Iguana Soup

When we tell people we are moving to Costa Rica, the first question is usually "why?"  The problem is, there isn't an easy answer.  We usually rattle off a myriad of reasons such as: we love the town (of Samara), we love the people, we want our kids to practice their spanish, to experience a different culture, we want a slower pace of life, to surf, and to live on the beach. All of these things are true. But the biggest factor contributing to us actually pulling the proverbial trigger is that we felt like God was opening doors and giving us a push. Some of our biggest logistical hang-ups were eased with little to no effort of our own.  We felt it.  The Push. We felt Him telling us to go, but that was it.  No "go and...", it was simply just go.

Are we going to serve others?  Or are we going be served? Maybe we're just supposed to go and embrace more together time as a family,  a time to cling to one another and strengthen our marriage.   Maybe we're supposed to discover something amazing for our lives that we can't possibly see or hear with all the noise in our current life. Or maybe there won't be anything profound at all, just a simple, sweet, year on the beach. That would be a blessing in and of itself, wouldn't it?

It has been about 5 months since the talks began of returning to Costa Rica and I have definitely had my moments of doubt.  Sometimes I can even convince myself that we imagined the 'push' and that we are freaking loco for doing this.  But I always cycle back around and keep chugging along.  I'm excited about this adventure, but moving this family of 5 is not easy.  We are homeowners, self-employed with location-specific businesses, and we have stuff coming out of our ears.  4 vehicles, 3 boats, and a trailer to name a few.  And trust me, I am not bragging.  These things are anchors when trying to relocate for a short long-term period.  We have been re-evaluating a lot of these things and attempting to purge and simplify.  I have no doubt that living more simply this year will only encourage how we live when we come back.

So this is it. 27 days until we're livin' la vida loca.  Actually, we're hoping for a lot less crazy and a lot more peace... :)