partnership & costa rica

Jerome and I having a heated discussion at Outback Dave's, an Aussie/Trash art restaurant with delicious food. We had dogs and cats wandering through to be petted. Every table had a basket of old glasses to wear so that we could explore different aspects of our personalities.

As of 1/11/12 Jerome and I have been married 1 year. A wicked lot has happened in a year. We found ourselves in January and February evaluating our past year of marriage. We also don't hold the traditional view of marriage. We eloped partially because it was practical and partially because we want this partnership to be what we make it, not what years of tradition in society say marriage is supposed to be (I see many people stuck in an unhealthy place because of societal expectations). Since the beginning though, our partnership has evolved around our mutual love of nature and desire to have our children continue to enjoy it.

The first couple of months of this year we filled in the calendar with our plans. Then we began looking for a space to have the honeymoon that we hadn't taken yet. In February Jerome got a bonus from work and decided that since Phoenix was going to be spending some time with grandpa he would see if he could take off a week from work and squeeze in a surprise honeymoon. Somehow it worked out. Three days later we found ourselves on a plane for some sunshine and adventure in Costa Rica.

Now I'm not going to say that the carbon footprint of a plane to Costa Rica is eco-friendly, but the country was very inspirational. Being in Costa Rica allowed me the space to bring up unresolved feelings from the past year, and we found that while our trip had not been what we expected it was cathartic and healing.

It was amazing to feel the waves wash away tension and stress while the sun warmed me. Persephone home in the warmth of her mother's joy. We walked along the beach and got a little extra crispy from the sun. We ate amazing fresh fish. We got a free surf lesson (I will tell about in another post). I had the challenge of relaxing and trusting Jerome with the details while both of us speak barely enough Spanish to ask where the bathroom is . . .

How does this fit into my blog about trying to be sustainable? It is part of our journey. Also, I am excited to share the inspiration I found there in the land, and the San Jose Art Museum.