Pura Vida, the ‘Pure Life’ of Costa Rica: PART 1

Take off- One last Surprise

Sitting in the Houston airport, the layover city that was the final American stop before taking off on my Costa Rica adventure (one that I had been completely unaware of two days prior, until my sweet husband announced the surprise trip at my birthday dinner), I still felt the familiar tug of intuition that told me that there was something else I did not know. Turning to Steve, I asked one last time, “are you sure that there is no other surprise left?”

I put those feelings to rest though after having Steve’s assurance that once we boarded, my last surprise would be the reaction to the country and the adventures that lay ahead.

Liar.

Always listen to the intuition. Although, to be honest, I really do love surprises, and this one last surprise, a big one, was the only one Steve really was able to get away with.

You see, somehow I had managed to have a good idea of all the birthday surprises he had planned. It’s not that I want to know, it’s my intuition, I’m a good guesser and well, I know Steve pretty well by now.

“Let me take a picture of you before we take off, you know, our last stop before being in another country,” Steve said.

Suspicious yet?

You should be, I however, was not.

“Smile, you’re about to take off for Costa Rica,” Steve says.

I become aware of someone next to me, I dismiss it, the terminal is filling up…

snap, flash…the picture is taken.

Johnny, sidling up to me, devilish smile on his face, and me, obliviously unaware, smiling the perfunctory smile that thousands of people do when posing for vacation photos.

Another second later and an arm falls around my shoulder…

...a familiar giggle sounds in my ear and I turn...

"Johnny," I exclaim!

Steve calls out, “turn over here,” hugging, we turn…

another snap, flash...and the moment is captured.

Now you would think that I would have figured it out right there, right?!

But, I am a gullible and trusting soul and Steve had just told me no more surprises, and Johnny had told me he was going to Peru with his family….so I thought he just happened to be leaving on his trip, on the same day, from the same terminal, at the same time…yea.... see, you get it.

I will simply say that, one: it was morning, two: I had only had a very small amount of coffee (compared to my usual morning pot!), and three: I believe what people tell me!

My reaction? (okay, once I actually figured it out!)…

Hooray, Johnny was coming on the adventure! (Bilingual, born in Nicaragua, and one of the funniest, upbeat and outgoing people you will ever meet, he also happens to be one of our dearest friends who was literally there at the beginning of our relationship, and who then played an integral part of our wedding by performing a portion of the ceremony).

Although there would be amazing, life affirming (life threatening?) adventures to come, one of my favorite moments was captured in two amazing photos, quickly snapped before take off. The hug exchanged and bright smile is the evidence of someone who is starting to realize the excitement of what lay ahead.

Two seconds, two emotions captured forever in film.

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Post Script: Steve - aka - the sneaky mastermind - and I, completely unaware, on the first flight - Phoenix to Houston!