November 19, 2007

Dear Dad,

It is the end of a lazy Monday. I finished my work early and have been not very busy this afternoon. I can hear the other employees working away and I am bored. I am ready to go home.
We did go to a wonderful Italian Restaurant for lunch. David has been there three times but it was a first for me. We met up with Bill and Ana to have a get-together with them before our trip. They are leaving for Playa Samara in Guanacaste - a beach area with new housing development going on everywhere and they too will be out of town for Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is postponed here until our return from Miami. We have to fit in a day when all the family will be around so we can celebrate the holidays at least one day this season.
This last weekend was busy at home. We didn’t go to Punta Coral even though it was our weekend to do so. I had lots of things to do at home to get ready for our trip to Miami for Thanksgiving – leaving on Wednesday.

Friday night Celiece and Marlon came over and we watched the new Harry Potter movie on TV while eating delicious treats that David bought at Little Israel, a Jewish deli . It was fun to spend the evening with Celiece . She is a lot of fun to be around.

Saturday I talked David into taking me to the Mall. It is always crowded unless you know the right time to get there and that is during the lunch hour. Almuerzo or lunch hour is the dinner hour here and everyone takes off from one to 2 hours. Morning shoppers leave and go home and return about 2:00pm and continue shopping that is if they can find a parking spot. The problem is always trying to find a parking space.

Sunday David was finally able to play golf. I stayed home and tried on clothes to see what I want to pack for our trip. I like to do this during the daylight hours – it makes it easier. David was really glad to get out on the course and hit the ball around. It has been more than a month since he played because we have had so much rain.
I was able to convince Mario is reservations to take the tour on Sunday and the hang the Christmas ornaments on Manta Raya. Not really ornaments but long boughs with gold poinsettias. This he did and saved me a trip there. I talked to the Captain on Sunday night and he was really pleased with the decorations letting me know that Manta Raya looks elegant and sparkly and ready for Christmas. Years past I have hung boughs of green pine and ornaments and it always looks out of place. When it is hot with lots of sun the gold choice I made for this year is much better. I have been doing all the decorations at the office, Manta Raya, house, Punta Coral and am learning to delegate jobs and not try and do everything myself. It is working.

Today Celiece left on another tour and will be gone until the end of the month. She will be home for Christmas; but unfortunately Marlon will be picking up a group on the 25th of December and will be gone on a tour. We are a busy family. Bryan has been busy getting his new business up and running. It is wonderful to see him so excited about something he really likes.

It is still cold and the north winds are picking up as they always do this time of the year. We will enjoy the cooler temperatures, even if we are a little uncomfortable because we all know it will be a long hot summer.
Boomer, the now tamed wild cat, climbed into bed and curled up close to me all night. He likes to keep warm and I think he thinks I am his mother. He likes to wait until he knows I am asleep and then he carefully climbs up on the bed and curls up next to me. I guess if he thinks I am asleep and not moving he is safe from being rolled on top of.

Business is great and the reservations department is busy filling up the calendar with reservations coming in from everywhere.
Marco, the WEB master is busy making a new reservations program – inventing one for our use – and this will make making reservations easier and the different travel agencies will always know the dates we are going and the number of passengers already listed. It should make everything go faster and more efficient.

Tomorrow I will go to the salon and get pampered with a manicure and pedicure and my hair done so I will be beautiful for our mini vacation.

Tuesday

It is very cold today and there was someone, a friend of Bryan, sleeping in the guest room when I got up and that is where my closet is. I was lucky to find a pair of jeans in with my t-shirts and this is what I wore to work. In the office we have a dress code and jeans are only allowed on Fridays and I broke my own rule. I don’t like to do that but had no choice.

It is very cold today and I wish I had some socks to keep my feet warm. I think they are turning blue because I am wearing sandals. It is really cold.

When I got to the office after two hours at the salon getting ready for my trip, I parked the car and saw that the gardener was working in the yard. We have a giant cactus near the front door that has deadly points that could take out an eye. We have been cutting off the points and David wanted the bottom cut evenly like you see on palm trees, cutting away the lower branches to make the plant neater looking. Well…………….the gardener didn’t get the message and when I arrived I saw an ugly plant. What did I do? Of course I went into David’s office and complained loudly that we had an ugly mess and since it was his idea he had to go and fix it. After protesting loudly, David went and talked to the gardener, who is now full of tiny bleeding cuts, how to cut it properly. It now looks like it should. Language barrier here is always a problem even after you ask if the message was understood, the person always says yes even if it is not true.

I talked to Celiece this morning and she was still in her hotel room instead of on a bus with her group heading for their first stop. Last night the plane couldn’t land because of low clouds and the plane landed in Liberia, Guanacaste in the North, where we have another international airport. Then the people were bussed to San Jose at 2:00m arriving at 6:00am this morning. Celiece who is a 5 star guide, moved up her calendar ½ a day and this gave her people a chance at a little sleep. Way to go Celiece.

I am all ready for our vacation. We are taking a noon flight and don’t have to get up in the middle of the night to leave for the airport. I am not sure if we will be able to do any shopping because the whole population of Miami will be busy shopping the days following Thanksgiving, but we will see. Luckily I did a little shopping when I was there in October and really have only to find something for Celiece - clothes.

David only wants to go and eat at his favorite restaurant, Stone Crabs at Joes and then our friend ordered white salmon for dinner on Saturday. I am sure we will be eating leftovers on Friday unless we can sneak away and eat more crab. If you have never tried Stone Crabs, you have really missed out on a delicious treat. Yum

This is the news for this week. I wish you the very best Thanksgiving and I know that Linda will put on a feast that will be enjoyed by all.

I love and miss you.

Besitos, Cecs