things i am thankful for this week:



***another birthday celebrated with yet another super-fabulous cake by our aunt megan:

***a little fever de bieber at the movie theaters with my girls. (which did NOT kill me, btw--i was totally entertained. and may or may not have downloaded a few songs by justy. allegedly.)

we {heart} guanacaste

& the last posting of costa rica pics finally comes 'round.

we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at jw marriott guanacaste--


we had a very stressful schedule. which included (but was not limited to) golfing:

watching THIS view from our room patio:

eating, sleeping, reading, & lying on chaise-lounges that a young, strapping pool boy had just seconds before prepared for you with thick, white towels and bolster pillows:

walking in the ocean:

& enjoying spectacular costa rican sunsets:

what a wonderful time we had together--it's a trip that i'll forever cherish .

the waterfalls at la paz

we were blown away by the stunning waterfalls (yes, multiple.) at la paz--



getting there by trail & bridge was half the fun:

we stopped for group shots:

kissing portfolio shots:

and even had time for a glamor shot:

then we all loaded into a cart drawn by two oxen and rode off into the costa rican sunset:

hb chandler!

hb to my chandler--THIRTEEN!!

officially entering your teens is a BIG FREAKING DEAL. i wish for you only love, happiness, drinks from swig, & fever de bieber for you today~

we love you so much!


so....go get crazy today--wreck something! (not really.)

hb dad!

hb to my sweet daddy--i love you so much!

hope you day is one ginormous hole in one!

thankful thursday

it's been a while since i've done a thankful thursday post, and i hate that i've gotten out of the habit. i resolve to do better and be grateful for some of the best things in life that bring true happiness!


this week i am thankful for:



**a beautiful girl who went to preference looking like TWO million dollars:

**a ten-year old lady who had a sleepover with 9 girls who went the ENTIRE. NIGHT. without somebody crying or asking to be taken home at 2 a.m. MIRACLES HAPPEN!:





**our aunt megan who makes such beautiful & delicious birthday confections:

**a little boy who does THIS when asked to pose on the chair for a photo:

**a sweet sign welcoming parents home from a trip abroad:

(btw, dad was welcomed home, too--the camera just didn't capture.)

**another little girl who asks for a photo to be taken "of hers hairs so hers mom can see it in costa wica"--and for the friends watching girls and doing said hairs while the parents were away:

**&, finally, that i saw THIS yesterday. and it still rocked my world:

we survived the zip line in c. rica. ZIPADEEDOODAHHHH

{megan taking the first plunge}

one of the coolest things we did in c. rica was the vista los suenos canopy tour--


(movie promo announcer voice) 15 platforms.

13 cables.

total distance: 3.5 kilometers.

i don't feel like i can do it justice describing, so i'll let the video do the talking. (do you think bono knows they ripped off his song for their site?)


to view the last BIG KAHUNA cable, skip to 2:47--it was all that.

my seventy-year old dad was a rockstar--he OWNED this:

it was such an amazing experience together. and just a little surreal:

crocs and other costa rican creatures

we got quite a taste of the wildlife (or would that be "wild life"?) whilst down enjoying our tropical vacay in costa rica--


we stopped by the infamous crocodile river while out and peered over the bridge to see 25 of those bad boys. TWENTY-FIVE!!

my parents said they had never seen so many there at once. my theory is that they must have known we were coming:

and i must say: these boys weren't playing.

this little fellow was approx. 18-20 feet long:

which really, REALLY made us want to pose for a photo with him to display how bad A we were for putting our lives into that sort of peril:

this one was our favorite because he appeared to be grinning:

we also got up-close & personal with these guys:

& made a new BFF:

( i suspect he liked me best.)

fyi: yes, i AM whispering to him.



{i wanna stoke the fire,--just creatures, just creatures.}

hb abbey!

hb to my little valentine's day baby!

you've blessed our lives for ten years now, and we are so grateful that you belong to us!



j to the beibes has something he'd like to say to you: