A Little P.P.D.

(post party details)

Turning 55 is hard work! Who knew??

Seriously, I had an amazing fun weekend celebrating with some of the best people ever put on this earth and I lived up to my name, Rockin' Robyn, but this morning, I am dragging!! Blame it on too many nights of insomnia, too much sugar and embracing life at warp speed, but my gosh, rolling out of bed this morning just wasn't happening! I got hubby off to work and tumbled back into my bed! ( disclosure: it's after lunch, I have not walked today and I am still in my jammies!) It's all good though. I am just leaning back and reliving the moments of fun.

To begin, this is the invitation we came up with for my party... 

(identifying info has been removed for protection)

Keeping with the 1950's theme...

 my friend and her hubby who were hosting had Bruce and I and my sister and her husband 

join them for dinner before the party...

I would have LOVED to have found a "June Cleaver" style dress or something else that was 50's but the closest I came was this awesome leopard print jacket!!

My friend Wendy took special care for decorations 

and my sister was a big help in the kitchen the night of the party.

When the guests arrived we played a couple of fun games... the first was actually almost a little stressful!! My sister had everyone tell how they knew me and what their first impression was when they met me!! 

Oh. My. 

The the tables were turned and I had to tell all my beloved friends what my first impression was of all of them! It was really very fun and very affirming but it was a lot of brain work trying to remember some stuff!!

In between snacking and yakking, we also passed around a jar with questions in them, taken from the Ungame. These are leading questions designed to inspire good conversation as well as help you learn more about your circle of friends! I love this game! We also tried to hula hoop... but we decided the hula hoops were defective, because none of us could get them to stay up around our hips!!

Then, I opened my gifts--- which I have to say, I am like a kid in a candy store about presents!! 

Maybe gifts is one of my love languages. 

Saturday's party was, to me, a huge success and I loved every minute of it and came away feeling very loved, very cherished, very affirmed. At one point I looked around the room at all these loving faces and said "I am rich. I am blessed. And every single one of you in this room is going to be in Heaven with me some day! That is totally awesome!!" 

What more could a birthday girl ask for? 

Sunday, the ACTUAL day of my birth, we attended church, came home for a quick lunch, headed to my mom's and then with her along, went to our son and daughter-in-law's annual Christmas open house,  what they call their "Jingle Mingle". 

Our very creative daughter in law, set up a little photo station where we could play with an assortment of props for picture taking. Oh, we had a lot of fun with that!

After the Jingle Mingle (don't you just love the name?) We took my mom back to her place and she gave us a little tour of all the Christmas decorations on display there. Pretty! 

Intermixed with all this fal~de~ral was several phone calls from friends and family (including my grandkids) and the lovely facebook birthday greetings and wishes. Love it!

Then... finally... it was Date Night for the Love-Burkes!  Bruce took me to dinner at a fairly new eatery in town. Its in a location of a former restaurant that was one of my favorite places to go and I was sad when it closed. Having a new restaurant there meant, we had to go check it out! It is right on the waterfront and in the summer this is a delightful place to visit. We warmed up with some delicious hot buttered rum while waiting for our dinner. Good food and I saved room for dessert...   salted caramel topping on a butterscotch flavored creme brulee. I DIE!!!

Yes, between the cupcakes and cocoa puffs and all the other delectables on Saturday, a good score of chocolate in the middle of Sunday followed by a decadent dinner and dessert, I really shouldn't be SKIPPING MY WALK TODAY!!! But, I guess a recovery day is needed, so I'm taking it. 

Thank you THANK YOU to all my family and friends who made my birthday week such a memorable one.  God is good. 

Tis the Day

Tis the day before my birthday

and all through the land

I've been sprinkling sunshine, 

As much as I can!

I've been posting on Facebook

of things funny or queer

things of importance

of what happened that year

the year I was born, 

nineteen fifty eight

it seems rather important

to make note of the date.

Tonight I will party

oh what fun it will be!

tomorrow will just 

be my sweetie n' me!

So, I need to get ready

you know how it goes

a birthday girl has 

to be on her toes!

Make Up and Hair

and Fancy Clothes

Jewelry and Perfume

but NO panty hose!!

Rockin' Robyn is ready

no need to fear!

I think 55 might be my

very best year!!

Today is My Birthday

Last night we enjoyed a Fiesta as only Tico's can host. Tico's and Tica's are what Costa Rican's are called. Tico being the men, Tica's the ladies. It's fun picking up phrases in Spanish but there is no way I can string enough words together to make complete sentences and really have a meaningful conversation with a Tica. Still, we try!! Last nights party gave us ample opportunity. Jeremey speaks pretty fluent Spanish, his son Jake is very competent and Colette is picking it up well. Bruce seems to retain what he has learned better than I.... we flounder with our spanglish and smile and use hand gestures... we get by.

The party was much gusto! Very fun. There were about 40 people in attendance  mostly from Cherie's church. Her pastor and his wife are awesome. We are looking forward to worship on Sunday with them. there were many children running around... in fact since we arrived at the house yesterday there were extra kids who came with the Tia's (aunties, which is an affectionate term for the ladies who help Cherie with the children) so I have not yet truly identified which 6 children are Cheries new family! ah well, still time to meet and get to know them.

We had lots of food of course, with a very American flavor... fruit and veggie trays, potato salad, bbq meat and coke. Oh but there was also rice and beans, and the best  fresh homemade pico de gallo I have EVER eaten.... I think I could live off that alone for many days. yum. so fresh. And cilantro grows like grass around the yard and it's spicy pungent aroma permeates the air and makes my mouth water for more.

During dinner Bruce and I got to chat with Cecilia, Pastor Javiar's wife. Cecilia speaks her own version of Spanglish, which is exactly what she called it to my delight! She is a beautiful charismatic woman with grace and humor. I liked her very much. We chatted despite the language barrier with some assistance from her lovely daughter Natalia who speaks near fluent english. Again, hand gestures and laughter transcend the language barrier.

The party highlights were a visit from 'Santa' who brought gifts for the 6 children, and a pinata. This was of course a huge thrill for the kids. The 6 children have been living at Hogar de Vida for many years, knowing that was a temporary house for them. Most of the children in the foster system are not adoptable as either parents have not released them for adoption, yet have given them up due to their lifestyle issues and choices (alcohol, drugs, prostitution) or the children have physical or mental handicaps or there are siblings and the government works to try and keep the families intact. This all makes adoption challenging. So these little homes have been established to provide safe housing for them. Hogar de Vida is one of those places and it is through them that Cherie got involved. She was a Tia there for a long time and eventually the desire to establish her own non profit home came out of her large loving heart. She started working on bringing home 6-10 children about 3 years ago and in the last couple of months things came together very quickly resulting in the children coming home this week. When we planned our trip last spring we had no idea the children would be moving into their 'forever home' the very first day we would show up at the house. But God knew.
This is very rewarding for Jeremy, Colette, Jake and Jordan who have been here previously and have done a lot of work in helping Cherie get the place set up for the kids. Bruce and I are along for the ride so to speak but we still catch the joy and excitement of the moment.

On the way home last night, Jeremy exclaimed that someone had reminded him that is was my birthday today! LOL. I had almost forgot myself. Anyway, he asked if Bruce and I wanted the day off to play and celebrate or did we want to work. Bruce and I thought about it and then took the discussion to the privacy of our room. Bruce wanted to give me whatever I wanted... hmmm, no pressure right? LOL. Well all I could think of was the list of work projects they had planned and only one full week to do it all in. I know my husband and chomping at the bit to jump in whole hog describes his heart perfectly even as he strives to bring me what I need.

what did I need? Easy answer for an introvert whose been exposed to over stimulation since Wed. So it was decided that Bruce would go with the team to work today and the birthday girl would stay here at the hotel and rest. Do I feel guilty? Not at all. I have learned that when I need downtime I need to respect that and take it. Besides this gives me a chance to upload pictures, edit them, blog, send email and ok, read all my lovely birthday greetings on Facebook, maybe read a little down by the pool and allow my body some rest.

While the water here in both the hotel and Cherie's is safe to drink and the food is not over-the-top foreign (rice and beans and corn tortillas, fruit etc) there is still something about travel that can wreak havoc on a person's body.... and I do feel tuckered out!! But as the birthday card from the rest of the team said "Hope you aren't too pooped to party" Well we partied last night so I think a nice dinner out this evening will be just fine!

Day One (and backwards in time)

The Trip Here

I feel like I lost a day. Flying out at 10 pm Wed. night traveling all of Thursday, with virtually no sleep makes today being Friday a bit of a jolt. thank goodness for the excellent coffee of Costa Rica as it provides plenty of jolts in the other direction! I can drink their coffee all day and never experience jitters or bitter taste. but i did not come here to write about the coffee, worthy as it is of good press. lol.

We left Deming around 1pm Wed. making a few stops along the way to pick up other members of our team, drop off a dog with the sitter and enjoy a meal together before heading to the airport. Getting checked in was not without challenges. there was confusion over extra luggage charges and a previously issued credit, tools in checked luggage that got sent on it's way before batteries were removed. (a no-no) then delays as the luggage with tools was searched for.... delays that almost caused us to miss our plane!! it was stressful and hectic and even scary there for a little while but we were praying and it all came together at the very last second. the second luggage issue was being the very last people to get on the plane meant there was no room for our carry on's and we had to check them at the last minute. For some of us that was problematic as we had carefully packed those carry ons for a reason. LOL. how fussy we can be some times. yes, laughing at myself....

our 5 hour layover in Miami stretched into 7? as we had loaded our plane, then the pilot discovered something not working right so we had to disembark and reload a different plane. that took almost an hour then on the new plane an unruly (ie drunk) passenger was escorted off the plane and another delay ensued as they searched for all his luggage. of course it was on the bottom of the pile!!  Oh my goodness. We decided with this many issues before we got to CR it must mean that our time in CR would be trouble free. (so far so good)  there were other disappointments  frustrations and mis-communication that seem trivial and petty in light of today's news of the horrific shooting at the school in Connecticut. It also pales in the face of the big picture of the 6 children that 'came home' today to Residence of Life.

We arrived at the hotel at last thursday afternoon and were all very happy to get horizontal for a few hours. showers and food and sleep and not necessarily in that order. I enjoyed a very refreshing dinner; a salad of avocado and hearts of palm. it was the perfect evening meal for me. nutritious and tasty but not too heavy that close to bed time.

This morning with a good night's sleep behind us, we greeted the day with smiles and anticipation. Did a quick walk around of our hotel, The Adventure Inn. It is beautifully done and yet amazingly affordable. Safe area of town-- always an important consideration when traveling.

We had a few stops to make on our way to Cherie's home. Walmart, the bank, hardware store and grocery. Going to the bank is quite involved. There is an armed guard at the door and only so many people may enter at a time. We sent Jeremy and Bruce in and the rest of us waited in the car. We waited long enough to buy fresh avocado's off a street vendor, find one child's shoe just laying there in the street, which Colette playfully perched on the windshield as a way for Jeremy (our fearless driver) to gauge if he was cornering too fast!!
Finally the men came out of the bank having exchanged our American money for Colones. Backing up carefully to extract ourselves from a very tight parking situation, Jeremy still managed to bump the fendner of the car behind us. Oh, dear! Now despite there being NO visible damage whatsoever, the owner of the car came to investigate. the owner of the car just happen to be one of the security men from inside the bank! Could it get any worse? Well, for $100 in American the man was happy to let us drive away without calling the policia. What an adventure. Just the way things are done in another country.

Finally we arrived at Residence of Life, the home Cherie has established for 'her kids'. She has 6 to start with and hopes to provide room for more in the future. We got a tour of the house and then ate a filling tasty meal of rice, beans, potatoes, salad, and a chicken fajita like dish. Yum. I was ready for a siesta after eating but oh, no, we have work projects to start. YAY for getting started!!

The men, Bruce, Jeremy, Jake and Jordan are assessing the situation  and deciding what needs to be done first. Some of the little boys who have moved here will be 'helping'. This will be fun to watch.

Because the children's identity must be protected I will not be posting any pictures of the kids, from the face forward at this time. the rules are very strict. But I will be taking pictures of the scope of work we are here to do. Today is a low-key day, despite the eagerness to get started. it's a celebration day  for the kids moving home, a day for us to acclamate and get our bearings. The afternoon has brought a cooler breeze up from the valley and perhaps even the smell of rain is in the air. A BBQ is planned for tonight's dinner as part of the celebration. and right now I am helping put up Christmas lights... something that feels surreal in such warm humid surroundings. Pura Vida!

Just for Fun

We made it through another week! Bruce survived the gunshot wound to his knee (nail gun) and kept his job. I survived looking after him, and keeping things humming. Yay God!
He is still a little gimpy with the stiff knee and will continue his antibiotics but he's doing good. He reports to work Monday in the office to continue the work they assigned him (to do at home) of putting an estimate together on an upcoming project.

We're having a get together with dear friends tonight. 2 couples we were in a small group with for a long long time. One of the couples are missionaries, home on furlough from Honduras. Quite unintentionally the get together is falling on St. Patrick's Day but I decided to have a green theme for dinner!

In addition to a GREEN Salad, I am making the cauliflower pizza crust for dinner with PESTO SAUCE and grilled chicken, ARTICHOKES, GREEN PEPPERS and other yummy toppings. SPINACH DIP for the chips, LIME JELLO with shredded BROCCOLI slaw mix and while I didn't find GREEN BEER, I DID find Hard Cider made from Granny Smith apples which everyone knows are GREEN!! for dessert there are brownies with..... MINT ice cream, (provided the Quick Stop next door has it in stock-- I forgot to get some when I stopped for pesto sauce)
All for fun of course!!

Even more fun is the news that I WON a give away on this awesomely shiny blog. I am going to receive a CD from A Fine Pair of Misfits which is the self titled first album of her daughter and son-in-law. Very talented sweet couple and I have seen them perform in public and enjoyed all their fine songs.

it's been a good week. and then.....  to top things off..... We got these adorable pictures  of our youngest grandchild just in time for St. Paddy's Day. Too Cute!!

Big Bennett Burke looking flashy in his fine bowtie and special glasses.

this one is my favorite!

you think maybe he knows just how cute he is?

happy St. Patricks Day!

Man of Courage

We were supposed to leave a long, long time ago. But, well, it's been a week and a day of set backs and complications. Still, my man has kept his cool and if he can keep cool, so can I.

working in the shop

We were supposed to head to Oregon this (morning) (afternoon) (evening) .... ummm... we're still here. I'm at home, everything is packed, Bruce is at the shop and when I spoke to him a couple of hours ago, he was closing in on having everything loaded, secured and ready to roll. But there is no way we are driving to Oregon tonight, says the wife and I pray my husband will be cool about just heading out early tomorrow morning and that the customer will be even cooler about the need to adjust the schedule!!

I really just want to focus and celebrate the super celebration we attended last night! How many of you have seen the movie "Courageous"?

before the ceremony

For a few months now Bruce has been attending a weekly event for men called The Fire (men igniting men to love and lead like Jesus Christ) at our church. Over 200 men have been attending and last night, they held a commitment ceremony similar to the event featured in the movie, to take a stand and sign a document known as The Resolution.

It was AWESOME! We had a rocking worship time, then a rousing message from Sr. Pastor Kim, then the men all stood up and signed their Resolution.

We prayed over our men and then a party broke out! Yes, it was grand!

Hugging and Whooping, laughter and tears. I am SO PROUD of my husband. He tries every day to live out the call of Jesus in his life and taking the stand to sign this piece of paper only makes what I know in my heart to be true, that much more significant.

Lord, thank you for my godly husband.

Family BBQ

our back yard all checkered out for BBQ!

We're gearing up for a family get together tonight. Bruce's side of the family this time!

Family, food, fun. We are celebrating Bruce's son Joey and wife Corrie's 4th Wedding Anniversary (July 14th) (+ upcoming arrival of baby Burke!) niece Kristina's graduation,(June) and niece Sarah's birthday( July 25th).

my baby. 6 months old.

Speaking of birthdays...my own baby will be 30 on Sunday. THIRTY?!?!?!?! where does the time go?