Montezuma Falls & Ziplining Scrapped

I finished the Costa Rica scrapbook! Our favorite part of our trip to Costa Rica was the two days we trekked over the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula from Santa Teresa to Montezuma.  Once for the waterfall hike and another time for ziplining, both are essentially in the same place. I think next time we're in Costa Rica we'll possibly stay in Montezuma just for the outdoor adventure that is abundant there.

Montezuma Waterfall

Oh Happy Day

Jump! Splash!

All Time Best Day Ever

Ziplining

Little Brother, Big Sister

Beautiful Montezuma

Santa Teresa, Costa Rica - Scrapped

I'm sitting here just over a year after our trip to Central America.  For some reason I stopped working on the pages for this trip after I finished the Nicaragua portion.  Now I am re-visiting and remembering just how beautiful a place Santa Teresa is. I am in dire need of another tropical vacation, Memorial Day weekend can't come soon enough (Maui here I come!)

Without further ado, my first pages from the Costa Rica scrapbook, more to come.

House In Paradise

Be in LOVE with your Life, every minute of it

I'd go anywhere with you

Gin Rummy

Let the Sea set you Free

Malpais Beach Walk

Beachfront Yoga

Another Weekend, Another Camping Trip

We stayed local for this little camping shindig for husband face's birthday back in December.  It was CHILLY. It wasn't really camping, we got pizza...it was just drinking by the ocean outside and we happened to sleep in a tent that night.

School Photos

My niece and nephew are getting so big.  Today we're heading out to celebrate my niece's 6th birthday.  Time has flown by for me as her aunt, I can't imagine how my sister feels.

Kindergarten, Age 5

3rd Grade, Age 8

Sycamore Canyon Camping

Husband face and I have been trying to find more places semi-locally to camp so we can do more little weekend getaways.  Our go to spot is closed in the winter so this past weekend we ventured up the coast to the Malibu area.  We had made a reservation at Sycamore Canyon Campground in Point Mugu State Park.  We chose this campground over Malibu Creek State Park because the layout of the campground online looked like it afforded more privacy.  Boy were we wrong.  This campground allows you to make a reservation but not for a specific spot.  It is a small campground and the sites are packed in as tightly as possible.  There is no privacy whatsoever except for one site.  Lucky people that we are we scored that site (#10).  It's at the back of the campground right by the trailhead and it's tiny, only room for one or two small tents.  Perfect for husband face and I, we didn't really want to watch our neighboring campers kid's temper tantrums. If we hadn't gotten this site we honestly probably wouldn't have stayed at this campground, we would have forfeited our $53 (jeez that's pricey for camping) and moved on.

Campsite #10, thank the lucky stars we got it.

Now for the reason this campground was worth it.  The trail head I mentioned above leads to a variety of hikes.  We chose to go with the Scenic Trail because...well I like scenery.  We also happened to score the best weather you could ask for in February, a balmy 75 degrees.  I think the Scenic Trail is 2.7 miles or so but we kept wandering whenever we'd see a little path shooting off to the side, well worth it. There's a good list of hikes in Point Mugu State Park here.

Babe Alert

The scenic path

Me atop the scenic peak

Pretty typical

Looking north up the coast

The other positive of this campground is that it's right across the 1 from the beach.  And unlike a lot of campgrounds further south it is not right one the 1 so you don't get the road noise.  After our hike we ventured down to the beach for sunset (hiding our beers of course because for some dumb reason alcohol is now allowed on beaches in California). It was not too shabby a sunset

Back-lit sunset photo

Sun setting by the Channel Islands

After sunset we went back to camp and proceeded to drink to much by the campfire and do dumb things like take pictures of husband face's knife against the fire and say things like "That's a hell of an elk." At least we make ourselves laugh.

Insta Scrapping-February

My favorite Insta photos from the past few month. I'm sure people are tired of my Insta feed: my cat, my shoes, my alcohol fueled encounters and my nieces and nephew. I am in dire need of a trip to change that up.  Luckily I have a long weekend in Maui coming up in May followed by (hopefully) Italy in June and I promise much more interesting (or picturesque) photos will  be coming from that.

Too many adult beverages deep on our birthday

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all! I can't believe I have managed to keep this blog going consistently for an entire year.  It's that time where I get to reflect back on this past year.  2012 was one of the most challenging years I've had so far financially (and therefore emotionally).  Husband-face and I both faced long stretches of unemployment and if it weren't for our savings account we may have lost our home. While this was definitely one of the most stressful things I have had to go through this challenge taught me a lot and gave me some much needed down time.  I learned to live on a very frugal budget (this coming from a person with a severe addiction to shoe shopping). I also was able to take two amazing trips and spend some quality time with my nieces and nephew (who I obviously adore).  I look forward to 2013: the travel I have planned, the new job challenges and my continued quest towards living a healthier, greener and more compassionate life (hippie). 

Tonight I look forward to indulging and celebrating with some of my closest friends.  I'm ready for tomorrow's hangover, bring it on!  From me and mine to you and yours, cheers!

And here are some photos of my holiday season so far (there's still one night left!).  I guarantee these won't get scrapped until June 2013.

Happy Birthday husband face!

The Festival of Lights at the Del Mar Racetrack

Christmas Eve antics, the double salmon

Christmas Day with our nephew

Could she be any cuter?

MJ got her own bear

Oh  Jeffrey Campbell how I love you, especially when you adorn my feet

Kid Wine!

Yep, the cutest

Emmett & Milo - The best part of this photo is my sister chugging wine in the background