We hope that you all rang in the new year as you like to do so. We had a lovely dinner with our guests. After dinner we had several different games of cards, dominoes, and lively conversation. We took a swing at a pinata full of chocolate. We went from the youngest person and worked our way up until all of the candy had emptied out of the pinata. From there we made our way down to the dock and had a wonderful fireworks display courtesy of James. (Video sometime soon) Following the show some people stayed up and others went to bed.

This morning we have had a slow start. We will have a traditional southern (as in Texas) meal today for New Year’s Day. Our children get to take a crack at their own pinata and our guests are enjoying various activities.

We appreciate each and everyone of you - those that stop by the website, those that hope to come to see us some day, those that have been here, those that we work with, our friends and our families. We wish you all a new year full of wonder!

Tags: Bocas del Toro Panama, Holidays, Guests, Family, Friends

So, Christmas in Bocas del Toro, Panama is obviously warm. The day started early as the kids were up before the sun. We managed to keep things calm and under control until 7:00 am. At that point we let Tres and Boty go wake up Scott. From there, we made sure all of the adults had coffee so that we could function.

The kids had already determined that Santa left a mess when he came into the house overnight. There were leaves all over the floor. Tres has decided that next year we need to put a sign on the front door asking him to wipe his feet before he comes into the house. They were pretty sure given the mess that he had left a few things for them on the other side of the library door. What I am sure felt like forever to them as we collected ourselves and our coffee finally gave way as they opened the door and went into the library. Big excitement!



They unwrapped gifts from family, friends and Santa Clause for some time. The staff came in one by one to give Christmas Greetings. Our guests all woke up over time - much later than we did and made it to the lodge building for breakfast. Jim and James and all the guests headed out to the Zapatillas for the day. They had a great hike on the island and a bit of beachcombing time. The rest of us hung around here doing our daily thing and enjoying watching the kids play with all of their new toys. It was a great day.



We had another family arrive yesterday afternoon. We all enjoyed a delicious meal and great conversation. Today everyone is off at the Chocolate Farm. The boys are back in school. Boty is playing with her new toys and taking a walk with her new boots. Life is good.

Tags: Family, Blessings, Holidays, Children, Bocas del Toro Panama

Tags: Family, Blessings, Holidays, Children

Some days I have to remind myself that life is about the journey. Our holiday season is a bit different than what we used to experience back in the USA. We are super busy over the holidays which is wonderful. We get to meet some new people each year. We welcome back friends from previous years. We are developing new traditions and experiences as we go along.

This little state of emergency thing that we had at the end of November has made things a bit more challenging this year to prepare for the holidays. I think because of that I have been taking the a few moments each day to remember that I have so much to be thankful for and to remind myself to enjoy the journey.

Here is one of my favorite photos from the Thanksgiving holidays. It makes me smile every time I look at it.





Smile - as your holiday season unfolds - remember if you take a deep breathe, smile and remind yourself that you are supposed to enjoy the journey it might make the day a bit easier.

Tags: Family, Blessings, Guests, Holidays, Friends

People often ask us how we handle certain things given that we are living out here on an island. Well, we pick and choose how we do things. We do not have anything forced upon us since we do not have the media and marketing bombarding us with messages about what we are supposed to be doing. Thus, what to do for Halloween?

The boys have been dressing up for a few years now. The first year I could barely get Tres to put his costume on and go knock on the kitchen door. The next year we had the boys dress up and go around to the different buildings and trick or treat with the staff. Last year all three kids dressed up and went on a scavenger hunt in front of the main building. The weather looked a bit ominous so we decided to stick close to the house.

This year Halloween has been a bigger deal. I think it is because both boys expect more from it. I also believe it is because we have gone into more effort to make costumes and get prepared. I made both Boty and Tres a costume. I wasn’t sure I was going to have time as we approached Halloween so I made sure the costumes were completed at the beginning of the month. Tres declared early on that he wanted to be Superman. Boty of course then needed to be Supergirl. Scott wanted to be a pirate. I knew better than to make two superhero capes without making a third. Thus - we have had children trying on capes and learning to fly all month long. Scott’s grandmother decided she would make Scott’s pirate costume. She also very graciously made a second vest for Tres so that he could use it for dress up after Halloween. We have also been listening to spooky music all month long in preparation for the big day.

I found a fabric panel that had a Halloween trio of jack o laterns on it in one of the stores in Bocas earlier this month. Tres and I were so surprised to find it that we knew we had to buy it and do something with it. At $1.25 it was a bargain. I put on a backing and quilted it into a little wall hanging for the kids to enjoy all month. After all - we can’t go to the pumpkin patch and buy one to carve. So we make do.

I checked in with the boy’s teacher to determine if they could wear their costumes to school for Halloween. She thought it was a great idea. So we will have a pirate and a superhero in school today. We will be trick or treating around the lodge in the different buildings. We are having a spooky dinner and special guests. Papa and Grandma are arriving on the afternoon flight. They will get here just in time to join in on the festivities.

Tags: Family, Children, Holidays