monitor. We do miss you all so much. And sometimes it feels as though we've been here for months, but unbelievably, it's only been 2 weeks. Pura Vida, we'll talk with you soon.

Just a quick note....

I feel so alive. Spending all this time with 'my boys', the beautiful sun, sand and the salty ocean. But it's the Ocean that has surprised me the most. Of course the boys are fantastic, and it's definatly the greatest to be with Chris all the time. But this is about the ocean. The ocean has never really done much for me, but cool me off when on vacation and sitting in the sun too long. But here it is completly different. Here jumping and swimming in the ocean awakens something inside me that I didn't know existed. I want to dive into the upcoming waves. I want them to take me further away. I just want to drift on them and stare out into the clear blue sky. I now crave the salty taste, the sound of the crashing waves, the smells of the sea. I am alive. In a way, that I didn't even know I wasn't.

Where are all the Monkeys???

After a nice dip and play in the Ocean, you really need to clean off. The salt sticks to you, and you feel sticky and dry all at the same time. With the heat and the humidity here, it's not a comfortable combination. Chris was off to do some international calls, and the boys were in bed having a siesta. I was going to wash up. No wait, I had also just bought Chris a treat snack of some 4$ Doritos. Yes, he hadn't opened them yet, but said he would when he got back from the phone calls. O.K., so I jumped in the shower. Then I thought I heard something. Kids talking? Where those boys up already? Checked but no, it wasn't them. I'm now drying off, and I hear it again. I look but it's still not them. As I'm drying my hair, I hear the wind blow over Chris' bag of Doritos (they are out on the balcony). All done, I'm ready to wait on the chair for Chris to come back. I'm walking towards the door, and "NO (insert foul word) WAY"! I see the sweet curl of a monkey's tail as he hops onto the balcony arm rail and into a tree. I'm running for the camera, and trying not to wake the boys up with my thundering steps. But alas, I was too slow. He was gone and across the street before I could take any kind of shot with the camera. As I come out side with the most dissapointed look on my face, I notice the Doritos. The bag is ripped into two, and there is a trail of chips all around the chairs and table. How long was he here. I'm thinking now that I could have probubly gotten some really good shots of him if I had just come out earlier. Oh well, Chris ended up throwing away the chips, and his left over beer, never know if they had some to wash down those expensive treats!

Que?

Morning. I had agreta idea about what I was supposed to writ today, but it slipped my mind. This trip is teaching me alot about life in general. Making me appreciate certain things in life, such as a hot shower with pressure, quiet (although I do not remember the last time I had that), my family, a vehicle (can't believe that), a working bank machine, and lots of other things. On the other hand I realise there are still lots of things that I have that I really do not need. Such as, lots of clothes, a bank card (the first bank machine I used ate it anyways), a vehicle (can't believe that), quiet, and so on and so forth. A ral eye opener. I love the jungle and the smell. I love the hills and the constant green of the country. The tico homes have a real charm to them, although I do not know if could ever live in one. But heck it's only day three, i think. Days have really lost meaning in this life. we came one day early to a hotel we reserved, and just laughed cause it was pretty ridiculous. One thing about travelling in a small hilly country is that to appreciate the landscape of cities, towns, 'country' and then more towns and villages is they do not come across like anything we are used to in a Canadian setting. I am getting better at it after two trips thru the countryside, and can tell you that everythign is closer here. Your neighbours are attached to your fence and wall. Your town is on the highway. The highway for that matter reminds me of the road that you take to Stych's house after you take that right over the train tracks, but it is narrower and has more turns. And that is a main highway! But once you get past that you realise the closeness of it all. I also see how time gets affected here with all the rain. As Tamara wrote, it can rain many times in a day. Lots of people use that to sit and wait,and that to me is fantastic. They can do it I suppose you are saying, but so can you. We were sitting at a RostiPollos and I watched the rain as I was eating. I noticed an old man that came in and just sat on a bench that was inside the door. He sat and waited for the rain to quit. I felt myself doing the same, and if I did not have to take two little guys to the bathroom three times I would have actually had a chance to unwind a bit more. Oh well, life is great out here. And although we have had a few disappointments so early, we will perservere and see wherre we can get. If the boys let us that is. By far, keeping two boys entertained while trying to plan and book things is the greatest challenge so far. We'll keep going and see what happens. So far no revelations. Heredia was nice but not so early in the trip. It was just like Edmonton. Car alarms, sirens, a rooster (... well not that part), and city noise in general. We did not want to stay in a place where you are supposed to go shopping for somethign to do, so we had tomove on. We are now in Puntarenas for a couple days, adb then off to the Nicoya Peninsula. The pool was great and it is so great to hear waves again. I'll go listen again. Unfortunately, rooms do not have internet (oh poor me and my convenience mindset yet) and so i am in the bar (oh woe is me having a free bar) typing away with minimal spelling mistakes. Talk to you soon. Rum is great. Thanks Paul. Vida.

Thank you for Thanksgiving

Today is about being Thankful. I am Thankful.
I am Thankful for life.
I am Thankful for Chris.
I am Thankful for my kids.
I am Thankful for patience.
I am Thankful for mornings full of kisses.
I am Thankful for being a mom.
I am Thankful for having my mom.
I am Thankful for family and friends.
I am Thankful for happiness.
I am Thankful for sunny days.
I am Thankful for rainbows.
I am Thankful for all the stars we get to see.
I am Thankful for opportunities.
I am Thankful for freedom.
I am Thankful for abundance.
I am Thankful for dreams.
I am Thankful for reality.
I am Thankful for coffee and beer and chocolate.
I am Thankful for brave adventures.
I am Thankful for supportive and loving family.
I am Thankful for warm fall days.
I am Thankful for suprises.
I am Thankful for health.
I am Thankful for giggling kids.
I am Thankful, Thank you.

You can do whatever you put your mind to!

That is something that I tell the boys all the time. One day Callym said he wanted to be an astronaut. I told him, if he wanted to, then he could do anything he wanted to. When Oscar was having a hard time learning how to use his bike, I told him to keep trying, he could do anything he wanted to. It's a very good message to tell your children, actually, to tell anyone. It's powerful, it lets you and other's know that nothing is imposible, and that dream can be achieved.

So what do you expect when you deny your 2 year old chocolate for breakfast? He stacks the chairs, climbs onto the counter, into the cupboard and finds them! Then at the time you should be getting cross with them they say ' BUT MOM, YOU SAID I COULD DO ANYTHING I WANTED TO!'

I Quit

I know that it was a couple days ago, but I Quit! On Friday the 28th of September. Holy smokes! What does the future hold for me? Oh, that's it. Another cup of coffee, thank you. To you guys. Life.