Getting here.....

This blog is for our friends and family who wish to keep up with the Holmes’.  We will be writing about our journey until we get tired of it.
WARNING: These entries may cause extreme envy or motivation to make a change. It all depends on the person reading.

It’s the beginning of June and we are getting settled into our little casita in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.  I was greeted by a small toad tonight on our door step as we came in to our little house only to find a gecko running up the wall . We are definitely not in Sherman Oaks anymore.

  The last two months has been a blur. Preparing to move to another country with an infant and say goodbye to a life we have known and grown comfortable with was no easy task. We never could have done it without the help of amazing friends and family. It is for all of them that I will try my best to document this adventure and I think it will keep me sane as we adjust to our new chapter.
  A brief update on getting here.... We left Los Angeles on May 20, 2012. A teary goodbye in Sherman Oaks and a few nights with Grandma Maggie, who said, “good luck in Puerto Rico!”, before getting onto a plane at 7am to start the journey. First stop, DES MOINES, IOWA. Why? you ask. Nick’s fabulous fun family wanted to bid us farewell and to see Harper. So we geared up for 10 days in the heartland. It turned out to be a perfect transition of family, BBQ and pool time. Harper got to meet ALL of her Iowa crew. Including cousins Sofia, who asked, “why can’t Harper play like a big girl?” and little Johnny, who wanted to know if Harper was growing or “will she stay small?”.  It was a midwest memorial day at it’s best and a perfect way to say goodbye to the good ole’ US of A.
 We left IA on May 30th and flew to Houston and then on to our final destination Liberia, C.R. Unfortunately our perfectly planned flight/nap schedule was tainted by a delay and as we sat on the tarmac in Houston for over an hour while they looked for a mysterious bag that had no passenger attached.  Thank you 911. My 10 month old proceeded to grow closer to a meltdown by the minute and I realized that it was the beginning of the end.  It proved to be a miserable flight. Overtired baby + overtired momma + frustrated, low patience daddy = MISERY. Harper screeched on my lap, clawed at my chest, sweaty and confused, and then an angel disguised as a flight attendant, named Heather saved us. Thank God the flight was not full and we were able to spread out in a row by ourselves. She also helped by calming our nerves with a cold heineken, for momma, and Vodka cran for daddy.
  What seemed like 12 hours later, we landed. Thank goodness for our prearranged car, thanks to Rhonda, we were in a cool dark and quiet van on our way to Tamarindo. I am actually glad we came in at night, because  it made all so mysterious!   We pulled up to Villa dona Ines, and were greeted by our gracious hosts, Jean Marc and Rhonda as well as Jessica, their 13 yr old daughter. They showed us to our little casita. With a welcome basket, equipped with mangos and coffee for the morning.  I have never been so happy to see a bed. It was nice to put Harper somewhere other than our laps!
 - Colette