Wordless Wino Wednesday: The Morning After

On a much lighter note...

Remnants of a good night. 

{No, not last night, but a memorable recent Saturday evening.} 

2005 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2008 Gnarley Head Old Vine Zin

2009 Big Ass Zin

and a reserve bottle of Winking Owl Chardonnay

+

Steaks on the grill

Potato, Proscuitto, & Fontina Cakes (recipe to come)

Sabrina's Spinach Salad

=

Cheers, lovelies...

When Grace is Gone

Her name was Ava Grace, and looking back now, I realize she wasn't meant to be...

The name was not definite —  it could have been Mia or Sera or Julia or even Jack as well — but the image of her was fully formed in my mind.  Strawberry blond pigtails bounced as she giggled at kisses blown on her belly;  a smattering of inevitable freckles danced across her nose and cheeks;  her dimpled hands grasped a pink blankie, her fingers working the silky fabric as she drifted of to sleep. She was radiant...and she was mine.

Vintage Barbies, Cabbage Patch Kids, and even an antique Betsy-Wetsy doll decorated her room.  She loved dresses, yet band-aids covered her constantly scraped knees, for although she could spend hours lost in fantastic worlds from classics stories, she was determined to find real fairies hiding under garden roses and dirty toadstools.

She was real: the tangible, thriving child of my dreams...then she just wasn't.

Three times I let her slip away.  I know technically it was never my fault, there was never anything I could have done to hold onto her, but guilt is a scar which never truly fades.  

My body failed her. I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't make her hold on tighter. Somehow I just couldn't make her be.

When you have one healthy, amazing child no one seems to understand that fortune may not fall on you again. An uncomfortable shrug and down cast eyes eventually became my only response to the constant questioning about when we were going to have another one. Losses were brushed aside. Yet the words still bit to the core.  

You already have one child; there's no reason you can't have more.  It's just not in God's plan right now. There must have been something wrong with it.  You don't really want another mouth to feed, do you?  It's for the best.  God will give you another baby when you are ready.  It's so early it's not a big deal; it's not like it was a 'real' baby you had held or anything...

The wait was excruciating each month. Too much time was wasted wondering if I was strong enough to recreate her this time, dreaming I was worthy of  breathing life into her tiny cells. Drugs didn't help. Prayers went unanswered. What little faith I once held was washed away in blood. 

Too much time passed, too much of our life spent struggling with the heartbreak and frustration. I finally broke. A dull husk shivering on the bathroom floor was all that remained. It was time to move on while my shattered spirit still had a chance to piece itself back together.

Life goes on, forever fluid as a river, at times flooding my heart with joy, yet occasionally still receding, leaving me hard, dry, and barren. There will always be a lingering part of my soul adrift. A glimpse of a shy smile on a little girl in a crowd, graceful laughter carried in on the breeze: that could have been her. 

Our little family may not be all I had longed for, but it is complete, and it is enough. What doesn't kill you does make you stronger. As time passed I chose to appreciate the beautiful family I do have. 

This is my life, and though it will never be perfect, it is good. It is enough.

Her name was Ava Grace, and looking back now, I realize her spirit was not meant for this world.

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Party Pineapple Upside-down Cupcakes Recipe

I don't know about you, but I always have a tough time trying deciding what to take to a potluck.  Often the hostess doesn't have enough room to squeeze all the extra food into her fridge (so anything melty or with mayo is out).  Unless you want to bring along your crock pot, anything that needs to be reheated is out too.  And you certainly can't expect the hostess to bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Not happening — she has more than enough to do.

So the search for something not needing refrigeration or reheating yet also memorable and oh-so-edible began...

Aren't they cute?  An entire tray of them just screams "Eat Me" while looking like an edible arrangement.  Perfect for your next potluck, right?

Party Pineapple Upside-down Cupcakes

**Note:  This recipe makes 24 cupcakes in a muffin pan measuring 1 1/ inches deep.  I own two "regular" sized cupcake pans, but one is 1 inch deep while the other  is 1 1/4 inches deep.  If your pan is of the shallower variety you can get 30 cupcakes up the sugar & butter by 1/4 cup to fill the extras.


For cakes:
(If you have your own fab recipe — fine, be that way — follow it and ignore this entire section.)
1 box pineapple cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups water (may replace with pineapple juice - see below)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp. spiced rum (optional, but good)


For topping:
1 can pineapple slices
12  maraschino cherries (well-drained and sliced in half)
1 stick butter
3/4 cup brown sugar

1.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.   Coat cupcake pan with cooking spray.  (If you feel the need to be fancy and butter each cup, be my guest.) 

3.  Melt butter in microwave.  Add brown sugar and mix well. 

4.   Drop about 2 tbsp. sugar/butter mixture in each cup.

5.   Drain pineapple saving the juice. (For some extra pineapple goodness replace the water called for on the cake mix box with juice.)  

6.   Slice the pineapple rounds into 8 pieces.

7.   Place 5-6 pineapple pieces around the edges of each cupcake mold (wide side out, narrow side in).  Stick a cherry in the center (cut side up).  This should look like a flower.  (If not try again.)

8.   Blend cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large bowl at low speed until moistened (about 30 seconds).

9.    Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.

10.  Pour batter into cups, filling each no more than 3/4 full.  This is important.  If you overfill you will get peaked tops and you want tops flat--remember, we are flipping them over.

11.  Bake at 350 for 21-23 minutes.

12.  Cool for 5 minutes on cooling rack.  While cooling run a knife around the edges of each cupcake to ensure they are not sticking. Then place cooling rack (if it is as big as your pan--if not use a cookie sheet) over the top of cupcake pan.   Carefully flip and set down.  Gently raise pan (this is the upside-down part).  *Note: cupcakes may drip.  Make sure to have some wax paper or foil below if using cooling rack.

Arrange on your beautiful serving platter.  Chill until ready to take to potluck.  Watch the "oohhhs" as your friends and family spot your mini delicacies on the buffet line. 

 

Fab &Funny Wine Charms

Saturday night we had friends over for an evening of wine tasting, recipe experimentation, and intelligent conversation. I broke out the "good" Waterford tulip white wine glasses only to find {gasp} trash bag twist ties wrapped around their delicate bases. Hubby couldn't find our wine charms and went all MacGyver on me. Hence, our Redneck Wine Charms.

I was not amused.

It was time to find some proper wine charms.  It does get rather old trying to delineate whose glass is whose...especially after you have consumed a few glasses...

The only place I could find ANY cool, fun, or funky wine charms was Etsy.  Which ones should I choose?

Best Seller Wine Charms $16

Cult Movie Poster Wine Charms $23

Retro Pin-Up Wine girls $19

Girls Night In $12 

Naughty Scottish Words $10

Famous Paintings $10

Comic Book Wine Tags $22 (for the Hubby)

Or the epitome of class and charm, Dickie Wine Charms (not from Etsy)

Which ones shall I buy?

Summer Smashed at the Shore

The prompt:

Your blogging Tribe is visiting you for ONE NIGHT out on the town. Write a post with a pre-game drink recipe (alcoholic or non) and tell us where you’d take your blogging friends for a good time!

The response:

My recipe for a perfect {blogger} friend night on the town is actually more of a night in...

Instead of trying to yell over music and chatter of local restaurants and clubs we are going to take it nice and easy. We are meeting up at the timeshare condo on the beach.

It will be a night to let our hair down, kick off our shoes, and dig our toes in the sand.  No dress code. Swimsuits encouraged. Lounge wear is perfectly acceptable.

We'll meet down by the pool where some cool mango bellinis will be waiting in chilled glasses.

 Mango Bellinis

1 tbsp fresh mango puree (or mango nectar in a pinch)
4 oz. chilled champagne or proscecco
chilled champagne flute
sliced mango to garnish

Add the mango puree/nectar to the bottom of the flute. Add champagne and stir to combine. Garnish with fruit. Chill out and enjoy.
 
The second refreshing glass of tropical paradise can be transferred to a plastic cup before we wander down the beach. The balmy ocean breeze blows away all our stresses and we forget about our hectic week, work, and family obligations. Computers are off and the kids are with dad/the sitter. We are officially off duty.

As the sun sets,  tiki torches glow and the pool bar and restaurant start gearing up. We dine poolside, our table overlooking the ocean so close we can nearly dangle our flip-flopped feet in the tide. The reggae band begins to play, a gentle, relaxing groove, and we laugh the night away.

After dinner and perhaps a few more drinks the band starts jamming and it's time for dancing. Or maybe you may just want to chill in the hot tub. Life is full of tough decisions.

And yes, the indoor/outdoor pool has a swim-up bar (with a rather hunky bartender). This is the good life.

What does every girl's night need next?  Why some dessert of course. Beside the beach-side fire pit is a buffet set up for grown-up gourmet 'smores.  Yeah, you read right...

Grown-Up Gourmet 'Smores go so far beyond just some dry, old graham cracker squares and a Hershey bar.  As we have matured, so have our tastes. Just some ideas to salivate over:

• Nutella, thinly sliced French bread & marshmallow
• Sugar cookies, raspberry-filled dark chocolate square, fresh raspberries & marshmallow
• White chocolate, coconut-covered marshmallow, thin slice of pineapple & shortbread wafers
• Gingersnaps, marshmallow & caramel-filled chocolate square
• Peanut butter cookies, dark chocolate & marshmallow
• Cinnamon graham crackers, Reece's peanut butter cup & marshmallow
• Pretzel chips, dark chocolate square with sea salt caramel filling & marshmallow
• Chocolate wafers, caramel & marshmallow
• Chocolate wafers, mint filled dark chocolate square & marshmallow
• Coconut-covered marshmallows, banana, dark-chocolate caramel square & shortbread wafer

Are you drooling yet? Yes, we will be keeping Ghiardelli in business that night. And we will be oh so thankful we are wearing comfy, expandable lounge wear and cover-ups.

We will sit around the fire pit with a marshmallow roasting stick in one hand and an umbrella drink in the other.  After we stuff ourselves with these gourmet delights we can sit back in our Adirondack chairs digesting, watching the moon rise over the ocean, and savoring our escape from our hectic everyday lives.

Since we are hanging by the condo we have a built in crash-pad -- no designated drivers and no bedtime. The party will go on until dawn and there is always time for some more dancing...

So when are you coming down to the Sunshine State?

Cheers, Ladies...

Link up at Adventures in Mommyhood or at My Time As Mom now until Sunday, August 28th

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An Italian Wedding

My favorite wedding photo...it's impossible for me to pick just one.  I always considered myself extremely unphotgenic.  More likely, I was just shy and insecure.  But my wedding photos were the first pictures of me I truely loved.

My Hubby and I eloped in Rome.  Yes, Italy.  We had been planning the normal "big" wedding thing -- a ceremony by the water followed by buffet and dancing at my MIL's club --  and planned to honeymoon in Italy. Then I came down with a wicked case of cold feet. Not of marrying my Hubby, I had no worries about that, but the whole wedding biz was chilling me to the bone.

I didn't want to pay $6,000 (over half my budget) for a decent photographer. I didn't know over half the people on the guest list (Hubby has a bizarre extend family) and I refused to spend our day schmoozing with people I've never met and probably would never see again. Our day was suddenly about pleasing everyone else and I felt like a hired performer only there to make the audience happy.

My parents always encouraged me to elope, so when my Mom was actually concerned about what to emboss on the cocktail napkins (because apparently this is a big deal) I snapped.  I suggested to my (then future) Hubby that we just ditch this whole big wedding thing and get married in Italy.

He said, "let's do it."

And then he proceeded to plan almost the entire thing.

How could I not marry him?

It was springtime in Rome. We were married in Santa Maria in Tempulo, a deconsecrated 11th century monastery in the heart of the city.  Our brief nuptials were witnessed by five family members who were "forced" to take a European vacation to share in our moment.  I'm still not sure what I promised to do that day -- although our wedding planner, Gabriella,  translated, the Italian matrimonial vows are far different (and much more modern) than the traditional American brand.

After the ceremony we traveled around the city on a photo shoot of a lifetime.  We were posed in front of the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and around Campo di Fiore.  Tourists stared and snapped pictures while the magnificent Gabriella cleared our path.  I was so embarrassed to be the center of attention, truly a bashful, blushing bride.  I can only imagine how many of the ubiquitous Japanese tourists posted their pics of the "Italian bride and groom" all over the internet.  Somehow Pino, our amazing photographer, managed to capture only the brief moments I actually looked up.

Hungry and exhausted, we enjoyed a late lunch (and amazing Italian wine, of course) at a local wine bar before going back to our hotel to nap.  That evening we celebrated at a divine trattoria in Trastevere.

It was small. It was unique. It was seeped in history and culture. It was absolutely perfect.

He's taking off my garter, but I always thought it looked like Prince Charming sliding on my glass slipper.

 

It took several months for the thick, padded box covered with Italian air mail stickers to arrive.  The leather album, filled with timeless treasures beyond my wedding day dreams, was worth the wait. 

Now someday I just need to scan the negatives to keep these images alive (and far less blurry) forever.

Cheers or as they say in Italy "Salute!"

This is a part of the Down the Aisle link up over at Mommy of a Monster -- check it out!

Get-me-to-the- Greek Pasta Salad Recipe

Some people can't keep their hands off a bag of chips, while for others it's ice cream or Oreos.  My kitchen crack is pasta salad.  I know, that sounds absurd, but there is something about the al dente pasta lightly coated with rich olive oil and herbs that sets off serotonin in my brain.  Grab a piece with a hunk of feta, a sliver of pepperoni, and some crisp, fresh summer veggies at their absolute peak sitting atop and I am in foodie blissdom.

Summertime just screams for pasta salad.  It's just too damn hot to eat a heaping HOT bowl of pasta.  And it just so happens there is no other time of year to find grape tomatoes as sweet as candy and peppers (as well as other produce) at prices which won't break the budget. 

This was my favorite meal this week.  I could make it in huge vats and eat nothing else...well, as long as I had a nice cool chardonnay to go with it...

Get-Me-to-the-Greek Pasta Salad

serves 6 main dish, 12+ as a side

Ingredients:

Dressing:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

If you want to make this super quick and easy you can use bottled Greek dressing (Ken's is decent and I just discovered the Grandessa Signature from Aldi works in a pinch as well). Fresh is best, but I'm not going to tell, and if you hide the bottle, no one else will notice.

Salad:
12 oz. dried pasta (I prefer Wacky Mack bow ties for color and texture, but you can use twists, wagon wheels, any shape you like)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup sliced  bell peppers (use any colors you prefer -- I like a mix of red and green)
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 (4 ounce) can whole black olives, halved
3/4 cup sliced pepperoni, cut into strips (if you want to go Vegetarian omit)
1 can white beans (cannellini) or chick peas
1 box frozen artichoke hearts, chopped and thawed

Directions:

1. For the dressing: whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, basil, oregano, black pepper, and sugar. Set aside.
2. Cook pasta as per directions on package for al dente.  
3. Meanwhile, assemble all other sliced and diced veggies, pepperoni, beans, and feta.
4. When pasta is done drain well and toss into large bowl.  Add all your salad ingredients and about half of the salad dressing. Toss to coat. Slowly add about half of remaining dressing and toss again. You don't want everything to be too soggy and saturated with dressing, just gloss and well-coated. 
5. Cover, and chill 2 hours or overnight. Stir before serving. Add remaining dressing if desired.

Make sure to hide any leftover in the back of fridge to prevent snacking -- yes, it's just that good.  Just imagine you are sitting {below} soaking in the salty Santorini air while sipping on an imported glass of vino (I've heard Greek wine is swill).

Cheers.

Now, it's time for you, my dear readers to join in.

times they are a-changin'

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

~Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan sang this song, this poem, to me when I was far too young to comprehend any of the complexities of life, of dreams, and of how to weave them into my own reality.   I was in a state of constant flux, throwing care to the wind and not realizing how careless changes could impact my life.  I lived for the day.  And I actually laughed at Dylan--his ragged, nasal, and gravelly vocals launched me into a vicious fit of  giggles. I was lost in the folly of youth, blind of the wraiths of time. 

But the times they are a-changin'.

I just watched my baby bravely march up the school bus steps. He was cool, calm, and ready to take 2nd grade on by storm...at least on the outside.  Somehow I miss him already.  He accepts change with the grace of a young man far wiser than his few years. 

His recent fortune cookie find promises everything  a parent could ever wish for her child: a life of happiness and peace...to have this one must realize that change is the only constant in life.

 My fortune.  If only it will be true.  I know I cannot wait for fortune to find me, I must work to find it.  Time to get back to the grind.  Time to shift focus.

Yes, the times they are a-changin'.

Time to go back to the gym.  It has been a tumultuous summer with far to many doctors visits, minor surgeries, recovery periods, illnesses, and dental drama.  I feel about five pounds heavier.  My clothes feel too snug.  It's time to step away from the snack foods and step back into a healthy routine.

At the start of 2011 I decided to focus on my blog for a while.  I had no idea how all-encompassing a task this would become.  When I'm not writing an actual post I'm researching or taking and editing photos.  I've taught myself some new programs, learned how to create html codes and dabbled in several aspects of design. Then there's the whole social media enigma.  Facebook, twitter, keeping up with the constant commenting and finding new blogs to comment on--it eats up as many hours as  a full-time job.  And yet it pays zilch.  Need to make some changes.  I'm going to cut back on my blog time.

A new opportunity presented itself when I was invited to join the Bookshelf Bombshells book review site. (If you haven't checked it out yet, you should.)  Books. Beauty. Brains.  A brilliant group of women. Time for me to step into my new role of responsibility.

And it is time to get back to my book.  I need to finish the damn thing.  Then I need to start at the beginning and rip it to shreds so I can carefully craft it back together with twice as much love and skill.  It is once again time to treat my novel as my job.  Finishing it and selling it would be the best damn "promotion" I could wish for.  But it won't just happen. I need to make some changes, regain my focus, jump back into the muddy puddle of my writing and dirty myself with words.

discipline. strength. creativity. balance. 

For the times they are a-changin'.

Triple-layer Fruit & Yogurt Pop Recipe

Welcome to the new Flippant Foodie Friday feature (ahh, don't you just love alliteration).   As much as I would love to be a real foodie, it's just not feasible.  

1. I'm poor.  As much as I drool over shaved black truffle over any and every expensive gourmet cheese on the market, I just can't afford these little luxuries. I splurge every so often (real Parmigiano-Reggiano = heaven) but much of my food bill is done on the cheap.
2. I don't have a $2,000 camera to snap photos that would make a NYC food stylist drool.  I have a nice little Nikon but I don't have a studio and lights.  My pictures are decent.  Take them or leave them.
3. I simply don't have the time.  This is not a full time gig. Hell, blogging is not even supposed to be my full-time job- I'm supposed to be working on my book.  I can't spend the whole week repeating a recipe just to make it perfect.  And I have a family.  Yes, I cook every night, but it's usually Rachel Ray-style - homemade in 30 minutes or less.
4. I use packaged foods.  It's the kiss of death for a "real" foodie.  Cake mix is my friend.  The oven is not.  Yes, homemade pasta is 5x better than cheapo from a box, but it just doesn't fit into my life here and now.  It's a yearly (if we're lucky) indulgence.
5. But I love food.  And I think create some pretty decent dishes. I don't follow recipes; I generally read several and take bits and pieces of each to make my own creation.  And I've been told my creations are pretty damn good, so I thought I'd be generous and share some of the love.  

Cheers, readers...

Summertime, and the livin's easy...and hot...ridiculously hot.  The never-ending heat wave is still gripping the country and local temperatures have been climbing to the upper '90s every day.  Five minutes outside and you are guaranteed to be dripping with sweat and lusting for an instant cool-down.

Nothing screams "heat wave treat" more than an icy popsicle...well, I suppose an icy frozen beverage could, but we are talking family treats here at the moment...

My Kiddo is obsessed with the neon freeze-ice tubes full of frozen chemicles.  Whether they are sold as Otter Pops, Fla-Vor-Ice, or a generic name the concept is the same: high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and dye encased in cellophane.  Yum.

Between the heat wave and orthodontic issues, Kiddo has been going through popsicles at an absolutely rate (faster than I go though wine!).  In an attempt to get a pop with a semblance of nutritional value into him, I decided to try some fruit and yogart pops.

They may take more time and effort than simply opening a cardboard box and cutting through the cellophane wrapper  but they were nutritious and a tasty hit.  And the blueberries still gave Kiddo the crazy blue tongue (a favorite part of the tube pops) without pumping him full of mystery chemicals.

Triple-layer Fruit & Yogurt Pops

Note: Adapted from "Perfect Pops: The 50 Best Classic & Cool Treats," by Charity Ferreira.

Prep: 30 minutes
Freeze: 6 to 8 hours
Makes: 6 pops

Ingredients:
1 cup blueberries (about 6 ounces)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup low-fat yogurt (I used apple, but lemon or vanilla would also work well--just use your favorite flavor, okay?)
1 cup strawberries (about 6 ounces)

6 wooden popsicle sticks (or twigs, craft sticks, or whatever decorative stick you want)

•  Puree the blueberries in a blender (or food processor) until smooth. With a sturdy spoon, press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, extracting as much juice as possible. Discard the solids. Whisk in 1teaspoon of the sugar and 2 tablespoons of the yogurt until well combined. Spoon the mixture into ice pop molds, dividing it evenly and filling each mold about one-third full. Freeze until set, 30 to 45 minutes. Wipe spillage off counter because blueberries stain.

•  Meanwhile, repeat the process used for the blueberries, this time with the strawberries.  Set aside in refrigerator.

•  Divide the remaining yogurt (about 2/3 cup) evenly among the molds, placing it on top of the blueberry layer and filling each mold another third of the way full. Freeze until the yogurt layer is set, 30 to 45 minutes.

• Carefully spoon the strawberry mixture on top of the yogurt layer, dividing it evenly. Insert sticks. Freeze until firm, at least four hours or up to one week.

• To release the pops, run hot water over the outside of the molds for a few seconds; gently pull the sticks.

Enjoy! 

(And eat outside. Blueberries & strawberries stain. Let the eater beware.)

Enjoy!

Summer Fun: Gone Wild and Retro

The Summer Fun meme from Things I Can't Say just seemed like too much fun to pass up.  Except, well, this summer hasn't been much fun.  We enjoyed a few day trips to the beach but Kiddo spent the long, hot days at camp.  No vacations.  We spent far too much time in the ER or at the dentist, Orthodontist, Dermatologist, and Oral Surgen's offices.  It was too damn hot and buggy to even play in the pool.

So instead of dwelling on this summer's washout I decided to think back to our rocking summer not long ago. It was the summer we decided (or technically fate made the call) we would remain a family of three.  It was our first real family vacation. We decided to go big or go home. We traveled to Costa Rica.

For ten days we traversed the rugged countryside and treacherous roads. We climbed erupting volcanoes, hiked down to breathtaking waterfalls, and surfed on black-sand beaches.

Kiddo proved that 5-year-olds are fearless adventurers.  He zip-lined through a primeval rainforest without an ounce of fear.  He chased and hand fed wild monkeys as he laughed with delight.  He left worrying about the danger up to me.


It was the summer that will linger in our memories like a morpho butterfly carried along the moist and salty breeze.  It will be forever beautiful, wild, and dreamlike...

I only took about 3000 pictures. Below are just a few favorites summer memories.

All photos here are copyright and property of Vinobaby's Voice.  Do not copy without permission (or I'll track you down and stick a rabid monkey on your a$$).

Look!  It's erupting!  @ 5 a.m.

 

La Fortuna Waterfall

View from our hotel breakfast table

Arenal lava

Sunset Manual Antonio

Wild Red Squirrel Monkeys inside our B&B

All I can think of is the movie Outbreak..."Here Betsy..."

100 ft up in the canopy and no fear

Paradise

To read more about our escapades in Costa Rica:

Costa Rica and the Oh My God Bridge

Being There: Arenal Volcano

"Link up your Summer Fun for a chance to win prizes from Ubisoft."
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