Feeling like Spring!

It is sunny and semi-warm out! Maybe there will be spring this year after all! To welcome the warm temperatures and holiday weekend I stopped in to A New Leaf on Wells yesterday afternoon. I love that place. Walking in to that amazing smell will just instantly lift your mood. I also love that you can pick out your own arrangements and they will wrap them up in papers and cut the stems for you. If it's a gift, they help arrange it a bit and dress it up with ribbon. Beautiful flowers, no-fuss, quick, and the prices aren't crazy. I picked out some white hydrangeas with a few light green and pink accents for our mantle.

They also had anemones for a dollar each. I don't know what it is about anemones, but I think they are so pretty. It must be the dark center that contrasts with the lighter and daintier petals. I really wanted white and black anemones in my wedding bouquet. We called everywhere to see if we could get some shipped in. There was a drought or hot spell or something in California that year, so no anemones. These will do though!

I also picked up some "cute" pears. Really, if pears could be cute, these win hands down. Red and gold and about three inches tall.

Happy "hopefully spring" everyone!

Pura Vida

Yes. I did take a bit of a hiatus! Things have been crazy (per usual) but there will be plenty more on that later.

It's sadly still winter in Chicago (evidenced by my puffy coat and boots), so I'd like to take some time to reflect on my February girls' trip to Costa Rica!

Costa Rica has been on my bucket list ever since sixth grade. Seriously. That long. In fifth grade, the class above us hosted Costa Rican exchange students for two weeks. I couldn't wait to spend time with a new friend from Costa Rica when my turn came around. Unfortunately, the school decided the program would be once every two years. Instead, our class studied Costa Rica for the entire month of January.

Costa Rica has always seemed exotic to me with it's rain forests and wildlife. We stayed outside of Liberia at the Hilton Papaguyo - an all-inclusive resort. We took a day trip to the rain forest and did a short nature walk and stopped by some hot springs (we thought the hot springs would be in nature... they were at a hot spring hotel -- still pretty, but not quite the same.)

The rest of the trip was spent relaxing (a spa day and beach reading - doesn't get much better) and catching up. I'm ready for my next vacation!

View from our balcony window. Not a bad scene to wake up to!

Rainforest

Did anyone else watch a rain forest music video in elementary school science class? The beauty, the rain forest, the tropical rain forest! (going through my head the entire time.)

Traditional Costa Rica food - rice and beans

The 'hot springs'

Cheers to girls' trips!