Attitude of Gratitude week 1

Hola,

So far starting a blog has been fun. It has been a little scary but I have enjoyed putting myself out there. I would like to keep up with it by at least making one post a week.
This week entire week I have spent on the couch sick so it has made it hard to reflect on what I am thankful for. However, I feel this habit is a good one. So if nothing else I would like to post each week what I am grateful for. So here are five things I am grateful for:

1. My husband

2. The beautiful perfect weather we have been having here in Colorado

3. Finally getting all our wedding Thank yous mailed out.

4. Netflix (essential for sickies)

5. Getting to live in this country

What are you grateful for?

A Tribute to Gila Bend

Rob has been down in Gila Bend all week jumping his butt off. He has been working that same butt off at work lately so I am happy that he was able to get away from the office and partake in the two activities he loves the most; flying and jumping. We went to Gila Bend for Spring Break as cadets and both got the opportunity to plan the Spring Break trip when we worked in Jump Flight.

The guys like to snap photos of Rob eating junk food and send them to me. Lol...I don't keep that stuff in the house.

Gila Bend is in the middle of nowhere Arizona. There is nothing there and nothing to do except skydive, which is what makes it so awesome. We have a lot of amazing memories there.

I know we both feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of the Jump team for a second time in our lives. It brought us together in life and love. It gave us the confidence and experience we needed to be successful in pilot training. It gave us our closest friends. It taught us the important lessons we needed to be successful in our careers. It enabled us to become a leaders. We love the Team and always will.

Blue skies...

Savers vs. Tossers

"One of you needs to be a saver while the other needs to be a tosser" I have heard this advice from many married couples. One of you has to be willing to get rid of stuff while the other needs to be good a preserving things. My husband is definitely the saver while I am better at getting rid of things when they seem to no longer serve a purpose. We recently received a very thoughtful gift form Rob's Aunt and Uncle. These beautiful engraved glasses with our initials on them. We love them. 
Although, now we must get rid of some old glasses in order to make room for the new. Over the years this has become my policy as I seek to try and keep clutter from filling my life. In our modern lives it seems very easy to allow our lives to become overrun with stuff. Too many vitamins in my cabinet, too many bottles of medication, too many cans of nonperishable food, a linen closet full of towels, too many apps on my phone, TOO MANY charging cords to God knows what device. Sometimes all this stuff will make my blood pressure rise a little. 

So, I diligently cleaned out our glass cabinet in order to make room for them. I planned to take the old glasses to the ARC the next day. When I told Rob who was away on a trip I knew that he would have some objections to getting rid of perfectly good glasses.I know this difference in our personalities is reminiscent of our views on money. He is a much better saver than I am. I really want to be more like him in this manner.  

I was recently reading a financial blog who's focus was on obtaining 1 million dollars in net worth. What an awesome goal to obtain this financial freedom in order to be able to make decisions based on you desires rather than your needs. To be able to be give with extreme generosity. His philosophy is: 

I can and I will employ solid personal finance theories in my life.

I will spend less than I earn annually.

I will never buy a car just to keep up with appearances.

I will not buy a house that is more than myself or my family need.

I will not spend money just to spend it.

That last line is really the root of my stuff problem. So here is my public declaration: My commitment to not spending money just to spend money. To not walk into a grocery store and buy products not on my list just because I want to try it. To not buy bottled water just because I left my water bottle at home. To not buy trinkets in gift shops. To not buy a $3 coffee whenever and where ever I feel like it. This shopping absitenence is the habit of your next door millionaire. This will be my new habit. 

However, I am still taking the old glasses to the ARC. 

Honeymoon Recap Part 3-Arenal

As we left Santa Theresa, we were torn, we wanted to blow off our planned trek to the volcano to stay a few extra days, but most hotels in Costa Rica require a non-refundable deposit. In order to not lose our money we had to leave.
The drive to Arenal was much less eventful than our first drive. The only thing significant about the drive was the beautiful Costa Rican country side and the opportunity to stop and buy an aloe vera drink that I had become addicted to on the trip. These stupid things are delicious. If you buy the aloe light you can enjoy it for only 30 calories. If you buy a cold one you can expect a deliciously refreshing taste of aloe, sugar and yummy squishy pulp in your mouth. But I digress.

I had read that Costa Rica had a lot of American ex Pats however, on the Nicoyan peninsula we had not met many Americans. As we skirted the outer edge of Lake Arenal we realized this must be where they all lived. There were tons of real estate for sale signs all in English, like you see in the states "Homes from the 200's,"  "Lake View condos," "Great community". The homes up there were significantly bigger than we had been seeing along the road with more American looking architecture.  While, I applaud them for defecting to such a lovely tropical country, I think I would choose something smaller and closer to the ocean. It is hard not to day dream about moving to your destination while on vacation. What a cool place to retire.

After around 5 hours of driving we pulled up to our hotel. The Lost Iguana is set in the rain forest just a stones throw from the Hanging Bridges. We checked in an were shown to our room. I am aware this is not actually a word; but it was GYNORMOUS. I was complete with a patio hot tub, huge en suite and amazing view of Arenal Volcano.
As we sat on the deck and marveled at the view it occurred to me that the outside sounds were almost deafening. The sounds of frogs, birds, bugs and whatever else was out there was absolutely spectacular. I had been to rain forests before but never one so dense or loud. I felt the vibrations of the forest actually slowing down my brain waves and turning me into a pile of awesome, mellow-mush.

view from our room

The next day, Rob made my dream come true with a couples massage in the most spectacular spa I had ever been to. Most spas try to emulate the feel of the rain forest by pumping in sounds, but here we were in the reality listening to the sounds of the rain forest. The building was a beautiful eastern temple built from dark rain forest wood. We relaxed in the sauna, drank mint tea and were shown to our open air massage room complete with a wood burning fireplace. It was amazing. I could go on about all the little things that made this experience awesome but I think you get the picture.

To cap of our relaxing day we visited the natural hot springs at Ecothermales. It was smaller and more private than the other more well known ones of Tabacon or Baldi but that is what we wanted. As we continued our relaxation nirvana in the hot springs, I noticed I had lost the key they gave us for our lockers. It was rubberbanded to my wrist then suddenly it wasn't. Since I knew there was not a chance in hell we would find it. This prompted a very embarrassing admission of guilt to the staff. It just so happened they could not find the duplicate so they had to bring in the handy man and grounds lady to break open my locker. I felt so bad, but Costa Rican's are so nice I could tell even through our language barrier that they were not holding it against me. How incredibly gracious of them! I was THAT girl. I deserved any wrath or annoyance I received. When we got home later that night I jumped in the shower to rinse off. As I let down my wet hair I realized I had wrapped the key into my bun. Now I was even more embarrassed because I had to go back and return it, admitting my complete absentmindedness. In typical Costa Rican style they acted grateful that I had brought it back.

Picture of me with the key bun...also in case you are wondering there was zero retouching done on my husbands abs/pecs

The next day we did the loop to the hanging bridges then drove into La Fortuna to visit the La Fortuna waterfall. The Hanging Bridges hike was super fun. The suspension bridges are an architectural marvel. They are suspended across several deep ravines. We saw katamundi, a few tropical birds and tarantula holes. Although, I was on the lookout to see a toucan. We had seen every animal I had wanted to see on this trip except that. To no avail. However, it was a beautiful walk through the woods. The entire trek I felt like I was in a high tech rain forest museum exhibit and they were pumping in the sounds on full blast.

The La fortuna waterfall was amazing as well. I am sure it is the biggest waterfall I had ever seen. You had to walk 554 steps to the bottom of the ravine to experience it fully. When we were down there it started to rain heavily and we got drenched. I felt like this was the true rain forest experience I had imagined. The advertising material had mentioned that this was the place if you wanted to see a toucan, but again I wasn't able to find one.

The food in the Arenal area was good. All the food in CR was great, but we found the food in Arenal to be a bit overpriced and not as fresh as in Santa Theresa. The last night we had a delicious steak dinner at Novillo steak house. Everywhere in Costa Rica is open air, as we were shown to our table it started to rain again. By the time we got our drinks it was a complete down pour. The water was rushing off the shingles and pelting the plants in their mini atrium. The ferns lining the edge of the restaurant were getting pounded, swinging back and forth from all the wind and rain hitting them. This continued our entire meal, I was glad I had brought a light sweater with me. Moreover, the heavy rain seemed to symbolize the end to our wondrous trip.  Ok, A little cheesy but when I reflect, that is how I feel!

The last morning we reluctantly packed up and headed to breakfast at the hotel restaurant. As we sat there we were discussing all our favorite parts of the trip. I lamented a little that I never got to see a toucan, although was very grateful for all the cool wildlife I did get to see. Just then I glanced over at the bird feeder and there sat, you guessed it, A TOUCAN! 

I guess this guy came there every morning around 7 am. He hung out for 3 glorious minutes as the staff tossed fruit at him. When he was full he abruptly turned around and soared from the feeder into the woods. Just then about 10 birds flew back to the feeder. Our waiter explained that the Toucan is a very mean bird, he will eat the babies of the Montezuma bird who is his cousin. He will attack any other bird if they get in the way of a his meal. He is the king of the birds in the rain forest. I had no idea he was such a jerk. He is a gorgeous bird, but what d-bag. 
This was an umimaginable way to call our honeymoon complete. We are definitely coming back to Costa Rica for a second maybe third honeymoon.

PURA VIDA! 

Generals Don't Play

Lately, I have had the pleasure of flying an important General back and forth to Washington DC. He is a very nice man and always takes the time to chat with us about ourselves. The scenario for the flight always goes the same way. A van or SUV pulls up as close as they can get to our aircraft. The first pilot will be on board running the checklists while the other greets the party and loads their bags. By the time the second pilot gets everyone on board, the first pilot is starting the first engine. The second pilot closes up the door, gives everyone a short brief while the second engine is being started. Finally, the second pilot jumps up front, buckles in and picks of the duty of the radios by calling for taxi clearance. The jet then taxis to runway and and takes off. The entire process takes roughly 15 minutes.
When we arrive at our destination there is usually a small greeting party for our General. One pilot will jump out of the seat while the other shuts down the engines. By the time the last bag is unloaded from the back the General is enjoying the climate controlled environment of his SUV. As soon as the last garment bag is loaded in the vehicle the General is whisked off to whatever important meeting he has to attend. The entire process takes roughly 5 minutes. Although, he always takes the time to stop and say thank you to everyone for flying him.

In general (no pun intended), people try not to waste the time of the General. He must accomplish a lot of very important things and make lots of important decisions. His schedule is chocked full of meetings, events and social functions. Vise versa, the General tries not to waste anyones time. He is always on time to our plane, if not early. I am not so naive to think that he particularly cares about what time the pilots are going to get home that night, I am sure he is thinking about the meeting or event he must attend.  He knows that showing up late would be inconsiderate.

In my opinion, this General, is a great yogi.

What does a busy General have to do with a skinny, bendy-Indian guy? Before you stop reading, due to my apparent inability to make associations, let me explain.

The General's approach to time is very inlign with the 8 limbed path that forms the structural framework of yoga. In order, to follow this path one must practice social observances or Yamas. The General practices the Yama of Asteya or non-stealing.  He makes every effort to be on time thus he avoids stealing the time of others. Despite being rushed he always stops to ask others about themselves as well as say thank you. He gives of his time as though he has plenty even though we know his day is scheduled from wake to sleep.

The priciple of Asteya suggests that a person's need to steal comes from a place of scarcity. Believing that you are deprived will make you want to take it from others or perhaps hoard it when you do receive it. This is true for a lot of us when it comes to time. I know that I tend to overshedule myself then consequently will often find myself running late. There are also many times that I get distracted at home and get a late start. This is probably subconsciously driven from my constant feeling that I do not have enough time.

There are so many reasons not to show up late.
1. If you are meeting someone for the first time they will not remember what you said they will only remember that you were late.
2. People will know they can't can't on you.
3. That person may then turn around and be late to their next event thus stealing time from someone else.
4. If you are early then you avoid the stress of rushing.
5. You will have more time to drive around and find a good parking spot
6. You won't get stared at if you walk into a meeting late
7. You won't have to stumble through the dark in the movie theater looking for a seat
8. You will get the best pick of the party snacks
9. Your boss will consider you a good worker
10. You will be at the front of the line at the verizon store to get the new iphone

the list goes on and on...

There is an old saying in the military "if you aren't 10 minutes early, you are late!" As much as it annoyed me to hear it repeated at every briefing I attended, it is true. Being early is practicing Asteya. It is trusting in the abundance of time that God created. It is trusting in him to provide as much time as you need. There is plenty of time for everyone and everything that you truly need to do, all you have to do is be generous with your own.

Namaste