My Costa Rican Adventure

Making my very own "sand" castle on the beach.

If you asked me two years ago how many countries I had traveled to the answer would have been pretty short...Canada, the US... uh....that's it.

A year ago I was enjoying my much anticipated 3-week whirlwind trip around Ireland, Scotland and England (read about it here >>). I finally felt like I had some international travel under my belt!

Six months ago if you asked me where else I was planning on traveling to I would have said nowhere. I'm just happy thinking up future trips years down the road.

Then along came the LOAS (link).

What is LOAS, you ask? It's short for the "League of Adventurous Singles!"

I had found an awesome, no-holds-barred, tell-it-like-it-is singles podcast, "Seven Minutes in Heaven (link)" by Kira Sabin an awesome singles/life coach, sometime last year and quickly devoured all the episodes that applied to me. I explored further and found her website and something caught my eye...Kira organized and led amazing adventure travel for groups of single women!

Skip to 4 months later and I was prepping for my first tropical destination trip!

In January I packed my suitcase and headed off an a crazy adventure to Costa Rica with a bunch of single ladies that I'd never met in person! Yes, it does sound a little wild and dangerous, and I had jumped in as sort of a last-minute addition to the group after someone else had to cancel. 

I was one of three Canadian gals and the rest ranged from all over the US. It was amazing to get to know every single one of them!

Day 1 - Seeing our villa's pool in daylight, so refreshing in the heat!

We stayed in a rented villa (yes, a VILLA!) on the top of a jungle mountain range over looking the distant Pacific Ocean. We were treated with a mix of local catered meals and awesome restaurants where I learned to love new dishes like ceviche, plantains and black bean soup. I endured the hottest day of my life hiking through a jungle park but was rewarded with glimpses of beautiful wildlife like sloths, monkeys and huge hand-sized spiders (yuck)! We zip-lined, we swam in the ocean, we talked and laughed and I chased geckos, leaf & stick bugs all over our villa. Despite the heat and the humidity I wish we could have had a few more days on the gorgeous Costa Rica beaches. The people were so friendly and easy to talk to and I'm sure I will go back someday.

The retreat portion of our stay was also satisfying and rewarding. On day one, Kira met with each of us and asked us our goals and what we want to get out of the week. We also had plenty of group discussions covering topics from being single, dating, communication, setting goals, confrontation, to how to have those hard conversations.

Day 1 in CR - traveling from San Jose over the mountains to our villa. Truck full of melons on the side of the highway. Stops for lunch along the way. A glimpse of the Pacific over the mountains (the pink hazyglow reflecting the sunset), and finally, our fantastic villa!!

Since we were staying way up in the mountains we were met each day by our local driver, Eduardo,  and his sturdy van. We packed in and prayed the air conditioning would hold out as we ventured over the rough 2 kilometer rocky driveway and onward to whatever amazing destination Kira had planned for us that day. Eduardo tried to play the strong silent type, only to have us break him out of his shell with music or some good-natured teasing or bonding over photos of our dogs back home. He turned out to be a gem of a guy and we loved hear tidbits of his life's story.

A few afternoons were spent in the small town of Quepos and the larger bustling Manuel Antonio. We poked around the small shops and I found the people to be so very friendly and hospitable. I even had a jewelry maker whip me up a free gift of a wire flower while I paid for a cute sloth necklace I had found.

Day 3 - Zip line adventures at Midworld with Josue, walk to a local waterfall...or trickle,
and a frog hopped inside during a fabulous locally catered sunset dinner at the villa.

We were also blessed with wonderful guides on all of our adventures. We even had the same guide, Josue, twice during two different excursions by random coincidence! He was our first guide on our jungle hike through the Manuel Antonio park reserve and two days later we showed up for zip-lining at Midworld and who was our guide for the day, but Josue!

The entire trip, from the humid heat, spectacular scenery, and new friendships will be something I will never forget. That week among total strangers helped me catalyze some big changes in my life. Changes that maybe were a long time coming. I loved Costa Rica and someday I'd love to go back and explore more!


Some of my fondest moments from the week can be summed up in a few more snapshots.

PS - And hey, if this looks super amazing to you, Kira has a few more Costa Rica retreats or just singles travel weeks planned for 2017. Check out her website for details!! >> 

Day 1 - Leaf bug inside the villa. The villa's main floor was totally open!

Day 1 - Hottest Day of my LIFE! Hike through the Manuel Antonio jungle with Jose showing us wild animals.
Supper at a resort right on the beach!

So many interesting types of palm and palm-looking trees!

Day 3 - Zip lining ladies at Midworld. Some of us conquered our fears and some just had a blast whipping through the jungle canopy! Midworld was an excellent company and provided us with an awesome local lunch and great guides!

Day 4 - Amazing local food, boat trip to a secluded beach.

Day 5 - Meet Chewbacca - cutest baby sloth being hand fed at the Kids Saving the Rainforest animal sanctuary.

Day 5 - Morning at "Kids Saving the Rainforest" sanctuary, lunch and gelato at trendy eateries, then an afternoon at an amazing beach! Sunning scenery, warm waves that I could've stayed in for hours! And of course our trusty van rides home with good conversations and lots of laughter.

Day 5 - Amazing afternoon at a gorgeous beach! "Is this even real?!"

Day 5 - Beach for miles! Unreal! The postcards and screensavers are real!
Eduardo climbed a palm tree, cut open some coconuts with his under-the-front-seat machete and served us right there!
He also pointed out a sleeping sloth in a tree nearby!

Day 6 - Our villa from the top of the driveway, finally saw a toucan, fresh fruits, stick bug on our wall,
traveling back to San Jose with new friends and Eduardo!

The amazing and colourful flowers and plants of the tropics!

Travel day home - I touched down in FOUR countries!
(Costa Rica, Mazatlan, Mexico to refuel, Dallas TX US, Vancouver & Victoria BC Canada)

What travel plans do you have for the future? 
- I'd love to go back to Scotland & England, maybe Cornwall, Liverpool, Outer Hebrides and see more of Edinburgh.

Or where was your favourite destination so far?
- I also recently visited Mexico with some close friends and I'll have to write about that soon, too!


You can find more of my adventures on Intagram @keblackstock.

My "List" for 2016

As an excellent list-maker, though usually my skills are used for grocery lists or Christmas gift check lists, I am not one to normally make huge New Year's Resolutions.

However, I have, in the past, jotted down a few items I wish to see or do or create for the year ahead.

January of a new year always seems to be a great time to make a fresh start and plan ahead.

I love planning!
Whether it be a vacation or trip, a party or just a day adventure, I love researching and planning my brains out! I still am open to some spontaneity, but I like to be well prepared.

Back in 2012 I made a "My List" for that year.
I'm recreating that idea here with new plans for this coming year.

My 2016 List: (in random order)

1. Go to Costa Rica! (This is happening in less than 2 weeks!!)
2. See a sloth...a baby sloth, even better!
3. Jump from a waterfall
4. Finishing writing about my UK trip last year! (check out past posts here)
5. Start walking more
6. Write more regularly on this blog (I'm trying!)
7. Train more volunteers to cover my media job - a must!
8. Join a co-ed small group at church
9. Clean my spare room
10. Organize all my craft supplies
11. Sell my jewelry via a local store or two
12. Set up my Etsy Shop to sell my jewelry online
13. Put up photos and art on my walls (3 years and I still have empty frames!)
14. Go horseback riding
15. Go somewhere snowy next winter

16. Get a Tattoo (just a tiny one)

17. Keep up a more positive attitude every day
18. Do my best to help others around me

19. Go skiing/tubing/sledding more next winter!

20. Make healthier eating a priority

21. Read more (less TV!)

Meet the sloths from Lucy Cooke on Vimeo.

Okay, I'll admit that a few of these list items are a direct response to my upcoming trip to Costa Rica!! Gaaaaahhhh! So excited!!! I'll tell you all about it soon and I'm sure I'll be posting loads of photos of this new crazy adventure.

What's on YOUR list for 2016??

Scotland Adventures - Days 4-5 - Companions and Castles (Edinburgh and Alnwick Castle)

I'm baaaack!! It's been a busy week but I'm back to let you know what I've been up to on my adventures.

The morning was Wednesday and I got up quite early, looking forward to my Mom joining me on the next half of my UK travels!

I guess I could have taken the subway then airport bus to the Glasgow airport but instead I called a taxi for a quicker ride. (A taxi company my lovely rental flat hosts so helpfully provided!) 

I arrived and waited at the gate and shortly my Mom emerged. Yay! 

She was joining me for two nights in Scotland then six nights in London and Ashford before we headed back home via Dublin. 

Scotland Adventures - Day 4 - Jacobite Steam Train

After quick instructions on a shortcut the night before, I found the subway station on my own. It's about a 5 min walk from my rented flat. An easy walk but boy my body was so tired!! I've been go go going for almost a week!

I used an automatic ticketing machine and paid for an all day pass and found the right stop for the downtown Buchanan St station. It terminated at about a 3 block walk to where the tour buses parked downtown. On the way I found an open cafe and bought a small orange juice and cookie for the road. 

A few fellow passengers were waiting and I met a nice mom and son duo from New York who were bound for the same bus.

The weather was overcast and a bit chilly but I didn't need to put my jacket on, after walking a ways I always tend to run a bit warm. ;)

Scotland Adventures - Day 3 - Loch Ness, Castle Urquhart, Culloden (& maybe some whiskey!)

After another excellent nights sleep I packed up. I tried a different method that a customer at one of my Saturday markets told me about. Lay everything flat and just fold the extra edges up the sides. But it was about the same as rolling it all. I still haven't worn about half my clothes.

I'm headed downstairs to the eating area over looking the luscious grassy backyard sporting a pair of brilliant pheasants pecking for their breakfast and the green hills in the background. I ordered a full cooked breakfast. Poached egg over "black pudding", bacon, sausage, tomato. Tea and oj. Everything was delish! Even the black pudding! I sort of knew what it was but I refrained from looking up its' ingredients until later. (I'll let you do the same in case you are eating right now.)

Scotland Adventures - Day 1 - The Isle of Skye (Fort William & Castle Eilean Donan)

So, I left off getting up super early (3am!!) on a crazy noisy night in downtown Dublin, Ireland for my back-up flight over to Glasgow, Scotland.

From the noise beneath my room as my alarm went off at 3, I heard them shout out "last call". At least the majority of merry makers would be off the streets by the time I had gotten up, ready and packed to go around 4am. Here's hopin'!

Irish Adventure - Day 4 - The North (Giant's Causeway & Titanic)

I started off my final day in Ireland with a conundrum: I waited at the place where my day tour said the first pick up point would be, in front of a certain Starbucks. There were regular bus stops right at the curb but no "WildRover" tour buses anywhere. However, directly across the street there were four "Irish Day Tours" buses. Now I had seen the WildRover buses and they are clearly marked. Conundrum!! 

Ok Conundrum averted. I asked the other buses and got the correct side and went away on my tour bus! Yay!! I love it when a plan comes together!!

We were going to Belfast in the North of Ireland. They use British pounds instead of Euros. I'll do the amazing new Titanic Exhibit built there. Then we drove to the Giant's Causeway and thw awesome Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge!!

We had a totally full bus!! And it had wifi!!

We had  a very amusing bus ride to Belfast. Our guide was a short, ginger headed man in an old brown blazer who drone on and on, spewing facts and statistics and barely took a breath after each section of his expansive epic historical recitations. Sure enough, later he admitted he used to be a history professor. He was very nice and organized and truely knowledgeable, but not at all fun to listen to. A shame, really. 

Irish Adventure - Day 3 - Ring of Kerry

On to Day 3 in Ireland.

I was catching a train again, only a few blocks away. Soooo...somehow I mixed up my times when setting my alarm and thought I had to be there by 7. I got up, got ready and walked to the station thinking, no problem. Buuuuut I WAS supposed to be there by 6:30!!! I got there at 6:55 and they literally had to run me onto the train that left the station literally 5 seconds after I set foot on board! But I was on my way.

I had to walk through 4 train cars until I found the rail tour guides in their yellow shirts and jackets. We had a whole car reserved for us. I sat next to a lady and her friend from Edmonton. Across the aisle was a group of four (grandma, mom, 2 daughters in their 20s) from Florida. All very nice and friendly. 

Irish Adventure - Day 2 - Bunratty, Cliffs of Moher, The Burren

Well, it's just been so crazy busy and I've been so super tired that it's taken me a few days to recuperate and keep updating you on my amazing adventure! 

My I slept marvelously in my fancy Bunrattey Castle Hotel room! The self-serve breakfast spread they put on was top notch! I love that cooked mushrooms and tomatoes are always available. The local sausage and bacon were so tasted as well! My new friend from the medieval feast came in and joined me and had an excellent chat about our families. 

Irish Adventure - Day 1 - Galway & Medieval Banquet

I'm finally here!! I'm in Ireland!!

I arrived in Dublin with no further troubles or hiccups. I stopped into a restroom at the airport to brush my teeth, comb my crazy hair and generally wake up a bit. 

My last flight from Toronto direct to Dublin took me from sunset to glorious sunrise and I didn't get much sleep, thus felt a little groggy when I arrived. 

I sought out the Airlink bus where I bought a ticket to connect me to the train station half an hour away. There, I was meeting my Irish Rail Tour that I had signed up for at 10:30 am. 

The bus ride took us all around and through the downtown area so I had a good look at the area. Dublin is a neat, bustling city with many people walking, bussing or biking to work.

WestJet is the BestJet!

Okay, so I'm not quite at my desired destination yet (IRELAND!!) but I had to fill you in on the almost panick-inducing goings on so far and the good that has come of it all.

I had three separate flight legs today and as soon as I finished the first leg, entered the airport, turned my phone back on I received an unsettling email. My last leg flight was totally cancelled! That's right, not just sort of cancelled but gone, kaput, no longer an option!

And, to top that off, the new flight the airline sent me had an overnight delay so I wouldn't get to my destination until a whole DAY LATER and I'd MISS my first scheduled rail tour! 

I stayed the panick and quickly went to to WestJet care desk where they found me and my flights and assured me they had already "built" a new leg so I would be at my destination only an hour later than expected. 

Phewph! 

A Dream Come True!

Here I am, back from the non-blogging abyss of real life busyness and lack of motivation.

I've been meaning to write. Trying to write.

But for one reason or another I never make it here by the day's late end.

I do have LOTS to write about but today is a special day, so I made special time to write about it.

Today is the day before one of my  dreams comes true!

Tomorrow I hop on a plane, well, several planes over the course of almost 24 hours, but who cares, because tomorrow I am flying overseas to visit some of my most dreamed about places!!!


Yes, for those who know me, that's right, I am going to Ireland, Scotland and England!!!

Update.....

A few months have gone by and not a lot has changed.

My hair has grown a bit longer. I may have a few more freckles on my nose from a bit of spring sunshine that April brought. Willow, my puppy, has grown taller and stronger. And May has been full of blossoms, flowers and more rain than usual.

We had a great visit with my brother, Mike, his fiancee Darcy and her two cute boys Caleb and Noah. They are planning their wedding for here in Victoria in the Fall and I was happy to help and play with the boys!

My mom, sister and I had a fabulous time on our annual spa trip up to the Kingfisher, although this year we only stayed one night while my dad, Poppa, looked after Angie's twin boys. What a great grandpa! The boys are growing like weeds and laughing and almost sitting up now. The twins were also dedicated at our church recently.

Last weekend I had an excellent camping trip with some friends up island. Yes, it rained a lot and the first night was wickedly cold but we just stoked the campfire, hung a few tarps and ate lots of hot dogs and beans! Have I mentioned it before that I love camping!? I miss the smokey campfire smell already.

 I've seen quite a few great movies, and a few so-so ones lately, too.


On the good/great list:
The Book of Eli, Alice in Wonderland, How to Train Your Dragon, Avatar, Green Zone, Ghost Writer, Imax: Hubble, Remember Me

So-so:
Shutter Island, The Losers, Clash of the Titans, Iron Man 2

Here's a few newer photos of my cute, fiesty little Willow.

Road Trip Awsome-ness!

It's only been a couple of days since I arrived back home after a week away on a very typical Blackstock-Sieben vacation: a road trip through the Rockies to Alberta to visit family and friends, babies and kids and the city where I was born. I tagged along with my parents on a lovely trip where all I had to do was sit in the backs eat and enjoy the view!!

We started with a quick stop to to see my Mom's aunt, Auntie Shirley, her daughter, Pam, and Pam's granddaughter, Mariah. What a great visit! Of course Auntie Shirley had a mountain of delicious thin sandwiches and Pam had made a wonderful Caesar salad with homemade croutons! Mariah was a darling! So cute and sweet, dancing to her singing duck, "Quack, quack, quaaaack...." and colouring with me.

We then stopped in to see my sister and brother-in-law, Angie and Tom, in Langley. poor Angie had been terribly sick with the flu but the little twins she's growing are a-okay and she is now feeling much better.

We stayed in a very nice little hotel in Langley, had a great complimentary breakfast and headed up the Coquihaula to Kamloops to visit my dad's twin sister, Auntie Bev, and her family.


We chatted with my cousin Dave (and I saw the movie Star Trek again, and liked it even more! But that's for another blog post soon.), enjoyed some time with Aunite Bev and played a lot with my cousin Candace's kids, Brynn and Cruz. They showed us how good they were gliding around on their bikes, played a bit of basket ball...toddler-style, blew bubbles and I learned how to properly toss a football! Fun times!!

After two nights in sunny, warm Kamloops, we packed up and headed further east through the glorious Rocky Mountains. I will never, ever tire of driving through the mountains! My favourite scenery include the glacial lakes, with blues and greens so crisp and bright, keeping a sharp eye for any wildlife (though sadly on this trip we saw very little...does one deer and some hawks count?) and my most favourite part is the end of the mountains where they suddenly stop and become green rolling hills full of life and character!

Of course those foothills lead right into Calgary. The city of my birth and where I lived for the first 6 and a half years of my life. I now find Calgary to be too big, too busy, too dusty and always full of too much construction. The suburbs are planned out so tight and cramped that even though the homes are probably ginormous and cost a fortune, they look like tin-roofed shanty towns where the roofs almost touch and there is nary a tree or green thing for blocks and blocks. Yet, if I had one of those lovely big houses, I'd feel very comfortable and grateful, indeed!!

We had a quick visit with my dad's cousins, Auntie Della and Uncle Manuel, in their picturesque new condo over looking a small hidden lake, and headed on north of the big city to the town of Airdire where my siblings and I attended school while we lived nearby.


Here we found our newly moved-in relatives, my mom's sister, my Auntie Dorene and Uncle Craig, their daughter Kristie and her new baby boy, Oliver. This would be my new home for several days, so I set up camp on their floor and enjoyed every second being with them.

Oliver is such a cutie with such a range of funny expressions, laughs and cries. He was mostly a very happy boy and even when fussy, he seemed pretty easy to calm or play with until we saw a smile or he fell happily asleep. We had some lovely walks around their pretty neighbourhood, some lazy hours just relaxing and Kristie and I had some great late night chats about books, movies and anything else that we could think of!


We also met up with my parents again at my brother, Mike's baseball game. We enjoyed watching him play and watching little Oliver discover his new love for watching a spectator's dog catch a ball. Boy did he laugh at that!


On my final night in Alberta, Krisitie's sister, Katie arrived and us three gals had a great time together! How I wish we all lived even closer together! Perhaps someday we will! For now I will treasure the short times we have together and all the messages and e-mails we share while apart.

Finally we had to depart. A long day of driving lay ahead but I had my trusty Nikon poised and ready for any beautiful scenery or any wildlife that might pop up. I managed to capture a quick photo of a coyote on a hillside, only because he was moving and the tan blob stood out from the grasses behind him. We also took a few good photos at a pretty little rest stop at a place called Finn Creek. I'm getting pretty good at holding my big camera up and taking self-portraits of me and my other forced subjects! My parents were great sports!

We again had a nice night in Kamloops and were treated to the famous Swiss Pastry Shop's raspberry torte! What an amazing dessert!! Thanks Auntie Bev!!!

On the drive down from Kamloops to the Lower Mainland, I popped out my ipod and began listening to an audiobook of Twlight by Stephanie Meyer...I never realized it was so satisfying to have someone read aloud to you! With the pretty green hills whipping by I immersed myself in one of my favourite stories!

Once more in Langley we met up with Angie and Tom once again for lunch. Angie's health was markedly improved and she was practically bubbling over with love and joy! I brought her a few little baby gifts for the twins she is carrying and we had a lovely pasta meal and a good long visit. I cannot wait until we can find out what she is having!! Two boys? Two girls? Or a boy and a girl??? I am so very, very excited!!! My mom and I just keep looking at each other once in a while and exclaim. . . "TWINS!!!" Yay!

We picked up Ruby Richmond at Kim and Brad's house on the way to the ferry. (Ruby's grandson.) And I got to see most of their kids. I love that family and miss them!!

The ferry ride home was pleasant; I picked up a Nature Photography magazine and was truly inspired by some of the wonderful shots. I'd love to be a field contributor someday.

Our trip was perfect; we hit all the major stops and many family members along the way so that the week didn't drag but felt like just the right amount of time away from home. I was excited to sleep in my own bed once again but I already missed everyone we visited.

Thanks for an awesome week away, Mom and Dad, and everyone who took their own time out to host and visit with us!! I had a grad time!!

To see ALL my photos, go HERE --->

Tofino is my favourite place!

Campfire, ocean waves, good friends, beans and smores....mmmmm! What more could you want from a weekend away?!

This past Labour Day weekend a few friends and I headed up island to Tofino, my new favourite place, for a weekend of camping and relaxing. Jared picked up up in his big truck, Rommy chatted with Jared in the front and Meghan and I squished into the back with homemade muffins and cookies to keep us company. The drive was long but the company fun and entertaining. 

We set up our two tents in the dark with the sounds of the ocean rolling below on the beach. Luckily, no rain fell that first night, so in the morning, after I got up an went for a gorgeous walk on the beach, we ate some muffins and rigged up our tarps, just in case.

That day we explored the beach, played a little Bocce and enjoyed the afternoon sun on the beach. Supper around a campfire is the best! Hot dogs, chili and beans....with an encore of Smores! Mmm! And hot chocolate at every meal. 

We slept okay, wrapped tightly in our tents and sleeping bags and extra blankets....with the exception of the guys hearing a few bear-like noises in the night near the girls tent....ya...ahem.

Sunday we let the guys make breakfast of bacon and eggs and hash browns over the fire. 

There is nothing better than eating outside! 

The rain still stayed away and we enjoyed most of the sunny, warm day on the beach, chatting and napping and reading.

Monday we packed up and headed for home. The long drive went by quickly with the beautiful scenery and friendly chatter.

Camping, anywhere but especially in Tofino, is my new favourite thing! I'd go anytime!

Here are more photos from the weekend:

Tofino Album

Road Trip from BC to Alberta and Back

On August 13th I headed out on a road trip with my mom, Dorinda Driver, and my Great Aunt Shirley "The Early Riser", from BC through the Rockies to Edmonton for my cousin, Joel's wedding.

He had a great time! Yummy picnics and stopped at a few pretty spots for a photo or two.

Edmonton was HOT! So hot, I vowed never to live there even with the possibility of getting that hot!

But we had a great time catching up with cousins and aunties and uncles and Grandma. The wedding was so beautiful and the reception lovely! Our hotel room was spectacular, too! 

I cherish that weekend where I spent lots of fun moments with cousins I rarely get to see. We went bowling, had a group supper at good old Pizza Hut, hit the West Ed Mall for some laser tag and hang out time, ate a huuuge take-out Chinese dinner and reminisced about our favourite times spent in the past in Terrace at our grandparents house. 

I was so sad to say good-bye and longed for a few more days to spend with everyone. But alas, we packed up the car and headed back home again, ready for our next adventure.

We started home and ended up braving torrential rain, hail, lightning and saw 3 forest fires start in a crazy storm on the way to our next stop, 3 Valley Gap Chateau, near Revelstoke. The Chateau was neat in a kooky way, with the feel of an old chalet in the mountains that needs a bit of a makeover, but is homey and relaxed and very interesting. We toured their Ghost Town and saw some fabulous log cabins, original to the area, artifacts and recreations. 

I took many photos, too many to post here, but here are the links to my albums on facebook. Anyone can view them, even if you're not addicted to facebook yet. 

Album 1

Album 2

Album 3