Just got back from our weekly Spanish conversation. The kids and I. Had a most satisfying conversation with a Colombian. Makes me glad I speak Spanish! And the coffee shop had Costa Rican coffee on tap. Yay!

Omelette for lunch today. We get to travel south for a week to visit Virginia and I'm using up vegetables. What a yummy way to do it. We've spent the morning (before Spanish) cleaning and sorting and organizing. The kids were troopers to keep up without complaining. My goal is to get the boxes out of the dining room today. And then I can reorder the bookshelves so that they're more useful. I'm already anticipating the good feeling it'll produce.

Not today's photo. One I love from our last few weeks in Costa Rica.

It's Monday morning again. It's a dark, dreary but cozy morning. We're being a bit lazy about getting school started. But then we've got an errand to do this morning so really school first thing would mean only a few minutes. So blogging instead. The kids are still eating breakfast anyway.

A busy day yesterday. Lots of people and friends. Lots of fun. We made platanos maduros. Yum.

OK. My coffee's cold. It's already leftover from last night and reheated in our new microwave. Everyone should live for 2 weeks without a microwave. It's an interesting experience.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Satisfyingly stuffed with turkey and pie we have enjoyed a beautiful day. Friends, biking, and eating. Did I mention the mashed potatoes and gravy? It's what I make a roast for. So the kids don't like gravy...more for me! We often have turkey on Sunday instead of Monday. But we were given tickets to see Twelfth Night so enjoyed an afternoon of Shakespeare instead. Everyone enjoyed it. Thank you, L!

It's been a month at least since I've blogged. You of course know that. We are feeling somewhat settled back into Southern Ontario. Enjoying the colours of Fall. What fabulous phenomenons.

Strange to be back in some ways. Perfectly natural in others. Change seems to come more easily to us now. It doesn't carry the same shock value anymore and we're more accustomed to the feelings and signs of transition.

But what are we up to?

Well, we have found a house to rent for the winter. Friends have lovingly taken it off the market for us for this time. The majority of suitcases and boxes are unpacked or stored in the basement. We are flipping through all the possible options for the future. Regularly. We don't have anything more concrete than that. Sorry!

Time to put kids to bed. 'Night!

With an international move (again) coming up in just a few days, I surprise myself by reviewing again our homeschooling life. We started our "move break" from the routine of classes nearly 1 month ago and I foresee another few weeks before we renew that routine. As often happens I wonder if school might not be a better option. But then I read an article like the one tonight on the delight of having children who love to be honouring to their family and their Lord. Children who are eager to learn more about the world around them, not jaded and dulled by one more test or one more essay, due Friday. It reminds me that this homeschooling life is something that I love despite the difficulties and pressures.

So, our international move (again) is running smoothly for the most part.
Our boxes left our front porch nearly two weeks ago and are sitting in a warehouse in Toronto waiting for us. We are grateful for the ease of the shipment and our good friend who seems to be willing to help us out with whatever predicament we find ourselves in. On the way into town from picking up our boxes he stopped off at the inept mechanic's to encourage him to repair the part that he didn't repair properly the first time. And to do it by Monday, if you please! (He didn't, but that story is for another time.) Simon tried to make his Spanish forceful but a kindergarten level just doesn't come across with the intensity required. Eventually we did get the vehicle running and were on our way to the beach for some last minute browning before returning home to Canada. After all, all our tanned friends who've had a summer of beautiful Ontario weather will wonder about us pale folk who have been living in Costa Rica for a year. Our chilly and foggy mountains just don't lend themselves to suntanning.

And now, sleeping children and the tranquil sounds of city life.....at least there aren't currently any car alarms.

We'll miss Independence Day here next week. But we'll be home for Thanksgiving. Day of the Child comes in two days. It seems to be a big deal. We had a child reach his "half-birthday" yesterday. You know, he's now 7 and 1/2. So we had half a cake. Fun times. We're counting down till next Wednesday.

A beautiful little orchid, hardly visible unless you know it's there. We had forgotten to look for it since there had been nothing in this place since we arrived. A. pointed it out to us yesterday. But I don't know my orchids and don't know what kind it is. Anyone?

What is it about guys? This morning the moving truck arrived to pick up our stuff and take it to the shipping people. Our truck is having problems and was "parked" in the middle of the driveway, blocking the way for the moving truck. Between Simon and the 2 moving guys, there are 3 men. They all, with hardly a word, start pushing the truck out of the way while I stand there waiting to be told what the plan is so that I can help. How did they know?

Simon beside me is laughing!

Anyway, the stuff is gone, our truck is now in the garage still awaiting an alternator, and it's lunchtime.

Five days away viewing the sights of Costa Rica. Arenal, a beach in Guanacaste. Just long enough for 4 of the 5 of us to get sick. At least we rotated days. But we enjoyed most of the time away. Didn't get to see the top of Volcano Arenal due to clouds, but had a great view of Lake Arenal and heard some good rumbles. We stayed in the Observatory Lodge and were able to watch a seismograph measure stuff we couldn't feel. Roasted on the beach and some of us saw a great sunset. I saw the pictures. I'm the only one who's still sick. So we did get to see the tropical side of Costa Rica. Added a few birds to our collection including a toucan and I want to convince myself that the unknown one was in fact an umbrella bird. It is possible....

Now back at camp we are seeing the calendar tell us we have just a week left to pack. We're waiting for confirmation of the moving truck date. And we still hope to get to Panama to see the Canal. In any case, look for us to arrive in Stratford mid-September.