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10-Rough Days

The days are nearing my departure.  I will be waking up in Costa Rica in just 3 Fridays.  WOW.  It seems like I just made the decision to go to Costa Rica, but it was in late May. When I decided to go travel, volunteer, and explore a new culture it seemed like it was a long time before I’d leave.  I was excited and nervous, but curious about what life would be like doing ME.  Only thinking about…

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As the holidays have filled my life, I spend it with my family and friends.  I haven’t had much time to write as I continue to do the planning and preparing for my travels.  I’m sorry I’ve not spent time writing during this hustle and bustling time of year.

It’s crazy how fast the time goes by at this time of year.  As Thanksgiving and Christmas come to a close, I realize how extremely emotional I am. I find myself very weepy, especially when I’m tired.  Laying in bed I think about how I’ll soon be laying in bed in a strange place, missing the pitter patter of my sweet older two granddaughter’s feet, and their squeals of love and excitement in the morning.  Or how I’ll miss seeing my youngest two granddaughter’s smiles and waves of laughter when I walk through the door.  And the barking of Baxter as he runs up to greet me with wags and kisses.  Or watching the Seahawks play.  I think of how I’ll miss all the hugs and kisses I get from my loved ones.  What will it be like to be in a new place and not live the life how I’m living it now?

What I do know is, it won’t be the same, and it’s exactly what I need.  I have nearly talked myself out of going to Costa Rica so many times. All the WHAT IFS run through my head.  But I have to remind myself, IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN?  I have so much to learn, that I can’t learn while living here within my comfort zone.  This next chapter is about ME.  About me learning about me.  Who I am and more about who I am growing into being.

As I wrap my gifts for my family and plan for a weekend holiday getaway at the end of this month, I cherish each moment I have with them.  I know they are precious and are quickly coming to a close, for this chapter.  It’s just an ending so that a new beginning can emerge.

I hope you all have a wonderful time with family and friends.  Celebrate every moment you have with them.

May you choose peace, joy, and happiness this season and all year.  Make it a life worth living each and every day.

With love from my family to yours.

Jess, Mardee, Jen

Lila, Kara, Grammee, Charlotte, Brooklynn

Happy Holidays As the holidays have filled my life, I spend it with my family and friends.  I haven't had much time to write as I continue to do the planning and preparing for my travels. 

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After selling my house, and purging unnecessary items that I didn’t need or want to store, I packed all my belongings into a 10×10 storage unit.  Almost all that I owned went into that unit. It was summer, so all my winter clothes, boots and other unnecessary items I wouldn’t need in HOT Costa Rica, were bagged up and went into storage.  What I didn’t account for though was me staying home until winter.  HA, HA. Oh well, I will make do. I tried to locate boots and other rainy season items in storage, but that proved to be more of a challenge than buying a new pair of jeans and closed toed shoes.

As I continued to do more research about living in Costa Rica, and in the Guanacaste area specifically, I began gathering items I’d need for my new HOT living environment. Sandles, Hammack, mosquito netting, medicine, and quick drying clothes and underwear were on the list of purchased items.

Not only will it be HOT, it will be mosquito-laden.  I found from people I’m in conversation with who are living there, that I need to stock up on sunscreen and bug spray.  Both are super expensive to buy there. I bought permethrin to treat my outer clothes and other items with to help against being attacked. Additionally, I looked at how much it’d cost to bring sunscreen and bug spray with me. It’s too expensive for how much I’d need for a year, and then there are all those chemicals on my body.  I know permethrin is a chemical, but my military buddies tell me it’s better than the alternative if you get sick from a bite.  Onto Pinterest to find recipes to make my own natural sunscreen and bug repellant. I found many recipes to make my own using only a couple of natural ingredients.

I combined the ingredients for making the bug repellant and the sunscreen to create a dual purpose product since I was going to need both on my skin at all times.  What was great about this was it was so easy, inexpensive, and I knew what I was putting on my body. Making sunscreen yourself eliminates most of the harsh chemicals that are in commercial sunscreen and by adding essential oils it adds the benefit of a bug repellent without using harmful deet. It worked out so well this summer too.  I didn’t burn and bugs were literally bouncing off me.  It was great.  I created my own recipe by adapting several different ones I had seen. I made several batches. I’m packing and taking with me additional raw material to make more while I’m in Costa Rica.  I’ll be making other natural products as well.

Natural SPF 30 Sunscreen with Bug Repellant

INGREDIENTS 

 (All measurements are approximate)

1/8 C Organic Beeswax Pastilles

1/4 C Unrefined Cocoa Butter

1/4 C Virgin Coconut Oil

20 -25 drops of High-Quality Food Grade or better Essential Oils: Lavender, lemongrass, eucalyptus, peppermint (all great for repelling mosquitos, and ticks too. Research others you can use also.)

2 TBS Zinc Oxide Powder 

Dark baking cocoa powder, as needed

The cocoa powder helps darken the sunscreen since the zinc oxide sits on top of the skin, leaving it very white-looking. The darker you are the more you want to add.

Using a double boiler (a glass or steel bowl over a saucepan with about an inch of simmering water, make sure the bowl does NOT touch the water) combine all ingredients except the essential oils, Zinc Oxide, and cocoa powder into the bowl. Use a rubber spatula to keep everything moving until it gently melts to create one uniform mix. Once everything is completely melted and uniform add the oils, Zinc Oxide and cocoa powder. Mix well with a hand mixer for a whipped buttery feel, and pour the mixture into a glass jar such as a mason jar, or a squeeze tube, and allow the mixture to cool. Once it is cooled, use it as you would any sunscreen.

The level of Zinc Oxide can also be altered to provide more or less protection from the sun.  This is sunscreen is gentle enough to put on babies and use on the face.  It is not of a liquid consistency, but more of a buttery paste.  It goes on very smooth and lasts about 5-6 hours, depending on how much zinc oxide you use.  Please be responsible and do your own skin testing. It’s best to be safe and add more often, especially during the high sun periods.  This is water resistant. The beeswax helps to make it water resistant, but not waterproof.

  NOTE: I do not receive any compensation for listing these products. I purchased my Shea Butter, Beeswax, and Zinc Oxide from www.bettersheabutter.com.  I really like the quality of their products and the free e-book offer the company has. I encourage you to check out the site for additional homemade ideas and ingredients.

  8- What to Pack? After selling my house, and purging unnecessary items that I didn't need or want to store, I packed all my belongings into a 10x10 storage unit. 

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7-Cultural Sensitivity

As I planned for my travels to Costa Rica, and while doing my training for my TEFL (Teaching English to Foreign Learners) certification, I did research related to preparing for the culture.  My research was related to the following: Surface-level cultural differences in food, dress, celebrations, etc. Deep-level cultural differences in people’s attitudes, values, and beliefs Student-teacher…

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6 - Waiting

6 – Waiting

One of the questions I get often, about this decision to move is, “Do you have a job there already?”  I know people think I got a job while living in the States, and I’m moving to Costa Rica for that job.  That’s not the case.  I got my TESOL/TEFL certification with ITA, a training company that does not do job placement.  I chose them because I didn’t want to pay someone to put me into a job that…

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5 - Delays

5 – Delays

The hot summer days were so nice.  As I prepared for my trip, I continued to question my decision. However, I still prepare to leave.  I have piles of items I have bought, sitting around waiting to be packed. Sorted into categories of things, like all medically related items. Clothes. Camping related items, such as hammock, water purification system, sunscreen etc. Gotta love online shopping.…

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4 - Unexpected

4 – Unexpected

When I made the decision to move, I didn’t anticipate the response I got from my family. They weren’t as supportive as I had imagined they’d be.  I did make the decision quickly, like I do on most things.  But this was a HUGE life changing decision. It appeared as I was jumping into this without much thought or research.  From their perspective, this is how it seemed.  They didn’t know what had…

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3 - What's Next?

3 – What’s Next?

On my quest of discovery, I ask myself some questions about what brings me joy. Besides my family of course.  What would fill my soul?  What do I love to do?  What could I do to make money and still be able to travel? What could I do to bring joy to others, while still being in a place of self-discovery and personal transformation?  So many questions.  So many possibilities.  So onto the internet…

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The Beginning of the End

The journey continues. The beginning to the end, of a chapter.

So the story continues.  The fog seems to be getting thicker.  My eyes are blurrier from all the crying I do, while no one is around.  I isolate myself more, so as not to show the amount of pain I’m in.  Then, in late December 2015, and all of 2016,  would prove to be one of the toughest years for my family.  Lots of life-shattering trauma.  Pain that seems to never end.  It is so incredibly…