Perhaps I'm a bit hasty?
So what if I got a little carried away with getting ready for the beach?

Whew...I think I am finally packed! I leave for Kansas City airport tomorrow about 10:30 a.m., barring no plane delays or our road drifting shut due to snow storm #59 during this dreadful winter. Could I have picked a better time to go to Costa Rica? I will arrive in Houston and spend the night tomorrow, before then leaving for Costa Rica from Houston on Friday! As for now, I am beginning to feel a mixed bag of emotions. Excitement for the adventure. Nervousness for not being able to speak fluidly, not knowing my host family, and being somewhere completely different than what i am used to. Add that I don't know anybody and my stomach starts churning. Finally, I feel scared as I begin wondering 'why the heck am I doing this?' I guess it is all part of the experience!

I hope to be up and blogging as soon as possible with pictures and info about everything I am seeing and learning. For now, I leave you with a photo that will soon be a distant memory for me. It is of this year's Christmas tree in it's new location following an ice fishing escapade by Dad and I. Yes, it is in the middle of the pond, and if it ever thaws, it will slowly sink through the ice. Great fun!

Pura Vida,

William E. Brown, a.k.a Billy Brown