Costa Rica--by the numbers

It would be impossible to relay all the great experiences Sydney and I shared in Costa Rica. The country was beautiful, the food was better than I expected, the people of CR are amazing. But the best part by far was the other moms and all the laughter--and tears--that we shared. I know I have some new lifelong friends! So, without further ado, here you go! It's good to be home!

2:30 a.m.--number on the clock when we headed to BWI on Friday morning, February 13.
64--number of parents/students/staff who assembled at BWI at 3 a.m. in BRIGHT orange shirts
53--number of pounds my suitcase weighed before some creative "rearranging" (50 pounds is the limit!)
18--number of platforms I landed on (not always gracefully!) in my 1.5-hour zip line ride!
1--number of contacts I lost on the aforementioned zip line
1--number of very busy doctors who took great care of many sick kids in Costa Rica! (thanks Dr. Carter!)
3--number of days Payton was home sick from school last week
2--number of dear friends who helped with (sick) kids, meals, and the dog while I was gone! (thanks Ann and Kari!)
0--number of pages I read in all those books I took with me!
2--number of guides from Joshua Expeditions who led our trip to Costa Rica
20--number of approximate hours we spent on various bus rides around Costa Rica.
550--number of youth who attended the event we put on in La Carpio
1000--number of hot dogs we served to the aforementioned youth!
6--number of carnivals we held while in Costa Rica
600--approximate number of gift bags we packaged for the kids that came to the carnivals.
40--number of children who raised their hands to receive Christ at just ONE of those carnivals in Cot, Cartago.
7--number of mornings I ate eggs and fresh pineapple for breakfast
12--number of meals at which I ate chicken in one form or another
5--number of hours we spent lounging on beautiful Tortuga beach
2--number of great roommates with whom we shared lots of laughs and great memories! (thanks Margie and Courtney!)
2--number of bathrooms in our hotel suite (a minor miracle!)
2--number of times I checked e-mail over the course of eight days!
2--number of quick phone calls home over the course of eight days!
50,000+--approximate number of photographs taken by various members of our team
1--number of toucans we saw in their natural environment
1--number of monkeys we saw in their natural environment
1--number of sloths we saw in their natural environment
1.5--number of miles we hiked round trip to the waterfall (pictured above)
2--number of volcanoes we saw on the trip
2--number of goldfish who greeted me from inside my pampered chef glass mixing bowl when I arrived home! (they have since been relocated!)
2--number of days I've had to survive "re-entry" and get caught up, situated, etc.
17--number of wash loads I have completed during re-entry
Too many to count--number of great times with new friends!

And, a totally unrelated, but very important, number.........
3--number of work days left until I am officially "working from home" Yeah!!