"Pura Vida" Honeymoon in Costa Rica!

We made it to Miami! After unpacking and making a few much needed shopping sprees, (thank you again for the gift cards) we checked out the nearby beaches and just relaxed! We started looking into cruises (our original plan for a honeymoon), but had a hard time finding something in our price range- apparently we were trying to leave during the high-season. So, along came Ty's plan B-- He had always talked about taking me to Costa Rica, and from Miami it's a surprisingly short and inexpensive flight. So, we talked about it, got excited, felt really adventurous, booked our flights and left 2 days later!

*A funny thing: of course, we didn't know anyone who could take us to the airport. So, we started out our trip in style by taking the Miami public transportation system! THE BUS! It cost us $2.00, and was the first cultural experience of many! Our bus driver was apparently a huge fan of exercise. While she was driving she practiced her Tae-bo moves! It was funny, but a little scary when she busted out the double-time!

Costa Rica was so beautiful! We had a fabulous and very packed/adventurous trip. We started out in the beautiful Villa Caletas 4-star resort. http://www.hotelvillacaletas.com/ We had our own private villa with the most incredible view of the jungle and the ocean! The food and accommodations were top notch! Next time we go we are going to end our stay there.

We took a boat ride up the coast to Tortuguero National park and were able to view the giant Green sea turtles come out of the ocean, dig wholes and lay 120 turtle eggs! Very cool experience! http://www.costarica-nationalparks.com/tortugueronationalpark.html

We stayed in a secluded and rustic jungle hut in Cocles. There were no cars in this town and it was very underdeveloped! Every night we would fall asleep to a symphony of bugs, birds and monkeys! We rented bikes and checked out the town riding up and down the coast.

My personal favorite- a four hour river rafting trip down the Pacuare River!http://www.jdwatersports.com/rafting.htm This river was beautiful and had some very big rapids! Many people on the tour fell out of the rafts! Thank goodness for our helmets. About two hours into it the rain started pouring down on us! It was actually really fun and added another level of intensity- since we couldn't really see what was going on! That not so fun part: packing up wet clothes, that of course never dried in the humidity.

View from Villa Caletas

Boat ride to Tortuguero

There's a monkey in this picture...can you see it?!

Our little jungle hut in Cocles...

The pathway to the jungle hut...a little spooky at night!

The beautiful Caribbean!

Beach Cruisers!

Gorgeous sunset in Cocles

Costa Rica Cuties!

Road Trip/The drive to Florida

Salt Lake to Miami- after pulling that one off we concluded that everyone, at one point in their life, should take a cross-country trip. Of course the landscape was nothing compared to the dramatic ridges of the Rockies, but we found the endless acres of corn fields and storybook country homes nestled in patchworks of farmland to be quite picturesque. Arriving in Miami we were welcomed by angry drivers, horrible traffic and sweltering humidity! But that's another story, for another posting. :)

Our first on a list of exciting stops...Laramie, Wyoming--(Cowboy's) Econo-Lodge! ...Okay, so the trip didn't start out in the most exciting town, nor the nicest accommodations (who knew all hotels in Laramie would be booked!) Every cowboy from that side the Mississippi travelled there just in time for the rodeo! --and of course, we had no idea. Ty learned very quickly that travelling "Ty and Scotty style" (i.e. last minute accommodations, sleeping on the dirt if necessary) was not going to work with his new bride. We made the most of it and left that place in the dust bright and early.

From there the trip got progressively better. We spent a night checking out Omaha and then moved on to our Nauvoo portion- which was FABULOUS! Our experience included a temple session, the Nauvoo pageant, and a darling bed and breakfast. We enjoyed the humbling and beautiful spirit there. http://www.ellissandershouse.com/

On to Atlanta- to visit Casey (very fun and a much needed stop), and then just a few hours in Nashville- long enough for ribs, corn bread and macaroni.



Mourning the loss of his cruiser, we had to stop and check this beauty out!




Lots and lots of corn...




Beautiful Nauvoo- highlight of the trip!




I thought the Mississippi was so beautiful... Until I woke up with about 3 dozen gigantor-sized mosquito bites!!



Quick stop in Nashville.

First Things First- The Wedding

July 17th, a very big day for us! We said "I do", cut the cake, and a few days later packed up the family four-door and headed across the country! Thank goodness for the strategic game of "packing tetras"- the guys were able to fit all necessities into the Honda!

To see more photos of the wedding, take a look at: http://clients.lindsayjanephotography.com/

Ahhhh, the happy couple!

The happy wedding party...

Cute little Taya...


Cook grand kids- Look they are all smiling!...well, almost

Introducing: Our New Life

I guess the day finally came...

I have always wanted to join the cool "blogger society", but when your life consists of friends and family in a 20 mile radius, is there really any sense in that?

Tyler and I are now in the lovely land of Florida- hence the cheesy blog name, and thought this would be a great way to keep in touch with friends and family. So here it is: "Stories from the Sunshine State"... the life of Ty and Sara in all its glory!

We are enjoying Floridian life to the fullest and have found Miami to be about as eclectic and diverse as a city can get! Even our ward is a great representation of the melting pot we live in--with converted Jews, Muslims, Haitians, Cubans and much more, it has been, to say the very least, eye-opening! We love it!

This being our first post- it's just a "hey how are ya, we are alive" message. We will post some events from the past few weeks to bring everyone up to speed.

Oh! And I almost forgot one thing, our Disclaimer: we post photos of the crystal clear water and white sand not to invoke envy! Instead...we are trying to promote visitors to our home sweet home in Aventura, Florida! Strategically located between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, this is a beach-goer/cruise enthusiast's paradise! We are more than happy to welcome any and all of you to our humble little home- and although our rented apartment, furnished with craigslisted couches is nothing to shout about- we think you will find the company and surrounding scenery most exquisite!

Enjoy!