Outbound Golfito, Inbound Seattle

By Nicole

When I tell you that we’re getting ready to leave this warm, tropical paradise for the (presumably) gray skies of Seattle, you may at first be like, “WHY?” What the hell?” “Are you people crazy?!” But just wait a minute. Take a deep breath. The reason is simple. We need a little vacation.

Despite how it may seem, what with our posts of zip lining and snorkeling and sailing and the perpetual cocktail hour, this is actually our real life. We take out the trash, clean the toilet, do “home” repairs and follow a pretty regular routine, especially now that we’re chained to the dock. As fabulous as life may be, sometimes you just need a change of scenery, a hug from your mom and a giant cup of hazelnut gelato.

So what are we most looking forward to doing on vacation?

• Spending time with family and friends (of course!).
• Savoring foods we’ve missed (like Thai, raspberries, chocolate malts, onion rings, Hale’s Cream Ale, broccoli, gelato, good wine and donuts). Also Aaron wants Taco Bell and Scotch. Any predictions about how much weight we’ll gain? And is it weird that I’m craving roasted broccoli?
• Enjoying the fall weather, even if it’s rainy. I miss crisp mornings, apple cider, sweaters, pumpkin patches, Halloween and autumn leaves. Oh, and pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks.
• Seeing movies without subtitles. But really just seeing any first-run movie will do (with Red Vines!).
• Shopping. Yes, even Aaron is keyed up about it. The selection! The variety! The low prices! I’m overwhelmed just thinking about it (in the best possible way).

The greatest part about a vacation, though, is having a marvelous time and then returning, refreshed, to your real life (especially when, in your real life, you live aboard a sailboat in Costa Rica). Seattle, get ready … the crew of Bella Star is inbound!