Condor Kristen: March 2012

I wasn’t sure if I was going to blog about my trip to Nosara with the Marist Crew because it was honestly one long, not much remembered, ripping party. However, there were so many cool activities we participated in and the fact that the imprint we left on Playa Guiones in Nosara isn’t anything less than absolute legendary and debauchery; well that’s reason enough to provide you with the tale of 30 Red Foxes taking over a foreign land.

It all commenced when 30 legends assembled at the airport in Liberia, Costa Rica and boarded an unidentified foreign object that shot them to Nosara, and ejected them with a sweet buzz from plenty of Rum shots, Cervezas and mucho turbulence…

This could get lengthy, so I will divide into several main components that can be shared without ramifications from elements in life we’d like to call families, jobs, and our dignity. Enjoy!

UFO

Epic Pool Party: I’m not so sure how I can really talk about this without ruining too many lives. Correction, I’m not sure I can talk much about this because very few of us remember the actual contents of the party, but we are pretty sure it got weird. So long story short, this day event was filled with pool games, drinks, floats, football, laughter, and of course, a Marist Red Fox flag blowing in the wind. Oh, and this pool party almost got us all evicted from our rental properties a mere ONE DAY into the trip. Whoops!!

Some of the crew

Darn right, girl

Alli, James and I

Pete's sweet hairdo for the fiesta

Marist College, you'd be so proud!

Pool Party!!!

This was the boys' pride and joy, and I got most of it on video, but I think I was too excited so didn't quite capture it all. They tried this again for the next 40 minutes...

Does it go against the Marist Constitution to bite the flag?

Zip Lining: This particular event I had the opportunity to experience twice. My friend Alli had to head back to Florida a few days early so couldn’t go with the rest of the crew. I clearly obliged at the offer to partake more than once at Miss Sky’s Canopy Tours; the largest and longest zip lining experience in the world. Flying through the jungle well above the treetops, at 45k/m is one heck of a rush – doing that through 11 different sets of zip lines is even more exciting. And to top it off, we took a break in the midst of flying through the jungle to cool off, swim and cliff jump in the Nosara Rio River.

Marist College Zip Lining in Costa Rica

Missy, Alli and I

Everyone getting geared up

Again

View from the lines

Swimming

Cactus in the Jungle

So pretty

Hey Heyyy

Birthday Party at Olgas: We celebrated three amazing ladies’ birthdays on the trip: Sue, Becca and Rachel. And what great fiancé and friends they have that a party was previously organized, decorations adorned, and the surprise was [somewhat] kept. We scoffed down amazing food (I had fish tacos for the second time that day), of course drank some killer cervezas, and even concluded with a bonfire on the beach whilst signing happy birthday to the trio. Sue later mentioned that it was the best birthday she ever had, and I would concur. Not much can beat a surprise birthday bash on the beach in paradise with 30 foxes!

Getting ready for the party drinking homemade pina coladas our of real coconuts!! YUM!!

Waiting for the surprise

Ready for the fiesta

Buen Provecho!

Birthday girl and her fiance

Missy, James and Alli

Bonfire

The Scene

Love

I had to put this in here...

I'm on a Boat: This day may not have ended as wonderfully as it did given that rumor had it the occupants of one boat jumped in the water to swim right above a school of sharks. But as everyone knows, a fox will always triumph the shark in any of nature’s competitions, and therefore everyone was fine. The other, less reckless boats (especially the one I was on), proved to be united with the sea as they captured over 40 pounds of fish. We caught grouper, congria (which tastes like monkfish), tuna, and even pre-mature mermaids. The best part of the fishing trip was that we all brought our fish to a variety of restaurants for them to cook for us the same evening. It is a great feeling to enjoy the fruit of your own labor.

On our way to the boats

I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat. Everybody look at me. 'Cause I'm sailing on a boat. I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat. Take a good hard look, at the motherf*ing boat..

I'm on a boat mother, take a look at me. Straight flowing on a boat on the deep blue sea. Busting five knots, wind whipping out my coat. You can't stop me mother, 'cause I'm on a boat.

Our catches, Melissa got two in one!

That's some big fish!

Nice catch Alli

Fish and beer, Pura Vida

Boats and fish

Take a picture, trick, I'm on a boat. We drinking Santana champ 'cause it's so crisp. I got my swim trunks and my flippie-floppies.

Wouldn't be a fishing trip, or even a Marist trip, without Greg in his speedo

Grouper!

Becca's turn

Italian dinner night: I’m not even sure why I made this a main topic. I think it has something to do with the dinner at Dolce Vita was the most intoxicated I have ever been at a public restaurant at an appropriate hour. And not to my surprise, every single one of the 30 people at the stretch Armstrong table was in the exact state of mind: completely wasted. I’m pretty sure some super creepy things happened at the restaurant that I cannot divulge. I do remember taking mucho limoncello shots and going to find the bathroom to see Ed Gurka pouring shots and chatting it up with the owner, Eduardo, in the back office/kitchen. Needless to say, this was one of the best dinners I have had in my entire life even though I don’t even remember what I ordered.

The Table

Eduardo (owner) pouring drinks

Another table shot

Greg pouring Limoncello

YUM!!

Maybe some singing?

Ben chilling with the staff

More Limoncello

The boys and Eduardo

Shots with Eduardo

Beaches: This category is the reason we came to Nosara; for the beaches and waves. There is not much better in life than playing games, tanning, swimming, surfing, chatting, and relishing in the beauty of creation. I’ll let the pictures do the talking…

Playa Guiones

Our abode

Catching some waves

Beach by Olgas

The Boys

Heaven

You would think it'd be easy to get this picture, but this is how long it took..

Rachel Surfing

Home

Sunsets: Almost everyday we would head to a different beach to watch the sunset and admire the beauty of Costa Rica. At this time we would marvel at how lucky we were to be together, healthy, happy and in paradise. And then all drugged up on the euphoric state from witnessing such a beautiful site, we would continue yet another night of mayhem.

Some of the crew watching the sunset

Watching another sunset in Nosara

Again..

Takes my breath away

Last night Sunset, all the boys

And the girls, most of them

Family dinner night: Family dinner night came about because it was our last night of the trip and we had lots of food and fish in our houses to cook, liquor to drink, memories to be made, and desperation to hold onto the final moments in paradise. It was a beautiful moment when we all gathered over one large table and feasted. Cheers to babes, waves, and Pura Vida.

Boys preparing some of the dinner

Making the Pina Coladas

Greg grilling

Let's eat!

Love these ladies

Family

Drinking the Pina Coladas

Maxin' and Relaxin' after dinner

One of my fav couples sipping on Coladas after dinner

Reflecting on the glorious times we shared

Vibes: I got in trouble one night for telling someone not to ruin my good vibes (no names will be divulged), however, the reality was that not even a severe case of leprosy could’ve brought me down on this trip. I couldn’t be happier to know that I have such fun-loving and fun-living people in my life. Cheers to all, new and old friends alike.

Ben Schopp defines great vibes

Love this and my freshman roomie

Handstands are awesome on the beach

Sexiest Man Alive 2012

At dinner one night, haha love this

Sharing is caring

Prince getting his groove on at La Banana

LIMBO!

Cheers

Our mode of transportation which I just absolutely loved - was one of my favorite things about the trip

YUM, Pescado Tacos

My fav - that was a real barracuda

Monkey!!

Kenny on the pole at La Banana, amazing. I'm fully convinced this wasn't his first rodeo. He had moves like Jagger, or Jenna Jameson, whatever..

This is when Dave was trying to be Mr. Rico Suave (or Ryan Gosling from Crazy, Stupid, Love) and use the "dirty dancing" move to win me over. It ended with both of us on the ground rolling around in laughter...