And the winner is…..ME!

That’s right, I won NaNoWriMo! <little dance> I surpassed the 50,000 word quota and although I’m nowhere near having a completed work I am thrilled to have written so much this month!

I do want to point out that I did not attempt to write a novel, but instead wrote….<shhhh>…nonfiction. <GASP!> I know, but I’ve lately been much more interested in the real stories of others and therefore decided to write/type some of my own. (By the way, if you’re thinking of what to get me for the holidays I’d love a story from your life.) At this point I have basically three (although more may be added) short stories from my life. They share similar themes and maybe, someday, will be compiled in a properly bound book that one can hold. There is much more to be written and much editing to do, but who cares. The process has been fun! So fun I’m going to continue working on it!

I’d like to thank all of those who supported me through this challenge, especially my biggest cheerleader Jim. I love you and your support of my writing and meeting goals I set for myself. You rock!

If ever you thought about writing something, anything, I strongly suggest participating. They do it every November and although you could do it on your own, at anytime, it’s great to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Plus, the pep-talk emails are a riot. I laughed aloud on a regular basis and even had to read parts to Jim. One suggested that if you’re worried about your word count maybe one of your characters habits could be reading aloud from a dictionary for hours at a time. Now that’s funny right there.

If you want to find out more about National Novel Writing Month, The Young Writers Program, Script Frenzy (in April), or how to donate check out their website.

Next on the agenda…

Very Short Term Goals:

• Go into San Jose to look at cars, possibly shop a little, and hopefully see a film!

In General Goals:

• Start Posting Regularly (I’ve got lots of things to share from the last month and a bit!)
• Continue to Walk on the Beach as much as possible
• Continue to Cook/Bake/Eat a more Vegan, Refined Sugar Free, and Gluten Free Food
• Continue my Writing
• Catch up with everything and everyone I’ve put on hold this month

Next Big Goals:

• Pull Together my Creative Xmas Gifts for friends and family (budget is tight this year but I’ve got a fun idea)
• Take a Surfing Lesson (or a few)
• Plan our trip to Nicaragua to renew our visas

Friends Indeed!

There vultures here in Costa Rica unfortunately don’t sport mod 60’s haircuts or English accents.

But I dream they’d break out into the acapella “That’s what friends are for” from The Jungle Book.

To all my friends out there who pluck me up when I am down! Love you!

Best Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Now that we’ve got all of these great baking items, I thought I’d put some to use. This is only one of the many yummy things I’ve been up to, but I’ll post about the other’s later. These cookies are vegan, refined sugar free, gluten free and were an instant favorite with Jim and I! The recipe below will make about a dozen, which is plenty for two people to eat over a couple days, but double the recipe is you want more! If you want cookies quick, these are the way to go as they only take 20-25 minutes total to make. These cookies stay the perfect consistency even after a day! They’re moist and soft enough, yet don’t fall apart, and they even have a crunch factor! YUM!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Turbinado (Dried Sugar Cane Juice)
• 1/2 cup Peanut Butter (the thicker and more all natural the better, we like chunky)
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 3 Tablespoons Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1/4 cup Brown Rice Flour
• 1 cup Vegan Chocolate, chopped (I use 70% plus cocoa content)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a bowl cream together Turbinado and Peanut Butter until well combined. (Can easily do with spoon)
• Add Baking Soda and mix in.
• Add Applesauce and mix until combined.
• Add in Brown Rice Flour until everything is well incorporated and the mixture forms a doughy, texture.
• Fold in Chocolate.
• Roll into one inch balls and flatten slightly on an ungreased cookie sheet.  (I fit 12 on the sheet in 4 rows of 3.)
• Bake for 15-17 minutes.  Cookies will be golden brown and appear very soft. (They will harden up some, so don’t over bake!)
• Let cool for a few minutes before removing them from the cookie sheets.
• Enjoy them on their own or with something warm or otherwise cozy. I like them with Raw Almond Milk.

There are sometimes when I’m too impatient to wait 20 minutes for something sweet. When that happens and I’m craving something nutty, comforting, and with a serious hit of chocolate I make this:

It may not look all that appetizing, but I promise it’s SO GOOD. I throw together Oats, Peanut Butter, Dried Unsweetened Shredded Coconut, a little Turbinado, Apple Sauce, and Chocolate Covered CaoCao Nibs. Divine!

“Nobody Said It’d Be Easy”

So I know it’s been a while since I last posted and this month may not bring many more as I’ve been keeping myself pretty busy.

Jim’s mom Susy was in town and we had such a great time here in Bejuco and up in Monteverde together. I will post photos and details of our time together at some point for sure.

As you read in my last post, I’m participating in National Novel Writing Month. It’s taking a lot of diligence and time, but I’m enjoying it so far.

Something else that’s keeping me busy is working with my mind. I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time being still and quiet. It makes me antsy at best and anxious and severely uncomfortable in my skin at worst. Slowing down to “Tico Time” here in Costa Rica is still an adjustment. Although I’m more accepting of how it affects my interactions with other people, I’m finding that it allows a lot of space and time to be with myself. This sounds fine, but even with all the ways I’m keeping myself busy and productive, I haven’t been at peace. The funny thing is that having more time to be was part of my motivation to come down here for the year. I wanted time to reflect and witness my thoughts and emotions. Practicing being in the present moment, if you will, isn’t all that easy for me.

I’d rather be thinking about the past: “I miss Boulder, my friends there, Whole Foods, etc.” or the future: “What will we do next, what if we run out of money before we’re ready, where will we live next?” Now, I understand that looking at the past to cherish great moments or to learn from mistakes made is useful in the same way that a bit of planning for the future is also healthy. If I don’t buy what I need at the store to make dinner, we won’t have dinner and if we don’t plan to save money for retirement, we won’t ever be able to do so. I get that.

What I’m finding is that I have this constant dialogue (which most of us have) where rather than feeling an emotion directly, I get all wrapped up in the storyline attached to it. I let the fantasy take me for a ride. It’s fun and entertaining for a while, but really it’s not allowing me to fully feel the emotion I’m experiencing and then move on. What I’m trying to do is let go of the story I’ve created and just sit in what I’m experiencing now. In the moments I’m able to do that, I’m so much more peaceful, grateful, and hopeful. It also allows me to be more present in my actions. I can listen to you more clearly when I’m not wrapped up in my own thinking.

You can call this meditating if you will, but I’m trying to incorporate it into all areas of my life as well as setting aside a few minutes a day to sit and be quiet. When I drive into Jaco rather than letting my thoughts take me for a ride down “I really hope a tire doesn’t blow” I focus on driving. In this particular scenario it was helpful so that when a large tree branch dropped on my windshield while I was driving 80km I didn’t panic. I was able to take the necessary action.

The bottom line is that I’m finding this practice extremely useful in creating happiness. It can be very uncomfortable at times when I don’t want to let go of the storyline, especially the really juicy fantasies, but I’m coming to trust (or have faith) that being present is much more beneficial.