Happy Thursday, friends! I have been waiting to do this little #tbt for a while now, rather than stick it in the lineup directly after the previous Costa Rica #tbt and be oh so predictable. This one comes at the same time that two of our very dear friends, Anne and Douglas, have officially started their cross-country trek on their move to California for the next year via a new job for Douglas {eek!}. And while we are all so excited for them (and can’t wait to visit in March), it was hard to say goodbye see ya later nonetheless. So, in dedication to the Marions, I give you the #tbt to our Costa Rica trip in 2012!

Roll back to February 25, 2012, and we began our fun by celebrating John’s birthday with cocktails on the plane, and a cake when we arrived. A full week filled with sunshine, lots of fishing (and catching!), good food, too much beer, and thousands of photos later, we created memories on a trip that we won’t soon forget. There ended up being 12 of us total, staying in the same house as our trip in 2011, and doing our fishing off of both Frenzy boats again out of Marina Pez Vela. With such a large group, we all rotated on fishing based on how much we wanted to fish/which boat we were able to book for a given day. I am so glad the same crew is still there, too, as they really made the experience as fun as it could possibly have been. Some days were slower than others, as it always is with fishing, but we never came home empty-handed. In fact, every single person was able to land at least 1 sail, a first for many of the group. Another first? Swimming with a caught sail. Right in the water with him, holding onto his bill! Because of the trauma caused to the fish bringing it up on the boat, that is no longer an option for an angler’s photo op. I feel very fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to do so the previous year, but absolutely cannot disagree with the new practice. I know I speak for everyone when I say that is was such an amazing rush to jump into the vast ocean and swim with a wild beast of a fish. Another outing resulted in a deliciously large tuna, which we prepared for dinner that night. Swimming at 2 pm, on the table by 8. You really can’t beat that, huh?

With John and I having so recently been to Costa Rica, it was easy to plan out both our days and nights, from figuring out meals for 12 to what adventures we could partake in on our days off from fishing. As luck would have it, there was one day that the boats were booked, giving the whole group a chance to head off together on a zip-line adventure. Not everyone was on board with the adrenaline-filled excursion at first (you know who you are :)), but it ended up being so much fun. Other days off were spent enjoying cocktails on the beach, eating local food in little roadside restaurants, exploring Manuel Antonio National Park, and even a little beach/rain forest horseback ride.

Literally 5000 photos later and 25+ caught sails under our belts, we headed back home, sun-burned tanned faces, mild hangovers, and huge smiles. Here is just a taste of our adventure. Enjoy!