I’ve lived in two places that claim to have “the best sunsets.”  Yes, Arizona and Hawaii have breathtaking sunsets, but I think Costa Rica has them beat.

After the coffee plantation we put on our jackets and took a short climb up the Poas Volcano.  We were so high we were up in the clouds…

Once the wind blew the fog and steam away, we were able to look into the crater:

This was the most desolate, barren, lonely place I’d ever seen.  You can only see a little part of what we were able to see, but just looking over the crater gave me an uneasy feeling.  Luckily on our walk down the volcano I made friends with Costa Rican wildlife to lift my spirits.  I wanted to pet and love this little fella so badly, I had to put my hands in my pockets to resist the urge to pet him.

After San Jose’ we left the city and headed out to the mountains.  The countryside here is absolutely beautiful: rolling green hills with the thick rain forest as their backdrop.  Luckily the scenery was beautiful enough to take my eyes off the scary roads we were driving on.  While in the countryside we stopped off at a coffee plantation to learn how coffee beans are harvested.  Very interesting process.

I can’t get over how big and beautiful these hydrangeas are.  They’re the size of my head!

It’s amazing how quickly the landscape changes here.  One second we were in a beautiful coffee plantation, and fifteen minutes later we over looking what I image hell to be like…

Well we’ve made it here.  Costa Rica is a beautiful country with so much to do and see.  We flew into San Jose’ and spent the morning down by the markets getting to know the people and culture.  Here we are in a park nicknamed “The Mango Tree Park”…  I’m sure you can guess why.  Our lovely tour guide seems to know everyone (throughout the day he would wave and honk to other drivers saying, “oh that’s my best friend”)  Fransisco also happens to be really good friends with these men at the central park:

According to Fransisco, all these men do all day is sit around and give people nicknames (hence the name of the park).  Our nicknames were real original: Barbie and Coconut Flower (Mick was wearing an orange shirt the color of a coconut flower).

While in the park we also made good friends with this special gentleman who decided to serenade me with his maracas.  Luckily Mick didn’t get too much of me in this clip: after about 30 seconds of his song it got to be a very awkward performance.  It was very nice of him to do, nonetheless.

Black sand beaches.  Good because they’re different and beautiful.

Bad because they’re incredibly hot on my feet; and the water is pretty murky.  After we finished riding some waves, we were relaxing on the beach and saw these jumping out of the water.  In the same area we were swimming.

Luckily the warm water keeps me coming back for more.

The birds here are very friendly and let you get really close.  Their colors are absolutly beautiful and inspiring.

More from Mark.

If you missed the Reflections of Christ exhibit, you missed out on some amazing pieces. Thanks Mark for your work. Hopefully we all can remember the true meaning of Christmas.  Have a Merry Christmas!

We’re ditchin’ this cold weather and heading off to Costa Rica with Mick’s family.  In order for my mother to keep her little Rachy close by, and for a personal record; I’m going to TRY to do a little blogging/travel log.

Bringing it back to my Irish roots: Clontarf Castle in Doublini is absolutely beautiful.  Classic castle exterior with modern decor.  One day I’ll get there.

I don’t get how people make magnificent gingerbread houses.  I guess I just don’t have the patience nor the engineering skills.  Here are some pretty extraordinary ginger bread houses.

Gingerbread farm.  Template found here.

Noah’s Gingerbread ark.

Mt. Rainer found here.

Thanks to my wonderful hairdresser who gave me a heads-up on this deal.  This DVD set is on sale at Costco for $12 (warning: it’s advertised for $22, but is wrung up at the register for $12).  It isn’t Christmas until you watch a little claymation!

I’m a huge dog lover. So much that I might even decorate my next Christmas inspired by our little Pixi’s Colors. After wall, Alec Puskas did. Inspired by his dalmatian, Puskas decided to use a black and white themed Christmas for his home. I think it turned out lovely:

I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.

This cold weather has gotten me into knitwear…for the home.  I love what Dutch firm Perscentrum Wonen has done with their textiles.  These images are simply fabulous!  Their incorporation of handmade woven and crochet items along with rustic and modern have made such a great blend.  These rooms are peaceful and serene.  Find more about their company here.

I know this blog is dedicated to all things pretty. Alright, so these commercials might be pushing it a little, but let me justify:

Miss Green M&M is one sexy, beautiful babe. I don’t know why I love this ad so much, I just do. Enjoy.

And if you know me personally, you know I LOVE McDonald’s chicken McNuggets. And you know Mick and I love to dance to good music. Two things are combined in this great ad, making it quite a pretty site.  It makes me want to get a 10 piece right now.

Mick and I will be traveling to Costa Rica with his family this Christmas. I’m definitely needing some r&r by the beach. As much as I love the sun, I don’t like the effects. Call me vain, but I’d like to stay looking in my 20’s while still in my 20’s. Sooooo…. this week I’ve bought some new products that I’m excited to use:

I know this might not be applicable for winter, but if you’re out in the sun or by the pool during the summer this product is great. It protects against UV rays, salt water, and chlorinated water (all which apparently are very harmful to one’s hair). Now I won’t be afraid to do some serious body-surfing out in the ocean. I was able to get this and other Kerastase products at the wonderful Enizio salon.

And the best self-tanners of all time: Giessee’s SUN. Found out Light Touch Skin Care in SLC. I’ve spent way too much money on drugstore self tanners that turn my skin orangey, so I finally buckled down and bought a nice kind. And I LOVE it. I highly recommend this kind.

Weather your design style is traditional or contemporary, one big trend these days is free-standing bathtubs. I’ll admit, I think I’ve used ours twice. However, there is something nice about soaking up in a bubble bath reading a good book. Even though I don’t use the tub that often, I’d never exclude one in a design. I need to know I have one available. After all, tubs are the focal point of a bath suite. I went a little crazy with these pictures (they’re in my inspiration library, which I don’t have sourced), but they’re all so beautiful I couldn’t cut any out. Enjoy!

Tis the season fr free things…More fun FREE digital scrap booking items found over at Summertime Designs. Thanks Summer for sharing these with everyone, they’re so fun!

I’ve blogged about Mibo’s tile tattoos before. If you sign up to be on their mailing list you get a free downloadable calendar. Just click here.