San Juan de Paradise

What an awesome week we have had! So much to tell you all - I really missed blogging while I was away but hope I don't miss any of the juicy details!! I will give it my best shot!

My husband arrived on Sunday night - as you all know, we spent Monday at the hair dresser and then we started to make plans to go to San Juan del Sur. This is a place that everyone talks about - beautiful beaches, great shopping etc.. So I wanted to visit there before we left and of course, wanted my husband with us. So because we were waiting for our court date...this was the perfect time for us.

We researched some hotels on the Internet - not knowing anything about where to stay...we just looked at criteria that was important to us - we wanted pools, close to the beach and a hotel with a restaurant/bar, so we could possibly steal some time away from the kids (that didn't happen but hey, it "could" have!!). So we decided on a resort called "Piedras y Olas" which translates to "The Pelicans eyes". We made reservations, called our lawyer to tell her we would be gone and then booked our cab driver....we were all set.

We left early in the morning and albeit, I thought we had plenty of time...we were running around trying to get all our stuff in the car and get on our way. Hectic!! Scarlett is always such a big help to me - packing for the girls and herself so when we arrived and realized the girls' didn't have swim suits AND the bag containing all the electronics (DVD, DS's) was left behind...Scarlett was extremely apologetic.

As we were arriving, we saw a bunch of houses on the hill side and Norman said "Wow, look at those homes!!" and I thought how wonderful it would be to stay there.....well, that's where we stayed!!! GORGEOUS casitas lined up on a hill side, over-looking the Pacific ocean...breath-taking!! We checked in, unpacked and then headed straight for the pool. We of course, were the center of attention due to the fact that my children were swimming in their clothes and were completely loud and obnoxious. Seriously, how many times do I have to explain what keeping a low profile means?

Well, as my children were swimming and disrupting anyone else who was at the pool...my husband and I laid out on some VERY comfortable chaise lounges - in our swimsuits and pretended to not know the orphans swimming in their clothes!! My husband had ordered me a drink and when the cabana boy brought over my Mango Margarita to me....my response was "Shut up"!!! I then looked at Tim and said "I have been living in a hell hole for three months!!" Now, I don't know if I am communicating this effectively but Tim says I was having a "episode" or a "exorcism"!! All the time I have been here, living with ants crawling up my legs when I try to pee, not drinking because I'm afraid of the ice, laying on plastic broken chairs at our local pool and making all my own food because I'm afraid of how things are cleaned and cooked....all escaped me in one moment. One moment of bliss. A Spanish speaking Cabana boy, a yummy drink, the sun, looking at the ocean and having my very handsome husband laying right next to me....bliss!!

Well, we laughed about this for a long time and continued to enjoy the sun and drinks. We had a wonderful, delicious dinner at the restaurant and the girls were almost as happy as we were (lack of electronics takes a couple of days to get used to). We went back to our gorgeous home and put the girls to bed....when they were all tucked in, Tim and I decided to sit out on our private patio - outside our bedroom to enjoy the view and peace and quiet. We were talking and relaxing when the wind kicked up a little and our door to the patio closed shut. We looked at each other and I said "Well, we better be sure we aren't locked out"!! So with a big smile on his face, Tim got up to check the door...smile gone!!!

Seriously, why do these things happen to us? We tried the door a few times and yes, still locked. So Tim called Scarlett's name a couple of times (their bedroom was right below ours on the first floor) but we didn't get any response. So we started looking at our options. There was a tile roof that Tim could climb out on - but only by holding onto a pipe that did not look or feel very sturdy. I envisioned him falling and having to spend the rest of my San Juan del Sur experience at a Nicaraguan hospital and grabbed my beer bottle and started banging on the wall and SCREAMING for Scarlett!! No response.

Well Tim decided he could climb down (he used to climb mountains you know) and save us from spending the night on rocking chairs....he put one leg over the banister....hit his cajones....grunted and brought his leg right back over on the patio. So now I'm thinking, maybe it would be easier for me to do it, when all of a sudden...Lucie walks into our bedroom...Scarlett walking in behind her... looking for us!! I started to bang on the door and she let us in!!! Saved by Lucie!!

Lucie was very upset at this point - she explained that Scarlett had heard her name being called and woke her up asking "Hey Lucie - do you hear that?" Lucie says "yes" and then they were both afraid that someone they didn't know - is calling her name?!?!?! Lucie gets the courage to leave her bedroom (Scarlett safely behind her) and explores the house trying to find where the voices are coming from - when she gets to our bedroom door, she starts knocking (she didn't want to interrupt our "sexy time" she calls it...yes, she is well trained) and finally enters to find us stranded on the balcony. So after a lot of hugs and reassurance, my children went back to sleep and we unlocked every door in the house!!!

After spending the night in this beautiful place, we decided to extend our stay from 2 nights to 3 - we had to go home after 3 nights, because Tim was leaving for home early Saturday morning - We started our 2nd day with a horse ride on the beach!! We were picked up at the hotel after a lovely breakfast in a jeep and made our way into town. It was short ride and soon we were all on our horses and ready to go. Gracie rode with me, Tim on his own, Scarlett on her own, and Lucie was led by one of the guides. We did a little trotting, but mostly walked and enjoyed the ride. We saw some monkeys in trees, a lot of locals and ended up on the beach. It was awesome and everyone felt a little more secure with horses by the time we finished. We were all sore however, so when Lucie asked to ride again tomorrow - we all decided to try some other excursions!!

We ventured into town after our ride to purchase some bathing suits for the girls...I was afraid they may not "want" us to stay another night if we didn't. We found some right away and then explored for awhile. San Juan del Sur has a lot of surfing shops, many hotels and still a lot of locals. We saw lots of kids attending school, merchants and boats. It is really a good mix of local customs and tourism. Having the resort to stay in and eat at, really gave us some of the luxuries we have missed so dearly. I felt comfortable eating salads and vegetables - the chef was amazing and we so enjoyed all our meals.

My husband had booked a massage for me - so I left the girls' in his care and went to the Casita Traquila for my massage. It was FABULOUS and cost me $40 for an hour!! I walked back to the restaurant to purchase a couple of beers to bring back to our house and met the owner of the resort (Chris, very nice guy and great story). A big group of people were checking in who were on their last night of their mission trip. They were building a school - assisting some of the locals and were ready to shower and have a good dinner. This resort has a lot of guest who are missionaries. They also take a good percentage of their revenues and support the community. They employ 250 locals - give back to the schools and support the local charities. They are really making a difference in this community.

I headed back to the casita to check on my family - Due to the lack of electronics, Tim had to be creative with the time he had with the girls. The electricity went out, so there was no TV and he decided to play "Nicaraguan games" with Lucie and Scarlett while Gracie was napping (thank goodness she was not included in this). "Nicaraguan games" included balancing clothes on your head and walking up stairs and touching the bedroom door and back down again....whoever was the fastest won and if you dropped anything...5 second penalty. Now when I hear how my husband spent his "quality" time with our children, I begin to understand why all the things that happen to us, happen to us!! We deserve them!!! ;) They had a blast together and I had some AWESOME relaxation time to myself.

We spent more time exploring the resort - they had a animal rescue habitation with monkeys and albeit I told all my children (including the 49 year old son I have who acts 10 most of the time) NOT to touch the monkeys... they were petting them, hugging them and didn't want to leave them!! We also adopted a kitty cat while we were there. We were feeding him at our meals, he slept at our house and jumped on my lap every chance he had. We met some great people, had fabulous food and drink and did NOT want to leave. It was the best time!!

San Juan de Paradise was a slice of heaven for us all.....