Diversity is a gift from God.

I love traveling to different countries to see new cultures, food, experiences, and adventures. Today we are in Costa Rica in the small town of Jaco. We flew into San Jose last night and immediately got into a taxi to take us to the beach town of Jaco. San Jose's elevation is about 4,000 feet and we drove to sea level in an hour and a half! Yes, it was pretty much straight down! I am telling you this because Harry is competing in a mountain bike race in two days called La Ruta that is a three day stage race from Jaco to Limon over the mountains with 25,000 total elevation change. Yes, he is crazy, an animal, and very exciting to share a life with.

Our hotel today and tomorrow is one of those hotels that everything is all inclusive so we are laying by the pool and making sure we get our three free meals. Funny how we are acting like we have never had three meals a day; especially when someone else is cooking and we don't have to pay at the end of the meal. At the pool today I was watching a young family with their little girl in the pool. While watching them having fun splashing in the pool, I was thinking how amazing God is for making the world so large but that families are all the same everywhere. These people had darker skin than me, spoke a different language, lived in a house made differently than mine, and probably had a different life style but they were also on vacation with me, enjoying their family, laughing, and having fun right beside me. God is great!

Costa Rica is one of our favorite countries to travel to because of the diversity of the country and fun things to do here. I wanted to take a picture of the store fronts in Jaco to show you it's Spanish flavor but also it is a surfing town. It has very lush jungle like vegetation. This is a picture of a East West palm the grows about 10 feet tall in Key West and is 18 feet tall here! Needless to say it rains here and this is the rainy month but it has only rained in the mountains since we have been here. Yes, that means Harry will be riding his bike in a lot of mud! I hope to share some really muddy photos if I can find a good internet connection.

this week. More adventures to follow.

My quote will be this for this week:


“Never judge someone
By the way he looks
Or a book by the way it's covered;
For inside those tattered pages,
There's a lot to be discovered”
― Stephen Cosgrove

Diane, Girlfriend, and Gamma

Appreciate the Moments.

Hi Everyone,

I am back in Montana and fall has arrived in Bozeman. Fall is my favorite time of year because of the beautiful oranges, yellows, and reds everywhere. Fall is also one of the busiest times of the year around our house. I like to have the garden completely cleaned out and ready for spring, the pond must have the cat tails and lily pads removed, all the bushes must be trimmed, hoses detached from the house, horse paddocks cleaned, porch furniture brought in, and the fall decorations arranged at the door. Harry and I have been working on all these projects every morning all week. This has given me lots of time to think about all my blessings and I have thought a lot about my two wonderful daughters this week. 

Heidi and Kristin are both adults now with beautiful families of their own. They both live in the same town with me. But I still miss them. I know that sounds like a controlling mother and I am not.  I am a mother that was so busy during the child raising years that I didn't stop and appreciate each moment. And those moments go by so fast... We were and still are a very close family. Harry and I took the girls everywhere with us. We climbed on McKinley glacier, climbed Kilimanjaro in Africa, and climbed Aconcagua in Argentina, traveled to the Galapagos, Japan, Mexico, and Europe. Rode tandem bicycles across the United States when they were 11 and 13.  Harry even took Kristin to Antarctica! The girls understood first hand at a very young age that not all children were as privileged as they were. But, all those travels and adventures meant that Harry and I had to work very hard while we were home to be able afford the next adventure. It was during the time that I was working hard for the next adventure that I didn't stop and enjoy the simple moments. 

I am living a wonderful adventurous life, thanks to my husband Harry who never stops dreaming. But the point I want to make is that if you and your family are outside working together to get the fall chores done, or mowing the lawn together, watching a sporting event that the children are participating in, or just reading a story to the children at night; take a second and appreciate the time together.

I was looking through a drawer and found a card that my mother had given me the said this:

When I first held you in my arms, I wanted so much to be a perfect parent. You were already a perfect daughter...In the years since, then, I've learned that nobody needs to be perfect as long as there's plenty of love-and we have that. I've found out that my dreams for you aren't always the same as your own, but we can have trust in each other. I've watched you grow and become far more than I could ever have imagined when I first held you in my arms. My pride in you keeps growing too. And today I just wanted you to know that you've made being a parent life's greatest reward.

Being a parent is life's greatest reward. Appreciate the moments of your reward.

Please enjoy your fall.  Diane

"Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure."
                                                                                                     Oprah Winfrey